fireforming brass in a type 38

[jmoore]

So you just slide an o-ring down to the rim and chamber and fire? Would wrapping masking tape around the case also help to center the round? Would that be a good thing to do ?

Only if the tape is very narrow width. You don't want to get past the internal case web "floor". The o-rings will last a while and also tend to press the base of the case against the bolt face, which won't happen with tape.

Additionally, I could see where tape would be easily scrubbed off during chambering, leading to off-centered cases as well as sticky debris in a fairly inaccessible area. Could potentially lead to partial bore obstructions, etc.

Sorry for the slow response. Bad sick for a day. Ugggh...

[Patrick Chadwick]

Would wrapping masking tape around the case also help to center the round?

Yes, if the tape had the precise thickness required.

Would that be a good thing to do ?

No. I tried it, to shoot .32 S&W Long cartridges in my Swiss M1882 revolver, to center them and avoid the cases being bulged on one side. I used textile-reinforced duct tape, cut into thin slices, as jmoore has just written. It was a mess. The tape adhesive was forced through the fabric onto the walls of the fired chambers, while in the as yet unfired chambers the tape lost its adhesion and the strips started to curl back out and clog up against the recoil plate. One round of that and I removed the tape strips from the handful of cases I had prepared, and simply let the cases bulge.

I wasn't trying to save the cases - .32 ammo is cheap enough - just center them to improve the grouping. Another plausible theory dashed!

Jmoore is quite correct, if you try this in a rifle you are likely to end with a sticky mess in corners where it is very difficult to remove.

[dmboct19]

Thanks for the replies, I'm glad I asked, this forum is full of so much good info, thank you very much!