Same here. Well I use my guns barrel to check a “few” here and there. Mainly when using new bullets for the first time.
Has served me well so far.
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What did you do in the reloading room recently?
- Thread starter DW357
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Has served me well so far.
Loaded 500 Eggleston Munitions 146 grainers over Sport Pistol. Hoping to bang out the last 500 tomorrow.
They are handy standard tools, you can gauge a large batch of ammo quickly and know for certain it will work.....not only in your gun but any gun....including ones with tight chambers.
I have one for every caliber I reload including .50bmg, I wouldn't be without them.
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pastera
NES Member
45collector
NES Member
Huh. Didn’t even think of that. I have a Snap-On brake line cutter at work that might do the job.
45collector
NES Member
And regarding case gauges, I use them for 9mm and .45. Any rounds that don’t drop in nicely go in the practice-only boxes. The good ones go to competition.
Meh, I full resize every .223 and .308 case the full depth with my Lee and I'm not concerned with brass life. It all works in all my rifles. I also don't reload anything that isn't below max standard mag length.
I bought a SDB, bolted it down, starting making ammo. Did a mag for each gun,, it all went bang. Im good to go. Lol.
+1, very helpful tool. I have them for my semi-auto calibers, especially those I compete with. I'd say this is a critical part of your kit if you reload any rifle caliber or bottleneck pistol caliber for self defense or competition.
Another important benefit of a case gauge is working with neck sizing for the most accurate loads in a given gun chamber. Tells you when it's time to full length size, though difficult extraction may already do that. I will often neck size for semi-auto if only for paper punching games. Won my last M1 Garand match using neck sized .30-06 that was checked in a case gauge to ensure it wouldn't jam. IMHO it's necessary to be using top quality brass such as Lapua or Norma if you do this. Added benefit is that it extends the life of the brass by not working it so hard.
I neck size only for my 303 brit and after 5 reloads the neck is noticeably harder to trim at loads 4+ , yes my necks still stretch in the 303 even only with neck sizing. Most likely stretch do to expanding in chamber? Anyway it expands enough that the case mouth moves beyound the bullet crimp groove of the bullet I can even feel and hear a difference in the expander flare die with the “harder” case necks.
Bullet seating also.
Case gauges are handy for sure , some better than others.
Some gauges will only show case length and headspace not case body specs.
for pistol I just use the barrel or set the dies up per instructions and pistol seams to be fine
I dont get the same results from rifle dies and gauges need to come out.
One of the reasons I'm not a huge fan of LC brass is that in my opinion it stretches the most compared to HXP, Norma, and Lapua; though less than PPU.
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Stored the remaining Varget in my powder measure and dumped in the 4198 for some .458 socom fun. Going to try casting that NOE mold with some #2 alloy and load about 50 or so. Most will be loaded with my usual 300 JHP's. Already sized and primed a pile of brass.
Nice, love the report of the big bore "ar"
i work in small batches of brass so trimming each time is no big deal. I used to try and log what brass did what. Now i just have 200 cases of X (from same lot if possible) I reload them until necks split , primer cup loosens or the rim gets beat to hell)
The first sign of any of that 200 goes to the "bin"
where it will be salvaged for something in future.
That bin is getting full.....
What, you don't do like Spaghetti King? Run them until the heads start separating, then put that batch in the practice ammo rotation? LOL he wins when it comes to getting the most out of your brass.
pastera
NES Member
Finishing up loading the MP-452-200 flat points that I had in stock (7.8g Silhouette).
My AutoDrum started to not reset after about 400-500 rounds - If the drum is tight enough not to leak, it will sometimes pull the bead chain too far through the reset arm and not throw a charge.
Going to hit Lee up for an answer - Silhouette is very fine so I may need to swap over to the AutoDisk and make a custom drop for the charge (Lee AutoDisk Customized Double_Disk by pastera)
Have to get two more PID controllers built so that @1919FAN will give up the one I left at the seminar and let me cast some more 45s.
My AutoDrum started to not reset after about 400-500 rounds - If the drum is tight enough not to leak, it will sometimes pull the bead chain too far through the reset arm and not throw a charge.
