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If you remember previous posts, my hunting loads are in RMC and Double hammer all brass hulls and I have experianced the problem of the osc card failing during cold weather. Yesterday, I called Circle Fly to order over shot cards and during the discussion I mentioned osc’s being dislodged from the hull and my solution to the problem. CF suggested that I use Fletch Tite glue and one gauge larger osc’s. I ordered oversized cards for both 16 and 28 gauge and will compare when the weather gets cold. I considering devising some shock and vibration tests to compare standard osc’s and Ducco cement with oversize osc’s and Fletch Tite. One test that comes to mind is putting 2 each of the different osc/glue loaded shells in the freezer overnight and test firing crimped loads with the frozen hull in the left barrel. Any ideas?

Member Joined: 18 Aug 2006 Posts: 114 Location: Tucson, AZ

I would do a "shake" and "bang" test to see if either one fails and falls out of the hull. Rolling Eyes

It's hard to defy the Laws of Physics....... Expansion & Contraction, Heat & Cold.

Try many things. Wink

Send some of that Coolish South,hey.

Member Joined: 28 Oct 2005 Posts: 665 Location: Louisiana

I use REM/UMC hulls, I seal the oversize shot cards with Sodium Silicate (water glass), applied with an eye dropper.....both obtainable at your local pharmacy.
The residue left by the silicate is friable and easily removed with a phosphor/bronze cleaning brush.

Member Joined: 18 Aug 2006 Posts: 114 Location: Tucson, AZ

I use a little silicone tile sealant; seems to work fine.

Joined: 06 Aug 2009 Posts: 960

"Lefty Dude wrote:
It's hard to defy the Laws of Physics.......

Not on this forum Lefty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Slidehammer"

NOW THAT IS FUNNY!!!!!!!

It happens all the time, all you have to do is look at any thread that mentions pressure & recoil!!!

ROTFLMAO

Lefty,
My wife is a physicist so I have a jump on defiance, expansion and contraction.

woodcock, Waterglass is the first adhesive that I tried and the first osc to dislodge and allow the shot to roll down the barrel.

Carpe DM, I haven't tried tile sealer.

I live in balmy nw Wyoming where temps during the hunting season exceed those found in AS & LA. Not that expansion and contraction does not exist in those states. its just that I hunt birds in 20 deg.,f. weather and I'm using all brass hulls.

Member Joined: 18 Aug 2006 Posts: 114 Location: Tucson, AZ

The silicone expands, etc., naturally, and then just seems to disappear when shot! Just a dab will do ya. Wink

I talked to Roger at Hammer Double at great length about the use of Elmers for a OS card sealent. His suggestion and how he uses the Elmers is:
Adjust the column with in 1/8" of the case mouth, this includes the OS card.
The Elmers is then applied till it domes above the mouth. Surface tension keeps the Elmers from over filling the case side. This is important as the Elmers dries it shrinks into the case mouth and seals against the mouth side and slight roll in the case mouth. Because the case mouth is rolled the dried Elmers plug will not come out untill fired.
I let the Elmers dry till it is hard, and looks like a wax plug.

I am a Cowboy Action Shooter as well as a Hunter. I have several loads for my Brass Magtec , Hammer Double & RMC 16 ga. shells. I use the Magtec's for CAS, the Hammer Double & RMC for hunting etc.
I have over 100 Magtec's and usually fire & reload all each month. My canvas CAS shotgun shell belt holds 13 shells and I have never had a shell dump shot because of a OSC malfunction.

If I were loading in the cold country I would try & use a silicon seal and apply as I do with the Elmers. The only change would be to apply the seal level with the case mouth, and let it dry for several days.

I use the brass with my Winchester 97 & my Fox/Savage SXS for CAS.

Joined: 09 Jul 2009 Posts: 510 Location: Central CT

I had a brief need to reload Brass shells. I sealed mine with parafin wax, the kind that Grandma sealed preserves with. It set quickly and seemed ok. I was always worried about storing them for a long time. I always shot whatever I reloaded in a month or two.

Carpe dm, Thanks for the info. If Fletch Tite fails to pass my freezer test I’ll give the tile sealer a try.

Tony, Elmer’s was my first glue that I tried. I have had 4 osc failures in three years, not a lot, but one is to many. I put my brass hulls in a tumbler and polish them. Using a bronze brush chucked up in a drill press, I clean the inside of the hull from the mouth down for about an inch and a half. Then each hull is cleaned with carburetor cleaner. I have high hopes for the oversized osc’s as I think the wedging effect will contain the shot even if the glue fails. Tony your discussion on a means to hold brass shells up right has given me an idea. My bird hunting shirts have a fairly large pockets on the left side big enough to hold 4 shells. If the pockets were stitched in rows, the shells could be carried upright next to my body. Re Double Hammer brass hulls: I have had one inner base wad fall out and lodge in the barrel. That scared me and using a punch and a V block, I dimpled each hull at 4 evenly spaced points just above the wad. Lefty Dude has a different fix using a replacement base wad.

Lefty Dude, I don't recall having any osc failures with Double hammer hulls and other than a little difficulty pushing wads in, as you mentioned, the roll probably helps to contain the osc and the shot.

I can see where the RMC's present a challange with the straight mouth and no roll. I have yet to have an RMC let go.

How would a gel super-glue work ? Rough up the inside edge first, then the OSC, and a ring of gel super-glue. Locktite makes the gel super glue. WM sells it in a small bottle.

I might just try this on the next batch of RMC's I reload.

I just returned from RMC and had a long discussion with Dave Casey about occasional osc failures. Dave said that he had been thinking about the problem and suggested that a groove be cut in the brass near the hull mouth for the osc to fit in and he suggested making the osc out of plastic cut from a milk container. I had two hulls each in 16 and 28 gauge grooved to accept the osc and will experiment with my favorite loads.