30 carbine case gauge is finally made!

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morrow

morrow

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I have seen that brand on Amazon and have wondered how well made they are. Do let us know what you think. I almost bought one in .40 once before just to check them out.
 
I just got mine this weekend. I have their 223 gauge was well, which is aluminum, and I like it. It looks well made and seems to work, although I have so far just tried it on sized cases.
 
IMG_20180218_113030.jpg IMG_20180218_113042.jpg IMG_20180218_113108.jpg IMG_20180218_113135.jpg

Just got the 30 carbine die. Here it is compared to my Dillon 223 die. It's made out of a thicker piece of stainless steel. The Shooter's Box 30 Carbine die does attract a magnet while the Dillon die does not. Overall a very nicely made product.

FWIW I emailed Dillon before purchasing this die off Amazon and they said they do not plan on ever making a 30 carbine die. They used to have the LE Wilson one in stock but all that die does is check case length so they quit selling it. It's quicker to use calipers than that die.

Again, well made product, would buy again!
 
Rule3 said:
Is a case gauge really needed for the 30 carbine? I use one for necked down brass like 223 and 308 to check die setting but the 30 carbine is just a very slight taper? Have not checked any(no gauge) that I have loaded.
If I recall I had called Wilson about one and they said there was no demand for one.

page #105

http://saami.org/specifications_and...ns/download/Z299-4_ANSI-SAAMI_CFR.pdf#page=13
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Like any cartridge if it's not sized properly it will not fit into the chamber, not just bottle-neck brass! A case gauge is like having a convenient chamber on the reloading bench to check your setup. Some people just use the chamber of the gun, which is fine, but I like having dies conveniently on my bench rather than having to disassemble my guns to check the sizing.
 
morrow said:
Like any cartridge if it's not sized properly it will not fit into the chamber, not just bottle-neck brass! A case gauge is like having a convenient chamber on the reloading bench to check your setup. Some people just use the chamber of the gun, which is fine, but I like having dies conveniently on my bench rather than having to disassemble my guns to check the sizing.
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Yes, however I do not have a gauge for 32acp, 327 Federal,380, 9mm, 40SW, 45 ACP, 38, 357, 44 mag, 460Mag, 30 Carbine, 30=30 Win :) Yes, I can drop them in a barrel but rarely need to once the die is set. If I loaded 357 Sig or FN 5.7 I would have one!

Not saying that a case gauge is not a good tool to have but seems the 30 carbine has been loaded for a long time without one.
 
To each his own! I have case gauges for 9mm, 38SPL, 45ACP and 44mag as well as the .223 and 30 carbine. Handy to have an easier than fooling around with my guns while I am reloading. Could I get by without it? Sure, but I don't have to and it is a convenience.
 
Thanks or the info---for years I used the revolver 30 carbine to check cartridge. i asked Wilson to make one--they said no reason to have one.
NOW I FINALLY WILL HAVE ONE
 
L.E. Wilson makes very high quality gauges and other tools such as their case trimmer and the VLD chamber/debur tool.

I have a Wilson case gauge for all my cartridges, as someone else said it is like having a benchtop SAAMI chamber handy. I don't use them as part of my normal handloading process, but if I am loading a new bullet or when setting seating depth I always check a few cartridges. I once loaded a batch of 9mm with a new bullet (Oregon Trail I think) and seated to the same depth as other bullets. Turns out it was too deep for that cast bullet size and it swelled the case to where it would not chamber. If I had just tested a couple of cases in a gauge it would have averted pulling a LOT of bullets. Since I load for multiple guns in most cartridges I am not satisfied checking against just one chamber.

I consider the case gauges as "not necessary" but a overall timesaver and quick QC check. I also learned never to take just one new load to the range. That 9mm instance turned out to be a totally wasted day after driving an hour to the range with three 9mm guns and none of the ammo chambered. If I had taken some previously proven loads along too, then I could have at least enjoyed shooting if not testing.
 
NWPilgrim said:
L.E. Wilson makes very high quality gauges and other tools such as their case trimmer and the VLD chamber/debur tool.

I have a Wilson case gauge for all my cartridges, as someone else said it is like having a benchtop SAAMI chamber handy. I don't use them as part of my normal handloading process, but if I am loading a new bullet or when setting seating depth I always check a few cartridges. I once loaded a batch of 9mm with a new bullet (Oregon Trail I think) and seated to the same depth as other bullets. Turns out it was too deep for that cast bullet size and it swelled the case to where it would not chamber. If I had just tested a couple of cases in a gauge it would have averted pulling a LOT of bullets. Since I load for multiple guns in most cartridges I am not satisfied checking against just one chamber.

I consider the case gauges as "not necessary" but a overall timesaver and quick QC check. I also learned never to take just one new load to the range. That 9mm instance turned out to be a totally wasted day after driving an hour to the range with three 9mm guns and none of the ammo chambered. If I had taken some previously proven loads along too, then I could have at least enjoyed shooting if not testing.
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I just want to clear something up-
Yes, LE Wilson does make quality products
However, their 30 carbine "case length gauge" is kind of a joke. You have to set your 30 carbine brass down on a table and then set the gauge over it to check the length. The only thing it does is check the length. It's quicker to just use calipers for this. Thus my post about Shooter's Box finally making a real 30 carbine case gauge - the first company to do so on a production level.
 
morrow said:
I just want to clear something up-
Yes, LE Wilson does make quality products
However, their 30 carbine "case length gauge" is kind of a joke. You have to set your 30 carbine brass down on a table and then set the gauge over it to check the length. The only thing it does is check the length. It's quicker to just use calipers for this. Thus my post about Shooter's Box finally making a real 30 carbine case gauge - the first company to do so on a production level.
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Thanks for the clarification. In that case I agree it is a bit frivolous. I use the case gauges that are like a SAAMI spec chamber. Didn;t know Wilson made simple case length gauges at all. That is an important distinction to know for this!
 
