Measuring A Lot of Brass

[Al13]

General reloading question.

I process a lot of 45 acp in one sitting so it's ready for the range. I like to keep the brass between the max length and the trim to length, which I consider the minimum case length for headspace reasons.

I usually deprime dirty brass on a Lee single stage to keep the Dillon clean, then wet tumble.

From there I resize in the 650 then measure cases to see which are within specs, after which I load.

Does anybody have a fast way of checking the case length on 45 acp ?

(PS. I know it shrinks with each firing and I am not looking to trim the brass as I have never trimmed pistol brass)

 

[LiveLife]

Does anybody have a fast way of checking the case length on 45 acp?

Yes, by not checking the case length.

While semi-auto cartridges headspaces on case mouth, if case length gets too short, it will headspace off extractor.

I reload 380Auto/9mm/40S&W/45ACP and do not check case length.

What about occasional 9x18 cases that get mixed in with 9mm cases? If I don't catch it after bullet seating, it will still chamber and fire.

 

[Kaldor]

Not worth your time. Period. End of story.

 

[Blue68f100]

I never trim pistol brass unless I'm loading a magnum revolver round and doing a roll crimp.

I've shot 45acp brass that was 0.010" under min length and never noticed it. Unless your a top till BE shooter I don't thick you would even notice a short one shooting. The bullet is set to a OAL so the volume inside the case remains the same regardless of brass length. Different mfg of brass will have more impact than the length.

Now if you had the barrel chamber cut short, then you may have to cull the long ones.

A quick way to measure would be to setup a height gauge on a flat piece of granite. The just start passing the brass under it. If it hit's you minimum setting it's good.

 

[CoalTrain49]

I use range brass exclusively.

I've never trimmed a single case and never had a problem.

Same with 9 mm, it just isn't worth the time.

 

[higgite]

If you insist on measuring, I suggest a Wilson Case Length gage.

 

[Al13]

Thank you.

 

[ReloaderFred]

I've loaded and shot tens of thousands of .45 acp ammunition and never measured one, trimmed one or needed to. And won't, either........

Fred

 

[WelshShooter]

Set your vernier/digital calipers to the desired maximum case length and lock the jaws. Use this as a go gauge: if the brass slides through the gap, it is good to go. If the brass doesn't pass through, it needs trimming. Segregating the brass into two buckets this way is pretty quick.

 

[mdi]

You can use your calipers as a "go-no go" gauge. Set and lock the jaws at your minimum length and discard any cases that will slip through as too short, or set the jaws at your maximum and discard any that won't slip through as too long. But in reloading 45 ACP for mebbe 20 years, I do not even measure cases...

 

[entropy]

Yep, he's Welsh. No additional expense, you already have the calipers. I look at range brass occasionally this way, but it's not part of my regimen.

 

[Sunray]

"...if case length gets too short, it will headspace off extractor..." It'll have no headspace at all and be unsafe. There's no headspacing on the extractor.
.45 ACP rarely, if ever, requires trimming at all. Pistol cases will crack at the mouth before they stretch. However, the fastest way of checking case lengths, without spending $38 on a case gauge, is to set your verniers to the max case length(not the minimum. Too long won't chamber. And a case won't shrink.) and use it as a gauge.

 

[murf]

i use dial calipers and measure the case length. i toss those too short and too long. i don't toss many 45 acp cases. yes, i measure every case as part of my case prep. understand, i only shoot about 200 rounds of 45 acp a month. just a part of my ocd handloading habit.

luck,

murf

 

[Toprudder]

I quit checking semi-auto pistol brass for length.

I run all my finished semi-auto pistol rounds through a case gage as one of the last steps. If there is a case that is short, I will mark it with a marker so that after I shoot it, it will get tossed. If long, I will decide whether it needs to be pulled. I think I have only pulled a couple of rounds, out of several thousand. Not worth the time to measure every case, IMHO.

 

[Walkalong]

Does anybody have a fast way of checking the case length on 45 acp ?

I agree with the others, never bother with it.

 

[Dudedog]

I use Walkalongs method

Yes, by not checking the case length.

Don't check 9mm either.

I suppose a case gauge of your favorite flavor would do the job.
You could probably setup a powdered trimmer to trim all the ones that were long,
but then you would need to clean up the necks....
Not worth the trouble for my use, maybe if you were a bullseye shooter it would make a difference, I doubt I could shoot the difference.
(I also suspect jmorris has built a really neat case length checker to do it that does it and spits out the ones out of spec. He has so many clever and well built ideas....).

 

[Ironicaintit]

I don't bother with case length on most pistol cartridges. BUT, if I am running through a batch of brass in a caliber that I DO check, (bottlenecks, 30 carbine, 357 or 44 mag) I'll just set the old calipers at "X", and use it as a go/no go gauge as I'm inspecting them for integrity.

 

[KansasSasquatch]

Just get a https://dawsonprecision.com/shockbottle-case-gauges/ and make quick work of checking loaded cartridges.

 

[joneb]

If I am working on developing a load I pay attention to case length.

 

[LiveLife]

I use Walkalongs method

Hey, that's my method.

Yes, by not checking the case length.

semi-auto cartridges headspaces on case mouth, if case length gets too short, it will headspace off extractor.

It'll have no headspace at all and be unsafe. There's no headspacing on the extractor.

When the round enters the chamber, it's the case mouth hitting the chamber that limits the round from moving further forward. If a case length is short, it's the extractor holding the rim that limits the round from moving further forward and keep the bullet nose from jamming on the rifling.

Round held by extractor will fire and reason why we are able to shoot 40S&W in 10mm. 40S&W is very short case length 10mm.

 

[Decoy80]

I load both 45acp and 9x19mm semi-automatic pistol cases and only check case length with a case comparator after loading,prior to using,or storing the ammo.
Sometimes I find one,or a few if loading a large batch that I either pull the bullet,trim and reload or discard. Not as many as you would think need trimmed. Truth is now that the market for reloading supplies has plenty of merchandise to sell my time is better spent prepping more cases rather than trimming the cases to save a small amount of brass from the recyclers smelter.
I don't encourage waste but sacrifices are made when you are forced to by supply and demand. A few vs: the good of many in times of plenty.
Safe loading and good luck.

 

[GRIZ22]

I've been reloading about 45 years. Never saw any need to trim pistol brass.

 

[ATLDave]

I case gauge every loaded round that comes off my press. That's the only measuring of case length that takes place for me, and that same action checks some other stuff, too.

 

[cfullgraf]

To continue the "broken record" theme, I do not measure any cases used in semi-auto hand guns. Life is too short.

 

[mdi]

Well, I measure every 45 ACP case, trim all to +/-.001", clean every primer pocket and weigh each case and sort to +/- .1 grain.

JUst kidding! I don't do any of the above and haven't had any problems since my first 45 ACP reload in '88...