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EGW 7 hole Chamber checker


Snowman50

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I just received a EGW Checker for 9mm, using a stock Glock barrel. My reloads don’t sit flush, but my factory rounds all fit in the 7 hole checker. Is this normal with this EGW gauge, or should I try resizing the case further?  I have a 550B w Dillon dies. I’ve heard this gauge has a very tight tolerance. 

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I have the EGW four hole, four caliber checker.  It has no throat.  If there is bullet bearing surface outside the case mouth, it won't gauge.  Not very useful except for my occasional run of JHPs.  I feed rounds through a Lyman 9mm or Wilson .45 gauge, too tightfisted for a "hundo."

 

Just to be sure, try a case out of the sizing die, then one run through expander and taper crimp without a bullet.

 

I used to have a gauge chambered with the same reamer used on the barrel of my then 9mm Miller Major.  Very convenient. 

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This is the best case gauge to use for producing ammo. If you have the OAL correct and it passes the gauge it should work in your gun.

 

https://benstoegerproshop.com/100-round-9mm-luger-hundo-chamber-checker-cartridge-case-gauge/

 

CG9-100-MIU__55801.1539784473.370.370.jp

 

BTW for 9MM the LEE FCD is not the solution, especially if you're using coated lead or plated bullets. It has the nasty ability to swage your bullets down while it resizes your brass. A better solution is using the bulge buster kit and the Mararov die. There are threads about this on BEF.

 

https://leeprecision.com/bulge-buster-kit.html

https://leeprecision.com/carbide-factory-crimp-die-9mm-makarov.html

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I have one just like it.

It is not for checking loaded ammo but rather sized cases. Although some loaded ammo will drop in and fall out quite easily the barrel you are going to use the ammo in is your best means of testing. Plunk and rotate into it.

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7 hours ago, Snowman50 said:

I just received a EGW Checker for 9mm, using a stock Glock barrel. My reloads don’t sit flush, but my factory rounds all fit in the 7 hole checker. Is this normal with this EGW gauge, or should I try resizing the case further?  I have a 550B w Dillon dies. I’ve heard this gauge has a very tight tolerance. 

 

Does the resized case fit in the gauge, if not you may have a bulge at the base of the case.

Are you reloading coated or lead bullets that are oversized?

Look for what part of the sizing, expanding, seating and crimping operation is making the case oversized.

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I have the same one. My loads must be a little too long for it. The heads stick out a little. They all run in my gun. If there is a split case or round that gets buy thats bad it will stick up more.

 

I can run through a lot of rounds with it. Works for me and my barrel.

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19 hours ago, Snowman50 said:

I just received a EGW Checker for 9mm, 


If you didn't have a problem with cartridges failing to feed that was based on case dimensions, then you spent money on a device that will tell you that you have problems where you do not.  The only case gauge that matters is your chamber.

Using a case gauge is like taking someone with bigger feet than yours shoe shopping to try on shoes for you.  "Sure, I could try the shoes on my own feet, but if he tries them on and they fit his feet, I'll know for sure they'll fit my feet without trying them on."  Ever gone shoe shopping like that?  ;) 

Look at what you have already seen in this very short thread.  You have a recommendation to buy an FCD because now fitting your chamber isn't the goal, and instead, your ammunition production goal has switched to fitting a case gauge.   Or drill out the case gauge.  That's the first time I've seen that one -- buy a case gauge with different dimensions that your chamber, then drill it out so that it will pass cartridges that will fit your chamber.  ;) 

If the cartridges you load function in your pistol, then a case gauge doesn't accomplish anything.  And if the cartridges you load do NOT function in your pistol, the solution is to fix the reloading process so that they all work, NOT cull out the ones that are that far out of spec and keep on loading the same way that's producing bad cartridges to begin with.

You can load ammo that works 100% of the time in terms of where case dimensions might cause failures.  It's not hard, and it's your pistol that will let you know that you're missing the mark.

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I’ve got the EGW seven hole gauge in 9mm too. It’s pretty snug but if you load your ammo to fit the gauge you’ll be better off in the long run.

One thing to remember is that EGW sells their own 9mm undersize die. It’s made by Lee to EGW’s speciations.

At the end of day, if your ammo doesn’t fit the EGW gauge you probably need to lower your sizing die a couple of thousandths or more. Most people will say, “My sizing die is touching my shell plate” but inevitably it usually isn’t. Lower your sizing die and run an unsized piece of brass up in it before tightening your lock nuts. Avoid using the Lee FCD until your loaded rounds fit the EGW gauge (you can load some pretty crappy ammo and the Lee FCD will fix it).

I made a video a number of years ago talking about the Hundo gauge. I also talked about my EGW gauge in the video.







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I have the EGW 7-round 9 mm (and their .38 Special/357 version) gauge and if a round fits the gauge it will fit your gun unless the OAL is too long for the barrel throat.  I use mine to check all of my reloads and, while gauging them, I run my thumb over the case heads to check for high primers.  Two checks at one time.

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I use the 7 hole checker. What idescribe was saying makes sense but I disagree.  Making rounds fit that tightly cut checker is not difficult and ensures you have a "perfect" round that is much more likely to work in any gun not just the one you have in mind to use while you're loading them.

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I've loaded over 40K rounds of 9mm all tested on my 7 round EGW case gauge. If it passes the EGW it will pass any 9mm barrel. Set your press up properly and load so that it passes the EGW case gauge and you will not have any second thoughts about the ammo loaded. 

