Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Fireforming with Cream of Wheat

What exactly is this method?
I know it involves COW and a fast burning powder, but specificly, what powder, how much and what is the method for keeping the powder and COW separated?

You prime the cases using a pistol primer, put about 15% of case capacity of a fast pistol powder (I use Bullseye,) a small � sheet wad, or less, of toilet paper, fill the rest with COW and tamp it down with another � sheet wad of TP and shoot. If it's not enough powder, increase by 1g and try again increasing until you get the right amount to form the case. That's always trial and error initially, but start on the slower end as you can build up tremendous pressure if you use too much powder and damage your gun and yourself.

Back in the mid 80's I had a 35 wildcat on the 8 rem mag case necked up; I also used 375 brass to form cases. It was not the 358 STA cause I used the same body taper as the 8 Rem Mag. My precise memory is a little vague hear, but I think I used a large pistol primer and, I THINK, about 30 gr of 4227 with a cream of wheat filler and a small piece of tissue paper to seal the case mouth.Took the whole thing to the range and fired it in the air. Kinda like a New Years Eve popper when it went off and the cases came out perfectly formed and ready for fullhouse loads. This sort of thing is perfectly safe but should be approached with caution. You're using some pretty fast powders to build pressure against light resistance to blow out the case and you gotta be careful. Bill Steigers at Bitterroot instructed me on the "hows". This is my only experience with it.

Why fireform with Cream of Wheat? Why not just load the case with real bullets and conservative loads and use fireforming as an opportunity for sighting in and/or target practice?

If it's a small case like the 223AI I'll just use a good 223 load and fireform varmit shooting as not to waste the barrel. Cases for my 280AI I use standard LR primer 11gr Bulleye fill to half way up neck with cream-o-wheat take little ball of TP just to hold CW from falling out. I don't use a filler between CW and powder I just tap the case and that hold the powder against the CW. I was checking case capacity on my firefrom 280AI against a once fired case with a bullet since you just maybe get alittle roundness at the shoulders that didn't form was around 2 tenths of a grain difference. I was doing a wildcat 338 off the 270 case had to move the shoulders forward and blow the case out that case took 14gr of Bulleye I started at 11grs.
I've got a new 243AI coming and will use around 9grs of Bulleye for that case. I've never tried another pistol powder for forming but I know some others work. Modern Reloading 2nd edition give you CC if you take that # times 25 your pretty close the 280 CC is (4.39) 439x25=10975 I use 11grs the 243 is (3.42) 342x25=855 I use 9grs. When I formed case for the 6RemAI I use 10gr. Good luck

Because I dont want to waste a good barrel, bullets and powder on fire forming.
Thanks for the help all.

I used corn meal via Ken Howells fire-forming method.
For 35 Whelen from 30-06 I use 10 grains of W-W 231,add 1 square of toilet paper, fill with corn meal to bottom of neck, fill remaing neck with a gob of vasiline (which holds everything in place, or if you're going to fire immediately, just hold the case upright, chamber, and fire, omitting the vasiline (not as messy)
Cases come out ready to load.
Virgil B.

I fireform using powdered milk. I find it to be temperature insensitive.
I am pefecting my system of using cracker crumbs in my 20 gauge as a filler. The grouse are "breaded" when the springer retrieves them.

Virgil, does the TSA know you're doing this?

Virgil,
Toilet paper and vaseline? Are you sure you're on the right forum?

I have tried several methods and fireforming without a bullet never fully fire forms a case, making it a waste of time. on my last fireform project I bought a throw away .223 barrel had my 22-250AI Reamer inserted to the correct depth and fireformed 200 cases in a $5 throw-away barrel. (of course there were labor costs involved, but much more effective than shooting breakfast cereal all over and not really getting the job done).
B

COW stands for 'cream of wheat'? Crap. No wonder my cases didn't work right. I used crumbled up COW pies.

Dick

You are sand blasting your barrel with the cream of wheat....
Load up some heavy bullets with a crisp load and shoot...
I posted this earlier this week and have been arguing with my Pop over this very thing for years...I rarely have to re-form cases...

Did that too.I got LOTS of practice those days in other ways and it was easier and faster, and less expensive, to use the Cream of Wheat to form a bunch of cases.

I really like that idea! Cream of Rice and Quick Grits could be considered as well.

I could never quite figure why some people think that something that you can chew up and digest, is harder on your barrels than brass and lead. I used Dr. Howells COW method on my 7mm08AI with great results. I did have to adjust the powder amount to get the shoulders sharp. miles

I have gotten good results using Dr. Howell's method. It is given in detail some where on the Campfire. In the Gun Writer's Tip's, maybe. I wonder if the folks that aren't getting satisfactory results are failing to lube the cases. Ken indicates that this is an important step in the process. I use a little Imperial Sizing Wax.

I have a copy of Dr. Howell's method saved and will put it on here if everyone thinks that it will be OK. miles

I form .300 Ackley cases from Norma .300 WBY cases w/:
CCI LR Magnum Primers
14 gr. Unique
Fill w/ COW to the Neck/Shoulder junction, pack the COW down w/ a drill bit shank
1/4 sheet of toilet paper rolled into a cylinder shape, pack down the TP w/ a drill bit shank
spray the cases in the loading block w/ Hornady One Shot lube.
Set the Rifle up in the rest pointed down wind and let my 2 1/2 year old son chamber, fire and cycle the 90% formed cases out of the chamber. The 16 lbs. L/G w/ muzzle brake tracks about 1/2" and he really gets a kick out of shoot'n Daddy's gun. Using the COW/unique method keeps the primer pockets from loosing up on this chambering. Most people hit the .300 Ackley to hard on the first firing and develope loose pockets ei. junk cases. I'll be COW fire forming 21 new cases in about a week from now.

Not to mention wasting good cereal.. Of course, one could just top off with hot milk and shotfeed the wife... Hehehehehe