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Lift charge for peanut shell


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Posted

I'm hoping to try my first 3" peanut shell this weekend. The only question I have is about lift charge - how much, compared to a similar single-break 3" shell? This will be going from a long-barreled (24") HDPE gun.

 

Thanks!

 

Kevin

Posted

I have shot and made a lot of peanuts, in calibres ranging from 3 to 6 ".Of course, the amount needed depends on the strength of your lift.

 

I like using relatively weak grape lift instead of willow lift . For my single 3"shells I often use 10 to 11%, but a 3"peanut will take about 14 to 15%. You can consult the shell section, there are a whole bunch of clips I've uploaded where I shoot 3"peanuts and even triplets.

 

As a rule of thumb I'd use 1.5x the amount of lift you'd normally use for single 3"ballshells.

 

I hope this helps.

Posted

Thank you, sir. Helps a lot.

 

Kevin

Posted

OK, that lift charge worked fine. I fired the peanut alongside some single break 3" shells, and the height was about the same.

 

Now, a question about timing. I use a pair of modified anvil cutters to cut time fuse, with the length adjustable to an accuracy of 1/24". I use a punch setup in an arbor press to crossmatch, so the length of fuse used for crossmatching is consistent.

 

I wanted the two breaks to be slightly separated in time, so dialed in a difference in the time fuse that should have equaled 1/4 second. Although they did go off at different times, and in the proper order, the difference was barely perceptible - not enough time between.

 

So, really more a question about human perception - how long between breaks for them to be clearly perceived as two distinct events?

 

Thanks,

 

Kevin

Posted

kevin: my timings for 3"peanuts are 18 mm timefuse for the first shell, then 30 mm timefuse for the second one. I use the high quality Chinese fuse. These lengths exclude crossmatching/punching. I always add an extra 9 mm of fuse for a very robust and 100% reliable crossmatch with flax twine and 2 strands of blackmatch inserted . Punching probably works fine, but personally I always crossmatch everything.

 

These timings are highly personal, you can personalize and experiment to your liking.

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