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EGW chamber checker question


RHST3

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I'm new to reloading and would appreciate some input. I recently reloaded 9mm 135 gr. TC Blue bullets at 1.110 OAL for a CZ shadow 2. They passed plunk test, tested fine in my EGW chamber checker and shot great. I then loaded some samples of 125gr and 147gr RN Blue bullets. I had to drop OAL to 1.108 to pass plunk test on both. They plunk test fine. But they will not pass the EGW chamber checker. Any thoughts? 

Am I good to go considering plunk test was fine? If it's a problem with that specific chamber checker, what one would you suggest buying? 

Thanks

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The first thing to do is know exactly the max oal is for that barrel.  Size a piece of brass and and make sure it fits barrel.  I cut a slit down both sides with a dremel cut off wheel and debur, then make sure it fits barrel again.  Also make sure it fits the gauge.  Now you can seat bullet a little ways and press into chamber , do this a few times so you get an accurate measurement.  That dimension is the max oal for that bullet in that chamber.  Now back it off about .020 that will allow for any variations in the loading process.  Now comes the EGW gauge.  That gauge is the most precise gauge available that I know of.  If that piece of brass fit the gauge to start with, then the only reason it would fail is because of the bullet.  You would either have to load even shorter, or get a different profile bullet, and start the process all over again.  Or just use your barrel as gauge.  Or get a gauge that passes that bullet.  The Hundo gauge should work as it doesn’t care about bullet profile.

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Shadow 2 are know to have inherently short chambers for starters. Bullet profile will be another cause for variance in oal. The later is the reason for the shorter oal.. As long as you plunk fine your good to go. 

I would have the barrel reamed out. Patriot defense has a very quick turn time and very reasonably priced. 

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There is no leade in an EGW chamber checker.  So if you use oversize bullets (lead or coated) the round will not drop in if any part of the bullet touches the step in the checker.  If it passes plunk in your barrel, go with it.

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4 hours ago, RHST3 said:

 They plunk test fine. But they will not pass the EGW chamber checker. 

 

 

All that is required is that the cartridges fully seat themselves in the chamber -

it's NOT required that they fit into the EGW chamber checker.

 

If they full seat in your chamber, yet can be rotated and also drop freely

when the barrel is inverted, you are good to go    :)  

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The EGW chamber Checker is the problem.  take an unloaded bullet and see if it will pass through the EGW chamber Checker, it won't! this is the problem it's is checking the bullet not just the case.  Get this gauge. https://benstoegerproshop.com/100-round-9mm-luger-hundo-chamber-checker-cartridge-case-gauge/

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And the EGW gauge is not the most precise. It is the tightest. 

 

People tend to confuse tight with precision when it comes to case gauges.  The more cartridges it rejects, the better a job people think that it is doing.  But the opposite is true. 

 

The more cartridges it rejects that work just fine in the barrel, the worse a job the case gauge is doing, the less precise it is relative to THAT barrel. 

 

There are boatloads of us out here who don't use case gauges at all, and never have cartridges fail for being dimensionally out of spec.  It isn't hard to do.  😉 

 

 

 

 

 

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I get what you're saying for sure. I just shot the 125 gr and 147 gr samples through the chronograph. Both shot great and met power factor.  I think for now I'm going to just plunk test in the actual barrel. 

Actually liked the way the 125s felt better than the 147s or 135s  I was surprised .

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Every bullet I reload goes through my EGW gauge and I haven't had a failure to feed or eject since I purchased it.  That's been 15 to 20,000 rounds.  Yes the gauge is tight and the ones that don't pass the gauge test get set aside and examined for split or deformed casing  I'll then plunk test the ones that pass.  I maybe over working and thinking in my reloading process but I'm an OLD DOG and it's hard to teach me new tricks.

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I don't feel like tearing my gun apart every time I want to check rounds so I check with a gauge and the barrel so I can establish a baseline between the two. Once the baseline is established (meaning, I know what the differences in fit between the gauge and barrel are) I only use the gauge. Once I've gauged enough rounds to know that my process is producing ammo in spec (even with bulged brass) I don't continue to check rounds except randomly. I'm finding that even rounds that take a bit of force to seat in the chamber run just fine when I load and shoot them. The key is to know know what your gun will run and what will actually stop it.

 

Regarding bullets keeping the round from seating in the gauge, I've only run into this with .40 long so I had my gunsmith ream the gauge block out. I'm using the EGW four hole checker. Before I bought it for .40 long (only recently started loading that) I'd never checked a round with a gauge or barrel test in my life and I can only think of one instance where I had a stoppage due to a bad round. I had reloded a piece of split brass so now I just pay more attention to my brass when I'm putting it in the press.

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Let's talk about precise vs. accurate.  A gun that shoots a 1 inch group which hits 6 inches left of aim is precise, but not accurate.

 

I have two EGW case gauges.  They are precise.  But with coated bullets, they are not accurate.  One day, I intend to try to dremel out, or sandpaper/dowel out, the area where the bullet seats, and see if I can get them to be more accurate.

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