NWPilgrim said:
Thanks for the clarification. In that case I agree it is a bit frivolous. I use the case gauges that are like a SAAMI spec chamber. Didn;t know Wilson made simple case length gauges at all. That is an important distinction to know for this!
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Maybe I'm off base here, but so far as I know, none of the L.E. Wilson rifle case length gauges are set up to mimic a SAAMI chamber.

All they'll tell you is if headspace is over or under on bottleneck cases or if your case is too long or too short.

My understanding is that the chamber portion of the gauge is cut oversize to allow for use with fired cases.
 
Correct, the Wilson does not check diameter like the Sheridan & RP gauges do.

I still use calipers to check case length, as it is a lot faster. I only used the Wilson to set shoulder placement.
 
Thanks for the Heads-Up.
I already have a couple of their Gauges and am happy with them.

I added the 30 Carbine to my List.
 
When you drop a piece of brass in the gage it goes all the way in like a 9mm---if you have burs on the web it will jamb in the gage---a 30 carbine case does not go all the way in on rifle or handgun & many cases with a rough web will not bother the guns-----I find this is irritating . i can see now why Wilson would not make one.
BUMMER............
It appears that this case gage is very tight---i notice that a case will jam in the gage at the web when the web is much smaller than spec. size.
i will give a heavy polish on the mouth of this gage & see if it will loosen up some.
It is a very nice piece of SS.
 
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Walkalong said:
Correct, the Wilson does not check diameter like the Sheridan & RP gauges do.

I still use calipers to check case length, as it is a lot faster. I only used the Wilson to set shoulder placement.
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My misnomer. I have what Wilson calls "pistol max gage". I've always just called it a "case gage". But Wilson has one called "Case Gage" that is just for checking length, specifically to compare fired case to resized case length. I never realized they had so many variations of gages.

https://lewilson.com/pistol-max-gage/

The pistol max gage is cut to maximum SAAMI chamber specs to check for case bulge, etc. Looks like they make these for most pistol and revolver cases but not .30 Carbine.
The Wilson Pistol Max (Cartridge) Gage is designed to check loaded pistol cartridges and is set to maximum SAAMI spec dimensions. This gage will measure Max Case Length, Max Cartridge dimensions and Max Loaded Round Length. But, more importantly it will help you to determine what is going on with your loaded ammunition. It can help to solve many issues associated with loading pistol ammunition. Such as, bowing of cases during sizing, oblong rounds, bulge on case or crimp just to name a few. The Pistol Max Gage is a must if you are loading your own ammunition for your handguns or if you need to check purchased factory ammunition.
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On the other hand, for the .30 Carbine:
Case Length Gage
One-piece, non adjustable cylinder-type gage with milled surfaces on one end for checking minimum and maximum overall length of rifle and pistol cases having no shoulder.
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The third type of gage, Case Gage, is made just for bottleneck cartridges and not for the .30 Carbine.

Case Gage = Bottleneck case headspace
Case Length Gage = Straightwall case length only ( incl. .30 Carbine)
Pistol Max Gage = SAAMI chamber dimension check for straightwall handgun cases
 
NWPilgrim said:
My misnomer. I have what Wilson calls "pistol max gage". I've always just called it a "case gage". But Wilson has one called "Case Gage" that is just for checking length, specifically to compare fired case to resized case length. I never realized they had so many variations of gages.
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Yea, for straight walled pistol calibers they have a length only and then a length/headspace one. I have the one that does headspace as well. I guess I don't "get it" for having a 9MM length only drop in gauge when calipers are so inexpensive these days. But they are easy, and they don't get out of calibration. Besides, I don't check handgun auto calibers case lengths. I do use a gauge to check my 9MM sized brass to make sure it will fit a tight chamber.
 
morrow said:
I just want to clear something up-
Yes, LE Wilson does make quality products
However, their 30 carbine "case length gauge" is kind of a joke. You have to set your 30 carbine brass down on a table and then set the gauge over it to check the length. The only thing it does is check the length. It's quicker to just use calipers for this. Thus my post about Shooter's Box finally making a real 30 carbine case gauge - the first company to do so on a production level.
Click to expand...

The Wilson gauge is really a trim/no trim gauge. I find it much faster that calipers when I have a bunch of .30 Carbine brass to process. Drop a case in. Set it on the table. Run a card across it. If the card hits the brass I trim. Works for me.
 
A max pistol gage would have a MINIMUM SAAMI chamber dimension. The maximum SAAMI chamber is worthless for gauging maximum sized ammo.

Think about it a minute. The largest acceptable cartridge has to fit the smallest acceptable SAAMI chamber.
 
Yes, however I do not have a gauge for ...
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You don’t have to have a casegauge to reload. I reloaded for decades without one and still don’t own one for every caliber I shoot, no one makes them for some and I don’t own the reamers to make them myself.

They are useful though and have them for the rounds that make up the bulk of my reloaded rounds.
 
I have a lot of very old MI brass. Resized & sits for many years in a bag--some of them don't like being resized & revert back to fired size,
That is when a gage comes in handy
 
I reload for my .30 Carbine Blackhawk a lot. Not surprisingly case length + overall length are important. Sounds like this is just what the doctor.
 
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