Going to hit Lee up for an answer - Silhouette is very fine so I may need to swap over to the AutoDisk and make a custom drop for the charge (Lee AutoDisk Customized Double_Disk by pastera)
Have to get two more PID controllers built so that @1919FAN will give up the one I left at the seminar and let me cast some more 45s.
Here is my process for lubing bottleneck cases. Roughly 2500pcs at a time with Lanolin/Alcohol.
View: https://youtu.be/ONbualJbISo
View: https://youtu.be/ONbualJbISo
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I have noticed depending how much lube you use it can change the resizing dimensions. I prefer a little more than less.
I do the posted and then run about 20. If I get any "stuttering" I'll relube them with 2 more sprays.
I can feel under lubed cases in the press. Especially when I'm doing large batches like this.
I can feel under lubed cases in the press. Especially when I'm doing large batches like this.
I was a bit surprised by his method.
Yes and if you dont lube the inside necks you can pull the shoulder forward when pulling the mandrel back through the neck. Lanolin / alcohol mix has been doing well by me.
Any lube works. I know a guy who swears by cheap bar soap.
So is he, occasionally- but only at OCSA and/or practice. You wouldn't see him do that at one of the regional or national events.
I do similar using a 5000 Winchester primer box.
They just don't make spray bottles like they used to. Every large spray bottle with that type of head that I've used in the past 15 years sucks.....they never reset properly. I think the vertical types are more reliable.
![[smile]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/001.gif "Smile [smile]")
That's what I like about the Dillon motorized trimmer dies, they full length size and set the shoulder if the mandrel ever pulls it forward.
allen-1
NES Member
I gauge every round I load, (9mm, .38spcl, .357magnum and .357Sig). I use an EGW gauge checker, if they don't pass and they're not too bad, they go into the bin for practice. If they're bad, they go into the bin to be disposed of or disassembled.
One extra benefit of checking each round is that I catch the ones with primer issues also, and the occasional .380 that falls through the cracks when I load 9mm.
pastera
NES Member
Changed over to 9mm
Random 380's locking up the case feed - one made it through and now I have to pull it down.
And I despise small primer 45 - crushed about 10 primers - that's like $20
Ran a couple of hundred 9mm 115g Zero JHP - good fun at 5.7g of Silhouette.
Random 380's locking up the case feed - one made it through and now I have to pull it down.
And I despise small primer 45 - crushed about 10 primers - that's like $20
Ran a couple of hundred 9mm 115g Zero JHP - good fun at 5.7g of Silhouette.
I hate 380 shells. They are the bane of 9mm reloading.
Those, and the stepped 9mm casings. Maxxtech or Magtech. Its like a cruel joke.
UPS dropped off 500 Berrys plated .45acp 230gr bullets this morning. Perfect timing, I needed a break from the .223 stuff. I loaded 500 .223 in the past 48 hours+- ( single stage Lee press ) and was growing weary of them.
Just finished sizing and priming 250 .45acp brass and will continue with it this evening. I take great pleasure in loading .45acp, the components are just so much easier to handle.
Will be loading the .45 stuff with HPC-18 pulldown powder ( 6 /8lb jugs on hand ) and saving the Titegroup for other calibers.
Just finished sizing and priming 250 .45acp brass and will continue with it this evening. I take great pleasure in loading .45acp, the components are just so much easier to handle.
Will be loading the .45 stuff with HPC-18 pulldown powder ( 6 /8lb jugs on hand ) and saving the Titegroup for other calibers.
BarnBuilder
NES Member
Leezway
NES Member
I gauge everything because I like the peace of mind knowing anything I load will fire in any chamber that's in spec. With the hundo gauge, it just makers it dang quick. Out of the tens of thousands of just 9mm i've reloaded, I've caught very few(maybe 4-5?) that i wouldn't put through my guns. Anything borderline got put in the practice bin and still got shot. Never once experienced a jam, or failure to feed in a match. Did have a squib once, at a major no less, but a gauge won't catch that.
