Case Gauges

[robin303]

Do you guys use case gauges. I reload 9mm and wonder if I even really need it for a Glock but curious in what brand is your favorite.

Thanks

[gm iprod]

The best case gauge is your barrel. Then you are absolutely sure.

BUT to keep it sensible I reccommend using a Dillon case gauge for any ammunition that is for general practice.

For big matches it must pass the case gauge and the barrel drop. NO EXCEPTIONS.

I have found in all but one of my handguns, that anything made carefully on my Dillons will pass both the barrel and case gauge everytime. The is no gauge to help you with poorly made ammo.

[RH45]

I use Wilson case gauges, and they are tighter than any of my barrels. I've also been putting my ammo in the case gauges backwards, which catches a LOT of messed up areas around the head.

Do I HAVE you case gauge? No, 99% of the ammo that I don't think case gauges well enough to shoot at a match still functions, but, it is one final check of the case, primer, ect. I've caught more than a few cases that were starting to split, while case-gauging!

[lord torquestick]

Wilson gauges here also. Yes i check every round i dont need problems that i might have missed.

[Duane Thomas]

Absolutely I case gage. It's a non-negotiable necessity. However, since the gage is tighter than the chamber on any gun I own, I don't feel the need to also chamber check. That would be seriously redundant. That only time I chamber check is if I have something that fails the gage and I want to make sure it's good anyway.

Where I find the gage has its greatest utility, actually, is not in finding oversized rounds. It's in finding things like split casings - there's a very distinctive dragging sensation as the round slides into place in the gage. Also I run my finger over every primer as it's in the gage to check proper seating.

[Glockcomma]

Absolutely I case gage. It's a non-negotiable necessity. However, since the gage is tighter than the chamber on any gun I own, I don't feel the need to also chamber check. That would be seriously redundant. That only time I chamber check is if I have something that fails the gage and I want to make sure it's good anyway.

Where I find the gage has its greatest utility, actually, is not in finding oversized rounds. It's in finding things like split casings - there's a very distinctive dragging sensation as the round slides into place in the gage. Also I run my finger over every primer as it's in the gage to check proper seating.

What he said.

Tim

[Sarge]

I used to use a Dillon gauge but found I was having problems with oal in my gun that the gauge was not giving me feedback on. I had changed bullet profile though. Now I just use my Barrel. It gives me a reason to take the gun apart and wipe it down as well. I currently gauge every round I load.

[Chris Keen]

I've found Dillons case gauges aren't as tight as the chamber in my barrel. So when I feel the need to case gauge I just use my own barrel as a case gauge. And the only time I do that is before major matches where I have invested lots of money, travel, and time. I never case gauge before local matches, but thats because I trust my reloading setup. I use the Lee "U" die from EGW for re-sizing, and then I use the Lee Factory Crimp die in the final station. The Lee FCD has another carbide sizing ring that essentially re-sizes the case one last time. So if a case goes through all that I'm 99.99% positive that it will feed through my gun. And I have yet to have a bad round cause me any grief at a match or in practice.

[AWLAZS]

I use a Wilson to check my match ammo. The failure rate is small. If a round does not make it I toss the round im my practice bucket.

[Sean Gaines]

you can case gauge like others have said it the case gauge is tighter or exact measurements of your barrel. If that is the case it kinda makes life a little easier, because you don't have to take your barrel out, just use the case gauge to test all your rounds. If they don't pass throw them into the practice bucket,after inspecting the bullets that failed, make sure to find out what caused it not to pass then shoot in practice, if it was due to the brass being cracked or damaged in any way, pull it or toss it. I fall into the camp, If I am unsure about a piece of brass it get thrown away.

[LPatterson]

I have discovered that I like Lyman best because it has a built in case length gauge as well as an overall length and dimension gauge. I don't check practice ammo because there is too much of it but I do check match ammo. In fact I check it in a gauge then I moon clip it and check it again in a moon clip checker.

[wide45]

Never case gauge.

Use that time to check the brass before loading, then load it right.

