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Are case gauges usless?

megastink

megastink

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Joined
Apr 23, 2011
Messages
958
Location
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This is a noobie question I'm sure, and I look forward to the education on this: but are case gauges, like the LE Wilson, useless? Perhaps redundant is a better word. You can measure the trimmed length of a case with a caliper, and you can chamber the prepped case in your rifle and check for resistance when closing the bolt. Does the case gauge provide a benefit that I'm missing?
 
megastink said:
LE Wilson, useless
Click to expand...
Yes. Does not check body diameters.

I checked the headspace on my M16A1 before selling it.
index.php


This is a one piece, non-adjustable gage for checking fired and resized cartridge cases for head to datum and over-all
case length. Our Gage are NOT made with chambering reamers, but with special cut reamers giving extra clearance both
infront of and behind the shoulder so as to eliminate any possibility of contact except at the gaging point.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
I find them useful when loading mixed brass in large batches and trying to ensure that cases fall inside SAAMI specs. In this scenario, I don't care about a relative shoulder bump. I use the gauge to set the sizing die, and also check periodically as I go. The issue is that different cases will size a different amount thus you split the difference so everything falls inside max and min. I seem to remember that the S&B cases tend to not bump as much and you can also feel that they're harder to size when pulling the handle. I do this for 223/5.56 on a progressive press loading mixed brass for use in multiple guns.
 
I've got 3 pistol gauge blocks that hold 50rnds at a time and they get used. it let's you once over the ammo and check primer seating once they roll off the progressive press. rifle ones not so often. sometimes the 5 round 223 amd 308 blocks comes out for a spot check on bulk blast ammo for use in all/any guns but all other rifle stuff gets measured like I care more.

if I was starting over I wouldn't run any of their individual case gauges but I'd probably keep the gauge blocks.
 
check a fired case for results as you might only need to neck size? many things can be useful and useless depending on needs. for an average reloader, they're fine. for a precision shooter, probably not. ymmv
 
Koda_ said:
Why would they be useful in an AR platform?
Click to expand...
It's much faster to throw a case in a Wilson case gauge than use other tools. As I said before, they're great for checking cases where loading to SAAMI is a thing. I think they work great for that purpose.
They also check to see if you need to trim necks.
 
FireFlyFishing said:
It's much faster to throw a case in a Wilson case gauge than use other tools. As I said before, they're great for checking cases where loading to SAAMI is a thing. I think they work great for that purpose.
They also check to see if you need to trim necks.
Click to expand...
I guess its faster than chambering a sized case but that would be true for all action types if loading to saami spec, most FL dies size to saami spec minimum and will chamber. The question here is if case guages are needed, I still dont see the need for any action type even with an AR platform it should extract easy if sized to saami.
 

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