need info on how to fix and pass the case gauge

[m0r3ric3plz]

Hello all,

 

i am still new to reloading for about 3-4 months now.  I have been stuggling to get my loads to be consistant, i have some rounds that will pass the case gauge and some that wont and then i have a round (a couple of them actually) for some reason that will be flush with the case gauge and then when i do it again with the same round its not flush. i keep taking it out and puttin it back in and it'll be flush and not flush with the case gauge. i have used a hornady roll crimp and then swtiched to the hornady taper crimp (hard crimp, no crimp, less crimp both resulting the same issue )i dont know what im doing wrong, i have done everything i can think of to fix it ( youtube, adjusting dies, reading forms etc.) but the outcome is the same. is there a way to fix this issue, what is the solution to this problem. i understand that if it fits its good but i prefer to be as accurate and good as possible.my reloads is 9mm 115grain cfe pistol powder 4.9 oal 1.100.-1.120 using hornady dies and hornady lock n load ap press.

 

here are the pics of the same round left not flush right flush

[GrumpyOne]

Case gauges are typically smaller than the chamber of your gun, so they will most likely be fine to shoot. 

One thing to bear in mind, even a minute particle of dust can cause the case not to gauge right.  If you are using lube to reload, make sure to remove the lube before gauging...and if you are using a tumbler to remove the lube, most likely that is where you are picking particles of dust which is causing the issue. 

In the end, the correct answer is: Does it chamber in your gun correctly? If the answer is YES, the shoot it and stop worrying.

[mmc45414]

Also maybe check it into the disassembled barrel, if it easily goes in and out flush with the barrel hood you should all good.

Also, maybe drop the case in the gage before you load it, try a few and see if it might be something in the seating.  

And maybe measure a few bullets and see if there are any inconsistencies. 

I recently bought the Armanov gauge that does a hundred cartridges and have culled out the ones that "failed", and as suggested, they all shot fine. 

[Boomstick303]

6 hours ago, GrumpyOne said:

even a minute particle of dust can cause the case not to gauge right. 

 

Typically I found a grain of powder has found its way into the gage that causes most case gage failures.  As long as you are loading your ammo correctly with properly prepped brass. 

Edited December 16, 2022 by Boomstick303

[RudyVey]

1 hour ago, Boomstick303 said:

 

Typically I found a grain of powder has found its way into the gage that causes more case gage failures.  As long as you are loading your ammo correctly with properly prepped brass. 

This is so true!! A can of air does a great job cleaning any powder or other debris out of the gauge, just give it a quick spray and the rounds are fine fitting in the gauge.

Compressed air is quite cheap in cans and it is what I always use around the press, helps a lot to clean up small powder spills, and other stuff that may interfere. I also tumble dry, so there is often a kernel of the media that "needs to go away."..

[HesedTech]

14 hours ago, m0r3ric3plz said:

i understand that if it fits its good but i prefer to be as accurate and good as possible.my reloads is 9mm 115grain cfe pistol powder 4.9 oal 1.100.-1.120 using hornady dies and hornady lock n load ap press.

The key for pistol rounds is simple, will it chamber and fire? Using the barrel, the "plunk test" is the way to develop a load. If you plunk all those slightly high rounds do they pass? If they do then you're good to go. 

 

With 115 grain bullets brass bulge should not be an issue, however range brass can have nicked and damaged extractor rims on the brass. This can cause the loaded round to stop right on the rim when you check them. What you can do in this case is gently insert the round base/primer first to see if the rim is out of spec. It should go into you chamber check fully and stop as the tool narrows. Don't get it stuck though. 

 

Hope this helps.

[MikeBurgess]

9mm range brass may also have some bulging at the base that your dies wont take out.

its not just the famous GLOCK bulge many duty type guns have loose chambers and bulge the brass.

 

when I went to using roll sized brass I went from a ~10% failure rate in my Hundo gauge to only finding cracked cases and crushed primers.

 

 

[rooster]

You have to eliminate all variables in order to use case gauge. This includes crimp and oal. You have to know that your gauge is smaller than the barrel you are loading for. First thing I check for is crimp. Size a case and turn bullet upside down so it is not going to effect oal. Check in barrel and gauge it should not fit. Keep adding a little crimp till it fits barrel. It should not fit gauge, if it does your gauge is bigger than barrel. Keep crimping till it fits gauge. When it does you know that crimp will fit your barrel. Now on to the oal. Select a oal that you know is too long and keep shortening till it fits your chamber and add another 15 or 20 thou. To allow for variations in press. As far as bulge goes I use the Redding sizing die and I get mostly a 100% pass, I might get 1 or 2 that fail but that’s it.