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When I first started loading 9 major I had 3 case gauges. An EGW 7 hole, a Dillon and an old Midway. I found the EGW was useless as it rejected most of my rounds which were fine using the plunk test. I used the Midway gauge which rejected about 10%. I shot those rounds in practice and only a few were bad. I then ran a batch of saved practice rounds through the Dillon and all of them passed. I now only use the Dillon and the rare round it rejects goes into the box I'll pull for components some day. My die set up uses the Lee U die. I'm loading either Montana Gold CMJ or Horenady HAP.

The odd thing is the .38 Super model of the EGW 7 hole gauge works just fine. 

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I have using the EGW 7 rounds case gauge for several years. The rounds should fit flush. I too run my thumb over the case heads to ensure they are all flush with no high primers. 

Edited by bassnbud
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  • 1 year later...
On 11/17/2018 at 9:26 AM, Ace38super said:

When I first started loading 9 major I had 3 case gauges. An EGW 7 hole, a Dillon and an old Midway. I found the EGW was useless as it rejected most of my rounds which were fine using the plunk test. I used the Midway gauge which rejected about 10%. I shot those rounds in practice and only a few were bad. I then ran a batch of saved practice rounds through the Dillon and all of them passed. I now only use the Dillon and the rare round it rejects goes into the box I'll pull for components some day. My die set up uses the Lee U die. I'm loading either Montana Gold CMJ or Horenady HAP.

The odd thing is the .38 Super model of the EGW 7 hole gauge works just fine. 

I found the opposite.  The Dillon is useless because they tends to ream the hole bigger and they tends to fit most of the rounds even the rounds are imperfection. 

The EGW is the best among the three because they have the tightest spec.  You should have a tighter guage than your barrel chamber but not larger.  Anything pass the test(tighter guage) will fit your chamber.  If it rejected most of your rounds than you should do a better job to your rounds as there must be something wrong with the rounds.  However, if you are not into competition than may be it's not too important for you.  Otherwise, Murphy will always find their way when most unexpected.   

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8 hours ago, BigEar said:

I found the opposite.  The Dillon is useless because they tends to ream the hole bigger and they tends to fit most of the rounds even the rounds are imperfection. 

The EGW is the best among the three because they have the tightest spec.  You should have a tighter guage than your barrel chamber but not larger.  Anything pass the test(tighter guage) will fit your chamber.  If it rejected most of your rounds than you should do a better job to your rounds as there must be something wrong with the rounds.  However, if you are not into competition than may be it's not too important for you.  Otherwise, Murphy will always find their way when most unexpected.   

If that works for you that's great. I posted this comment more than a year ago and stand by my experience with the EGW and Dillon gauges. I have shot plenty of 9 major and had zero malfunctions of any kind. And yes I am into competition. I try to shoot one or two matches a week and at least 6 majors a year. 

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Put your round in backwards, if it goes in past the rim and about a quarter inch of base then your problem is the col of that round. Your bullet is touching. EGW gauges are made to minimum Sami specs and are the tightest case gauges out there. If your round sits a little proud of the gauge check it in your barrel. If it fits then you know what you can get away with using that gauge. It’s true your barrel is the true test but you can use a gauge as a reference, as long as you know what you can get away with. If your round fits flush in a EGW gauge I’m pretty sure it will fit any barrel out there.

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On 11/10/2018 at 11:21 PM, evild said:

You need to run a drill bit through it to open up the bullet area. After you do that it works great. Had to do both my 9 and 40. Piss poor design. I wouldn't ever recommend them.

Just did this to my case checker. I took a 23/64 drill bit and removed some material where the bullet hits.

 

Great idea. Cases drop in and out now.

 

Thanks for the tip.

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20 hours ago, zombywoof said:

Just did this to my case checker. I took a 23/64 drill bit and removed some material where the bullet hits.

 

Great idea. Cases drop in and out now.

 

Thanks for the tip.

Yup, drilled a bit further and all the cases that sat proud are flush. So now the COL function of the case gauge is gone, but should not be a big deal as the barrel is still the final gauge when setting bullet seating depth/COL. 

Outstanding tip, thanks as well.

 

Mark

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22 hours ago, rooster said:

Put your round in backwards, if it goes in past the rim and about a quarter inch of base then your problem is the col of that round. Your bullet is touching. EGW gauges are made to minimum Sami specs and are the tightest case gauges out there. If your round sits a little proud of the gauge check it in your barrel. If it fits then you know what you can get away with using that gauge. It’s true your barrel is the true test but you can use a gauge as a reference, as long as you know what you can get away with. If your round fits flush in a EGW gauge I’m pretty sure it will fit any barrel out there.

For my open gun since I load 9mm long, I used a 9 mm throating reamer on my egw gauge so it matched my barrel throat.

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I load all my 9mm loads with .357 bullets.  The EGW will choke on these bullets due to the size.  There's no throat as has been said.

 

The key is knowing how proud the rounds can be on the gauge and still chamber in your firearm.  I'm loading for close to a dozen different 9mm firearms, so I've used the tightest chamber to know how proud the rounds can be and still work.  

 

I've got the drill bit on order to give the EGW gauge just a bit of throat.

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7 hours ago, ExStreetWalker said:

I load all my 9mm loads with .357 bullets.  The EGW will choke on these bullets due to the size.  There's no throat as has been said.

 

The key is knowing how proud the rounds can be on the gauge and still chamber in your firearm.  I'm loading for close to a dozen different 9mm firearms, so I've used the tightest chamber to know how proud the rounds can be and still work.  

 

I've got the drill bit on order to give the EGW gauge just a bit of throat.

Did what ZW said above, drilled maybe 3/16" deeper than where the drill stops when simply dropped in and .357 coated bullets no longer cause the loaded rounds to stick up and even better, drop out easily rather than stick in the gauge.

Mark

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  • 3 weeks later...

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