[D.Hayden]

Absolutely I case gage. It's a non-negotiable necessity. However, since the gage is tighter than the chamber on any gun I own, I don't feel the need to also chamber check. That would be seriously redundant. That only time I chamber check is if I have something that fails the gage and I want to make sure it's good anyway.

Where I find the gage has its greatest utility, actually, is not in finding oversized rounds. It's in finding things like split casings - there's a very distinctive dragging sensation as the round slides into place in the gage. Also I run my finger over every primer as it's in the gage to check proper seating.

Exactly... also.. especially with platted bullets.. it's easy to shave a small piece.. doesn't matter how good the brass was to start, or how perfectly it was resized..

[G-ManBart]

Never case gauge.

Use that time to check the brass before loading, then load it right.

Heck, you're a lot more trusting than I am.

I even case gauge ammo loaded with new brass. It's possible to have a die back out a touch causing a problem that the case gauge might catch. That actually happened to a guy I shot Nationals with...he hadn't case gauged and his gun turned into a jam-o-matic...traced it back to a press/die issue

For the OP, I case gauge pretty much everything. I don't want malfunctions when I'm practicing (or any other time) for a couple of reasons. One, I have limited practice time and I don't want it being interrupted by a gun that isn't 100%. Think about running a drill comparing two techniques, you're plugging along and bam, the gun pukes. Now you've lost that run and have to redo it....wasted time. Two, I prefer to have NO mental images of my gun malfunctioning. If it never malfunctions, you're completely confident in it, and that's really helpful from a mindset standpoint. Some folks think that gives them practice clearing malfunctions....sorry, I know how to clear them and if I have one during a match I'm hosed on that stage anyway. I'd rather not have them in the first place!

Edit to add: I use the EGW case gauge that has 9mm, 38 Super, .40 and .45 on it.

Edited February 14, 2010 by G-ManBart

[glockwerkes]

I use Dillon gauges, as all of my barrels are stock. If it fits my gauge, I KNOW it's good in the gun. I'm also checking for high primers during this step (among other things). Every round that gets loaded, either for practice or match, gets checked. I much rather spend extra time at in the comfort of my home, attending to the details of my ammo in order to be 100% confident when I'm on the starting line. Can you say "Peace of mind"? The other posters have summed it up already.

[wide45]

Never case gauge.

Use that time to check the brass before loading, then load it right.

Heck, you're a lot more trusting than I am.

I even case gauge ammo loaded with new brass. It's possible to have a die back out a touch causing a problem that the case gauge might catch. That actually happened to a guy I shot Nationals with...he hadn't case gauged and his gun turned into a jam-o-matic...traced it back to a press/die issue

For the OP, I case gauge pretty much everything. I don't want malfunctions when I'm practicing (or any other time) for a couple of reasons. One, I have limited practice time and I don't want it being interrupted by a gun that isn't 100%. Think about running a drill comparing two techniques, you're plugging along and bam, the gun pukes. Now you've lost that run and have to redo it....wasted time. Two, I prefer to have NO mental images of my gun malfunctioning. If it never malfunctions, you're completely confident in it, and that's really helpful from a mindset standpoint. Some folks think that gives them practice clearing malfunctions....sorry, I know how to clear them and if I have one during a match I'm hosed on that stage anyway. I'd rather not have them in the first place!

Edit to add: I use the EGW case gauge that has 9mm, 38 Super, .40 and .45 on it.

Been to 4 Nationals, many Area Championships, and countless local matches. Have not had an ammo related failure since I worked the bugs out of my process 10 years ago.

You guys keep on loading defective ammo.

[G-ManBart]

Been to 4 Nationals, many Area Championships, and countless local matches. Have not had an ammo related failure since I worked the bugs out of my process 10 years ago.

You guys keep on loading defective ammo.

I don't know about everybody else, but I certainly don't load "defective ammo". I do everything I can to ensure it's as good as possible and I'd put it up against anything anybody else is loading.

It's like investments. Past success is no indication of future results.

You go on taking a risk that you miss something and don't know about it until it bites you.

