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Ruminations on case-gauging


ChemistShooter

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So far I have been case-gauging every round I make, 1800 rounds so far. I drop the round into the case gauge, then turn it over so that it falls out.

I have yet to have a round fail the case gauge. As I get familiar with this, it really doesn't seem possible for a round to fail. You get the dies all set right and check everything properly before and after a run, it's hard to see how a round will fail a case gauge. I find myself wondering whether case-gauging is really necessary.

This doesn't mean I've never had a round to fail a case gauge. So far I've had four or five rounds stick high.

But it wasn't because they were out of spec. They were ALL because the brass had a tiny speck of crud on the case. Get the crud off, and the round suddenly case-gauges just perfect.

So far I'm thinking the purpose of a case gauge is to find dirty rounds, not to check whether or not a round is within specs.

Has anyone here had an incident where a case gauge kept him from getting into a potentially hazardous situation?

Edited by ChemistShooter
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All my rounds are potentially hazardous until proven otherwise. That's why we use so many checks. If my rounds pass the gauge then there is no hazardous situation with the size and shape of the bullet. I guess you can say that the gauge has kept me from a potentially hazardous situation, which is why I use it. I also use scales and calipers etc. These have also kept me from hazardous situations. There still might be other problems. I run my completed rounds through the vibrator before I case gauge. Stops the issue you have with dirt. I also use a 100 hole gauge. Way faster than one at a time. If I want to do it one at a time I'd use the barrel of my gun as a gauge. If all you've found is the occasional dirty case then the gauge( and you ) are doing things right. The reason none of your rounds are failing is you. Good job.

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...I can't get to sleep

I think about the implications...

I think the gauge is assurance.

It is something positive you can do to be sure the reloads will not fail to fit

during a competition.

You know each round fill fit.

In terms of what you may find..

for 9mm, perhaps a 380 auto case.

or a split cause mouth.

I would think one would notice an over sized bullet during the pressing, however...

I think a jacketed 38 special round bullet may cause the round to fail the 9mm plunk test.

I test my rounds in my pistol

and I mostly do that to check my dies and process.

I doubt I check more than one in 100 for overall dimensions

I check powder a lot more.

miranda

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You must have a good batch of brass you use. Tula brass and jacketed bullets was a bad combination for me. ive had a few rounds that have locked up my guns where it was very difficult to get the round out of the barrel and wouldn't go fully into battery so I couldn't fire the round. That's what made me start case gauging. I'd call that hazardous because I essentially had a loaded gun that I couldn't unload.

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Nice thread title!

i look at it like this - I only gauge the ammo I want to work.

For me, reloading is all about quality control.

With 9mm match ammo that consists of a good cleaning in the tumbler, preliminary inspection, cull out all the crap cases, all the stepped cases, all the swaged cases - another tumble in the polisher, and then on to the reloading, and then case gauged using a gauge that is tighter than my gun's chamber. I've been using a shockbottle 100 round normal (not match) gauge lately and have never had a jam due to oversized or bulged round. the EGW one is nice, too, if you can pick one up used. I'll usually get a 2-10/1k that don't gauge well enough and I shoot them in practice.

For 38 super it is a little more involved - tumble clean, cull out the rimless from the super, resize, verify OAL of each case and eliminate anything over .904", tumble clean again, reload, then case gauge using EGW 50 hole gauges. Because of the inspection process I often have zero failures per 1k, or at most 2/1k when gauged.

I went through a spat of jams due to some .38 super cases (marked .38 super) that are actually rimless or close to rimless. My two guns with Aftecs do not like supercomp or rimless and will choke because they can slide up past the extractor. So, I tried the new ShellSorter .38 super plate that separates the super from super comp cases based on actual rim diameter and that thing works great. It is now part of my 38 super processing as it increased my gun's reliability (no ammo related jams since using it - probably bad juju to say that out loud! ;) )

So, for me the process is worth it because jams on the clock always cost match points and can be frustrating.

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So far I have been case-gauging every round I make, 1800 rounds so far. I drop the round into the case gauge, then turn it over so that it falls out.

Has anyone here had an incident where a case gauge kept him from getting into a potentially hazardous situation?

No, because the case gage doesn't tell you if the round is doubled charged, or has no powder, of it the primer is in upside down, or that the round has bullet setback. It just tells you it fits, or not, like missing the crimp (de-bell) station. If it doesn't fit, most likely it will not chamber, but not always. It's really just for checking crimp on a loaded round. I have .357SIGs case gage, and not chamber, and vice versa, not so much with 9mm. Checking every round on a progressive it not very productive. The features that remain the same are the dies and shell plate. Bullets and brass can very somewhat. The thing to watch out for is if a bullet readily drops into the case at the seating station, that's bad juju. I always give a hard press to make sure. And unless you are running high density (low volume) powders, even if you double charge it, the bullet won't seat. Other than that, not much to see. If you feel you must check every round, than do it in the chamber of the gun, not the case gage. Your are overthinking this again, get to the gripping and ripping part....

