Are case gauges usless?

[megastink]

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?

 

[just_jon]

I love LE Wilson gear, but my case gages are gathering dust on a shelf. At $40 per, there are more cost effective ways of performing the same tasks. I would however recommend a headspace comparator set for measuring shoulder bump.

 

[243winxb]

LE Wilson, useless

Yes. Does not check body diameters.

I checked the headspace on my M16A1 before selling it.

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.

 

[megastink]

I love LE Wilson gear, but my case gages are gathering dust on a shelf. At $40 per, there are more cost effective ways of performing the same tasks. I would however recommend a headspace comparator set for measuring shoulder bump.

Yes, I do have that.

 

[Taylorbok]

IMO there is no need for a case gauge, provided you have calipers and a comparator set.

 

[atblis]

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.

 

[Koda_]

Does the case gauge provide a benefit that I'm missing?

Nope.
Your chamber is your case guage or you can size to saami spec dimension.

 

[PopNFresh]

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.

 

[FireFlyFishing]

I like and use them for all my auto loaders.

 

[megastink]

I like and use them for all my auto loaders.

Ok, I can absolutely see that being a benefit for an AR platform. Thank you.

 

[Koda_]

Why would they be useful in an AR platform?

 

[ARlife4me]

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

 

[FireFlyFishing]

Why would they be useful in an AR platform?

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.

 

[Koda_]

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.

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.