For everybody else, realize that it takes a couple of minutes, max, to case gauge 100 rounds and there is absolutely no downside to it. Even if it's unlikely (say after ten years of success) it might still catch a problem. The guy I shot with at Nationals threw away what would have been easily a top-25 finish because something changed on his press...bet he wishes he'd case gauged his ammo! If you don't want to make that effort, that's cool, but it means you're accepting one less quality control check and increased risk, however slight. Either way, at least make the decision based on the facts.

Actually, I wish less people would case gauge their ammo...makes beating them easier

[LPatterson]

One thing I failed to mention earlier is that a case gauge can catch a damaged rim that gets missed with a barrel. The gun and round may feed perfectly until that burr catches the extractor and causes a jam. As soon as I say it can never happen to me MR. MURPHY shows up and things go to crap.

[Sarge]

I don't load defective ammo either. Sometimes I can load several hundred "perfect" rounds without one failure to slide in the chamber. Then out of the blue I'll get two in a hundred that hang up in the chamber. There is no outward defect in the brass at all, the round is simply "imperfect". I set them aside for practice.

[Steve_P]

I am also in the camp that case gauges all my ammo.

I shoot mostly production 9mm using a G34. Any round that passed the Dillon gauge would chamber in the 34 with stock barrel no problem.

I usually run them thru the gauge while watching a ballgame during the evening.

Steve

[Sarge]

Since we are on the topic. Am I missing something here? When I was loading for my M&P I ran into the problem of a new bullet I was using hitting the lands because the shoulder was long. These rounds fit perfect in my gauge but would not let the slide close 100% of the time. This is why I got rid of the gauge and started using the barrel.

Doesn't it make sense to use the barrel instead of a gauge? Just wondering.

[Duane Thomas]

"Fitting" in the gage is only part of the check. The tip of the bullet also shouldn't extend past the end of the gage.

[Singlestack]

The last time (about 8 years ago) I had a round lock my gun up bad enough that I had to grab the slide and smack the grip several times very hard to get it open, I swore on a stack of bibles I would NEVER put a un-case gauged round in a mag again. I gauge every round. Practice, match, it all gets gauged. It is scary beating on the grip of a gun while holding the slide with a round in the chamber.

[98sr20ve]

I used to case gauge everything. Now I am trying to not do all my ammo. It's hard because if I have a failure in practice I don't know if it was the ammo or the gun. That drives me nuts. For me, it's almost better to not be lazy and just do it while watching TV or something. You can do it by feel pretty much as well.

[gm iprod]

"Fitting" in the gage is only part of the check. The tip of the bullet also shouldn't extend past the end of the gage

Since we are on the topic. Am I missing something here? When I was loading for my M&P I ran into the problem of a new bullet I was using hitting the lands because the shoulder was long. These rounds fit perfect in my gauge but would not let the slide close 100% of the time. This is why I got rid of the gauge and started using the barrel.

Doesn't it make sense to use the barrel instead of a gauge? Just wondering.

I have rounds 9mm and 38Super that using a particular projectile do not fit well in the case gauge. The projectile is a flat nosed truncated cone. The bearing surface / side of the projectile is long and the nose is short, when loaded ot the correct length it sometimes will not fit the gauge. All pass muster in the barrel and run the handguns 100%, but I do not use that projectile in major matches, I run JHP. This gets to the fitting of the gauge that Duane is talking about. All the gauges I have used are designed to SAAMI specs, so that all factory ammo and all factory guns will work. We are not making SAAMI spec ammo. We are getting close and many are using custom guns that have been tightened beyond belief.

If it comes of my Dillon it will cycle in my gun. I "lost" my gauge for 4 months (where I left it as it happens) and I just laoded up and got on with it. All my ammo that I use for pratice leading up to and at the Bianchi Cup is made on a 1050 and I check everything through the gauge and the barrel for the match ammo. Practice ammo I just check when I set the machine up first time and then go for it. Thsi is because we are short of time and are making ammo 3hours a day every day and shooting for as much as we have to.

Do what you feel is right, but as a base line check everything.

Even as some say make good ammo only. Well, I check my brass before it is tumbled, after it is tumbled, and when it goes into the ammo can. Then I give it one more look before it goes in the magazine. Because you can't make everything idiot proof.