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When I gauge, I have "pass," "fail," and "oh hell no" bins. "Oh hell no" is for stuff that's visibly deformed and needs to be discarded. "Fail" is for "it doesn't make gauge but that's it."

My pass ammo in my M&P, I don't have failures.

My fail ammo, about one in twenty doesn't work. I have to imagine it'd get worse with a match barrel or some other gun with a tighter chamber.

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i only chamber check match ammo. I occasionally find a split case, I usually just shoot those anyway in practice, and they shoot just fine.

I also occasionally find a bulged case way down low that sticks a little bit. I shoot those in practice too.

after chamber check i put the rounds in an ammo box and inspect all the primers. The majority of the malfunctions I've had in matches have been stupid stuff like backwards primers. Now I don't have them anymore.

I don't if chamber-checking does any good, but it's at least 1 less thing to worry about, and I can do it while watching football on tv.

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ChemistShooter, case gauges are great for determining whether or not your ammo will fit in case gauges.

If your goal, however, is to produce ammo to shoot in a firearm, case gauges are a waste of time. Your chamber is the only gauge that matters. You have already figured out that you have no problem passing your case gauge with properly set up dies. And if you run into the occasional one in 2000 that won't pass the case gauge, you'll never know, because that one would still work in your pistol. Your process is secure.

Put your case gauge in your "maybe, some day, just in case" drawer with leftover project screws, fasteners, and those half dozen keys you have no idea what they're for, but just in case.... ;)

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I don't case gauge ammo. And the last time I had a case that wouldn't chamber, a case gauge would not have found it. Odd 38 super brass (1*OPT)...The case fit specs, plunk tested in the barrel, everything was fine...except the extractor groove. It was .004 too big to allow the round to chamber.

If.you have a failure rate of more than 1 in 1000, you need to re-work your process.

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I have caught split cases twice loading 9mm major. And I found one 380 that made it all the way through my press. And I've had a few that just sat a little high that got put into the practice ammo pile.

I gauge 100 at a time, and have probably done a few more than 1800

Edited by Racinready300ex
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So far I have been case-gauging every round I make, 1800 rounds so far. I drop the round into the case gauge, then turn it over so that it falls out.

Has anyone here had an incident where a case gauge kept him from getting into a potentially hazardous situation?

No, because the case gage doesn't tell you if the round is doubled charged, or has no powder, of it the primer is in upside down, or that the round has bullet setback. It just tells you it fits, or not, like missing the crimp (de-bell) station. If it doesn't fit, most likely it will not chamber, but not always. It's really just for checking crimp on a loaded round. I have .357SIGs case gage, and not chamber, and vice versa, not so much with 9mm. Checking every round on a progressive it not very productive. The features that remain the same are the dies and shell plate. Bullets and brass can very somewhat. The thing to watch out for is if a bullet readily drops into the case at the seating station, that's bad juju. I always give a hard press to make sure. And unless you are running high density (low volume) powders, even if you double charge it, the bullet won't seat. Other than that, not much to see. If you feel you must check every round, than do it in the chamber of the gun, not the case gage. Your are overthinking this again, get to the gripping and ripping part....

9, I have already got a note in my reloading SOP to discard a case a bullet just drops into.

I don't talk about shooting because that requires physical presence to cure problems. Why my rounds wander a little high and to the left is something only I can determine.

And as to "gripping and ripping", I have reloaded about 1800 rounds but fired about 5200 . . .

Edited by ChemistShooter
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I should've mentioned I only use Blazer brass I bought and know the history of. I don't use random range brass. I put a black circle on my brass with a Sharpie and normally get 90% of it back.

Hmm, I think I will start using my chamber rather than the case gauge. And wipe them down with rubbing alcohol to remove crud before I case-gauge.

"100-round case gauges", learn something new every day.

Thanks to all for their comments.

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If you only shoot local matches,with a free entry and you are not worried about where you finish( if you do) and having a frustrating day; just don't gauge your ammo. :yawn: If you travel to a shoot, pay an entry fee and want a day when you stand at the line and know your ammo will work, gauge.

I pay a lot for travel, accommodation, entry fees and components. To have the peace of mind of standing on the line at the Bianchi Cup knowing that my rounds will feed is priceless. It is part of loading ammo. It's like checking primers.checking powder weights,etc. it's part of being a shooter.

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And wipe them down with rubbing alcohol to remove crud before I case-gauge.

"100-round case gauges", learn something new every day.

I tumble my ammo after I load it and before I gauge it. I gauge every round that comes off the press.

