case gauge wheelgun ammo?

[colbyjack]

is it nessary to case gauge my revolver ammo? just courious before i spend alot of time. i case gauge my 1911 ammo though. -chris

[Airedale]

I moon clip them and drop test them into my revolver. If they drop at home, they will likely drop at the match.

Dave

[BigDave]

Ummm...isn't the cylinder a 6 chamber case gauge?

[HighVelocity]

I check ammo that'll be used in a match but don't worry about ammo made from practice.

Gary

[open17]

Ummm...isn't the cylinder a 6 chamber case gauge?

+1. You are going to drop it all in the cylinder anyway, just to check for bent moonclips.

No good reason I see to gauge it twice.

Bill

[LPatterson]

For match ammo I use a TK Moonclip Checker, for practice it's well practice.

I have a thing about loading a gun in the house where Mr. Murphy could be looking over my shoulder. When I load or unload my carry gun I use my bullet resistant vest as a back stop.

[colbyjack]

cool thanks guys. i went down to the gun room. got out the hand primer tool and double checked some of the ones i loaded in my dillon square deal. i gave it a push and i could feel them seat a lil deeper. im guessing im going to go thru all of them and make sure there seated all the way. a guess theres no such thing as too deep then right. some were a lil high also so i guess i better hand check them with the primer tool. -chris

[10mmdave]

cool thanks guys. i went down to the gun room. got out the hand primer tool and double checked some of the ones i loaded in my dillon square deal. i gave it a push and i could feel them seat a lil deeper. im guessing im going to go thru all of them and make sure there seated all the way. a guess theres no such thing as too deep then right. some were a lil high also so i guess i better hand check them with the primer tool. -chris

Are you re-seating loaded ammo

[Bubber]

As L Paterson does I check with a moonchecker for my ICORE 8 shot, but I even do my practice ammo. I need to get a 6 shot 38 super moonchecker for my USPSA ammo. This little item will save you if you cannot load up all the moons you need for a match without remooning. It saved me at the IRC a couple of times.

[Carmoney]

I have a TK checker, and found that many loaded moonclips that failed the checker-test actually worked perfectly fine in my 625s. I think it's a little too tight to be realistic.

When preparing for a big match, I always drop-check every loaded moonclip in the cylinder of the gun. I discovered there's no need for a spin-check--or to even close the cylinder--because a bulgy round or bent moonclip will be easily detected when it doesn't drop smoothly into the cylinder. If it drops in at all, it won't sound the same. The spin-check is effective for checking for high primers, but if your ammo is all properly prepared (I recommend hand-priming), there will be no chance of having high primers anyway.

With regard to hand-squeezing the primers on loaded ammo, Patrick Sweeney wrote an article not too long ago in which he indicated that although he no longer recommends the practice, he had hand-seated untold thousands of rounds of loaded ammunition over the years, with nary a problem. I suspect there is very little risk of danger if the hand-seating is done with reasonable gentleness. Thinking back over 20+ years of handloading on Dillon progressive machines, I only recall one time that a primer ever went off in my machine, and that was only because it went in cockeyed and I gave the handle a sudden hard push to try to get it seated. Unless you were doing something really crazy, I think you would have a very hard time getting a primer to go off with a hand-seating tool, even if you were trying to make it happen.

[Carmoney]

I guess I should add that a system of checking all the loaded moons the night before presumes the shooter has enough moonclips to make it through the following match day without remooning. Trust me, life is too short to be hassling around loading/unloading moonclips between stages. If you can afford to play this game at all, you can afford to buy an adequate supply of moonclips.

[colbyjack]

Are you re-seating loaded ammo

yeah i think im going to have more to do. ill squeeze light and point away from face wearing safety glasses. i got these to do yet.

-chris

[ffl]

What bullet are you using?

185 gr semi wad cutter?

I prefer 200 gr. Precision bullets they are a round nose design.

david

[colbyjack]

those are 200 grain SWC from a local bullet maker. that was the last i had. all the rest will be a H&G 68 200 gr SWC after those run out. unless i buy a new mold. im running 4.3 of clays in them. havent chronny out of my 625 but my #68's out of my 1911 run 835 average. -chris

[10mmdave]

Are you re-seating loaded ammo

yeah i think im going to have more to do. ill squeeze light and point away from face wearing safety glasses. i got these to do yet.

-chris

Can't view the pic here at work, maybe instead of re-seating you save those rounds for practice ??

It's your business if you want to keep doing it, good luck and be careful.

And welcome to the forum.

[Carmoney]

Just to be clear--I'm not recommending people hand-seat primers on loaded ammo. But I do think if done carefully, the risk is pretty minimal. The squeeze needs to be slow and steady, nothing sudden.

If a round detonates outside the chamber, the bullet won't really go anywhere. But it will be very loud and there will be pieces of brass shrapnel flying around at high speed. I've seen several uncontained detonations of handgun ammunition--all were at the range. The typical scenario is when the shooter wrenches the slide back on his autoloader when told to unload and show clear, and the primer on the loaded round comes back into an extended ejector. This is why it is not terribly wise to cup the hand around the ejection port to catch the round.

Protective glasses are an absolute must for any sort of shooting or handloading activity.

[whizz]

I consider it safe to cup the hand over the ejection port to catch the round as long as you do not rack the slide with force. Gently pulling it back will eject the round as well but maybe not as manly...

[hearthco]

If you can afford to play this game at all, you can afford to buy an adequate supply of moonclips.

Carmoney is truly wise!!

[RePete]

I check my moonclips after every outing.

I use the cylinder to check for tight rounds, after clipping them.

[Tom Mainus]

Just to be clear--I'm not recommending people hand-seat primers on loaded ammo. But I do think if done carefully, the risk is pretty minimal. The squeeze needs to be slow and steady, nothing sudden.

Your such a lawyer

[RePete]

Just to be clear--I'm not recommending people hand-seat primers on loaded ammo. But I do think if done carefully, the risk is pretty minimal. The squeeze needs to be slow and steady, nothing sudden.

Your such a lawyer

And from Iowa to boot!

Edited May 5, 2008 by RePete

[vrmn1]

When it comes to 45 acp and 625's there is no reason to not have enough moon clips. For even the biggest of matches to load them up and check them long before the match.

Before this past area six my match ammo was loaded, clipped and chamber checked in my cylinder weeks before the match.

Ranch product moon clips are .35 each, anyone should be able to swing that.

[Carmoney]

Just to be clear--I'm not recommending people hand-seat primers on loaded ammo. But I do think if done carefully, the risk is pretty minimal. The squeeze needs to be slow and steady, nothing sudden.

Your such a lawyer

And from Iowa to boot!

Thangya....thangya verramuch....

[dajarrel]

I watched Jerry M. reload his moonclips at Nationals last year. He doesn't carry them pre-loaded but reloads after every stage. BUT... he also pulls out what looks like an old model 25 cylinder and gauges each reloaded moonclip before he puts it on his belt.

As someone said above, you're gauging them six at a time.

fwiw

dj

[Pin Shooter]

Look at my sign off signature.....

I " Touch Wood " don't have to worry about ammo at matches, beacuase I am anal in ammo prep. That's right anal. I like to remove all emergent issues before I get to the match. I case gauge all match ammo, and mooncheck it as well. I use Heathco clips exclusively, and suggest that everyone carry additional well stored mooclips. It costs no extra to be prepared at a match, but it can cost a lot if you are not prepped before you get there.