[Powder Finger]

Never had a case gage if it was a major match ammo got dropped in the barrel point is the time people mess with these could be saved with the barrel you use to perforate card board

[Nolan]

4 hours ago, Powder Finger said:

Never had a case gage if it was a major match ammo got dropped in the barrel point is the time people mess with these could be saved with the barrel you use to perforate card board

 

Yes, No, and Maybe!

 

Yes, you can use the barrel to check your ammo.

 

No, it won't catch all the bad ammo.

 

Maybe, you'll get lucky using the barrel to check your ammo and the bulged side of the case went into the barrel against the hood/top of the barrel and you caught the bad round.  Maybe, you won't be lucky and the bulged side went in on the ramp side of the barrel and dropped all the way in, or the out of round/gouged rim went in on the ramp side instead of the hood side.  Want to gamble on which orientation the bad round will go into the barrel at a match?

 

A case gauge that is tighter than the chamber and checks the full circumference of the case and rim, WILL catch the bulged case, or damaged rim, EVERY time.  For the small cost of a good case gauge and exactly the same amount of time as using the barrel, a case gauge is a good investment.

 

Nolan

[Ronemus]

Are you using brass that is exactly the same brand, vintage, and length?  Using range pickups or other mixed brass will not give uniform results. Buying a batch of  quality new brass is well worth the investment.  I use Starline for pistol, and Peterson for rifle.  Even then I measure to ensure consistency.

 

You can't get uniform crimps unless your brass is all the same length and has the same wall thickness.

[Tunachaser]

I use a lee u-die for 9 MM (looks like 9 in the photo but not sure).  Make sure you are using the same pressure on the handle every time.  Looks like a Wilson gauge which is very tight...if it fits in the Wilson it will fit any pistol...what is most important is does it fit YOUR barrel, just make sure it plunks AND spins.

 

The case gauges that do 100 at a time do seem slightly more forgiving IMHO.

 

With time you should gain consistence.  Which will help.

Edited December 19, 2022 by Tunachaser

[ddc]

On 12/17/2022 at 5:12 PM, Ronemus said:

Are you using brass that is exactly the same brand, vintage, and length?  Using range pickups or other mixed brass will not give uniform results. Buying a batch of  quality new brass is well worth the investment.  I use Starline for pistol, and Peterson for rifle.  Even then I measure to ensure consistency.

 

You can't get uniform crimps unless your brass is all the same length and has the same wall thickness.

 

However I would guess the majority of people reloading 9mm are looking for high volume range blasting ammo for the most part.

Nobody who does that is going to be measuring tens of thousands of cases for length let alone buying that amount of virgin brass and then in addition measuring the length.

Horses for courses as they say.

[Boomstick303]

On 12/17/2022 at 5:12 PM, Ronemus said:

You can't get uniform crimps unless your brass is all the same length and has the same wall thickness.

 

Exactly.  People run into this issue trying to create ammo with low SD while using mixed brass.  That is a waste of time.  

 

I use "range brass" in combination with Range brass to create practice ammo.  I used either Federal or Winchester brass loaded with FMJ for competition ammo.  At the end of the day as @ddcmentioned above load the ammo to serve a purpose.  Practice ammo I do not care about so much as long as it runs.  For competition ammo I want it to be as consistent as possible.  I use the same weight bullet for each type of ammo, and I adjust powder accordingly to get the same PF.  This means typically loading coated ammo 0.1 grains less than the FMJ bullets.

[N7VY]

I found that my rejects went from 10 to 20 per thousand (using a lee “U” die) to zero by rollsizing my brass. When I use my Hondo case gauge the only ones “proud” are cracked cases. With the price and availability of primers, I’m happier. 

[boatdoc173]

I prefer the  plink test. I have one fussy gun. It requires a C O A L of  1.142" or less.  I had to plink test many  dummies to get that gun to feed right. 

[Tampa-XD45]

I have to periodically clean the inside of my case gauge when using coated bullets or the loaded rounds start to stick. 

Just a quick wipe with Windex on a paper towel removes the red residue from SNS bullets.

 

[Ronemus]

Using too much flare when expanding the case mouth will create a bulge near the top of the case, even after crimping.  Use only enough expansion to make the mouth a few thousandths than the base of the bullet; more is not better!  The object is to seat bullets without shaving bits off the jacket.  Use only enough crimp to remove the flare - more will be detrimental to accuracy (if you swage the bullet, the brass will spring back a thousandth or two).

[N7VY]

Boatdoc173, I would case gauge each round prior to rollsizing. What a pain but I wanted to make sure all rounds would chamber. I shoot a Tanfoglio and I load to 1.06” it’s short, I know but it works for me.