Yeah, the 100 round shock bottle gauge is the only way to go if you gauge everything. You can gauge it, check for high primers, and box it up all in one fell swoop

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I use the 100 round "Match" case gauge (it's tighter than the normal gauge). I also use an EGW undersize die. I look at the ones that don't go all the way into the gauge for splits, etc. and then use them for practice. What I like about the "Hundo" is that when I have 100 gauged, I can mark the head with a sharpie that lets me know if it's 9 major or minor, and in the case of major, how many loads I have on that case. Then it's simple to flip the rounds into a 100 round ammo box. I started using the gauge when I started shooting 9 major.

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The main issue I've found that the gauge might pick up is bulged brass in rounds where the case is of uncertain provenance. This is at the base of the case near the extractor groove, where the sizing die may not reach. Shooting 9mm minor Production loads in a stock Glock barrel, though, I rarely find that even those rounds won't chamber.

Since I've started to use a Case Pro, I don't bother to gauge practice or local match ammo. But, if I'm going to a major, I will gauge the ammo as extra assurance of smooth chambering. Absolutely necessary? probably not. But neither are the other extra QC measures I take with major match ammo, like using same HS once fired brass, single lot powder that has been load tested to desired PF, Federal rather than any brand primer, and loading at reduced production speed for consistency. This, along with detail stripping and cleaning my match guns, breaking in any replaced parts and testing the zero of my fixed, iron sighted gun, is not just equipment preparation, it is also part of my mental preparation.

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It all depends where you want to spend your time. Chasing brass at a match really distracts me and takes away from the enjoyment, which is why I'm moving to exclusively 9 major over 38 super; the idea of marking and retrieving my 9mm brass makes me dizzy. I also don't sort headstamps or roll size, I scoop up piles of random brass at an indoor range, tumble, load, tumble. I then gauge each round in my barrel before it goes into the plastic box I take to the match. I hold the barrel pointing up, slip the rount into the chamber and if it drops out free, it goes in the box, if not I flick it out into a bucket to be used in practice. Then I scan the headstamps to check primers and relegate stepped cases to the practice bucket.

I then have match ammo which has already been in the chamber of my pistol. The practice ammo generally works fine too, but the match ammo works flawlessly.

Edited by kneelingatlas
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It depends, last night a friend asked to shoot one of my guns at the last minute so i skipped the post load tumble and since I like to test fire after disassembling which I couldn't do this morning, I gauged the ammo with a spare barrel lying in my parts bin which had a short throat. I had quite a few not drop out probably due to an OAL slightly too long due to variations in the bullets or some gunk on the case. I have quite a few guns, so it's hard to keep track of all their throat lengths. One day I'll buy a reamer and ream them all the same, but I say the same thing about pulling weeds in the back yard: one day...

Last night I set aside ~10%, but I'd be surprised if any don't actually fire in practice. Usually I have ~1-5% not pass in my main gun.

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I gauge my cases when first sorting range pickups. It's just a convenient way to get a good look from all sides. I pick a handful of cases, roll one to my fingertips so I can take a look at the stamp, then drop it butt first into the gauge, look inside. If its Berdan or non-tox or just too small a primer hole, or stepped, or 380, it goes to junk. If it plunks freely, drop to a good bucket. If it doesn't plunk but passes otherwise, it goes to my bulge buster.

It's easy to notice which case was loaded major, which was glocked or even glocked major. Could sort based on that if I cared.

After I reload I also gauge rounds, also butt first, one at a time. It's just routine and convenient way to fill the box for counting and primer checks. There is no range crap anymore, only of my own doing. Sometimes I may catch some press casualties, like due to case dropping wrong end first gone unnoticed, but its very rare. Still important enough to do imo.

I almost never plunk test with my barrel. If the round drops into the gauge butt first, it always plunks in the barrel. I only barrel test rounds if I wanna pass the round that didn't go butt first into the gauge.

I know 9mm is tapered and supposed to be gauged the other end first, but this way I can also catch brass that has been jammed and has some scatch or tiny bulge on the rim that could later cause a FTF. Thats pretty much a scenario that normal gauging does not catch.

Edited by wimms
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I use the 100 round Shockbottle case gauges. Recently I found a couple of completed rounds that were standing obviously proud of the rest. Upon closer inspection, both cases had strange looking cracks in the case web area. There was a visible ring all the way around the inside as well. I can almost guarantee that firing these rounds would have resulted in a rupture or case head separation had I not case gauged them an simply assumed they were good.

That taught me a good lesson that the gauge can catch such anomalies. It also is great for those pesky .380 cases that sneak their way in my press from time to time.

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Ditto on the Shockbottle 100 gauge !... I gauge every round I load..... This gauge also allows you to inspect your primer situation as well.

Last mont saw a competitor lose a match because of bulged brass in a 40 cal.......

Since gauging all my rounds my FTF rate has dropped to virtually nil.

I guess it boils down to what you want to accomplish......

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