Which gauges to get.

[Muddydogs]

Ok now that I have significantly stirred the pot and got some great information about headspace, OAL and go no go gauges I am wondering what set up would be the best. Keep in mind I do have a Stoney Point OAL gauge with 243 and 308 cartridges (i guess this is now Hornady). I once messed around with shoulder set back but like described in the other post I was doing it by how the bolt closed and of course that is hap hazard at best.

Lets keep the price down, I am looking for recomendations on a good headspace gauge. I figure I will use the OAL gauge I have now.

 

[rcmodel]

I was doing it by how the bolt closed and of course that is hap hazard at best.

No, it isn't haphazard at all.

If you can strip the bolt of the firing pin & spring, and a spring loaded ejector if it has one?

There is no way more accurate then closing the stripped bolt on a resized case and "feeling" no resistance = excess headspace of the case.
Or "feeling" slight resistance = perfect headspace / die adjustment.

That takes into account bolt lug or receiver locking recess wear, or lug setback of the action, something no external measurement device can possibly do.

That is also why the GO & NO GO headspace gages used to set the headspace when putting a new barrel on a rifle are solid steel, and are used by closing or trying to close the bolt gently on them, and "feel" alone.

If you have to buy something buy the L.E. Wilson case guage for each caliber SlamFire1 showed you in post #4 in the other thread.

Thats all you need to check SAAMI spec headspace of sized brass.

rc

 

[Muddydogs]

If you have to buy something buy the L.E. Wilson case guage for each caliber SlamFire1 showed you in post #4 in the other thread.

From what I understand these don't measure head space they just tell you if the round is safe to shoot. I would like to measure head space of a FL sized case, fire formed case then be able to adjust the FL sizer die to set the shoulder back a certain amount. Don't think the Wilson gauges will do this?

I didn't strip the bolt when I did this, we are talking a few years ago, but as I remember I had a hard time determining what was case and what was bolt. Just seams way more accurate and repeatable to be able to measure off a case instead of setting the die, sizing a case, checking case fit in rifle and repeat until the bolt is tight then start to back things off. I could be wrong, thats always a possibility.

 

[cfullgraf]

From what I understand these don't measure head space they just tell you if the round is safe to shoot. I would like to measure head space of a FL sized case, fire formed case then be able to adjust the FL sizer die to set the shoulder back a certain amount. Don't think the Wilson gauges will do this?

Correct, the gauges do not measure headspace. There are other gauges that do that.

The Wilson and Dillon case gauges tell you that the neck position and overall length of the case is within specifications. No, it does not give you an actual number.

To do that, you need an RCBS Precision mic or a Sinclair Bump Gauge. There are one or two other gauges on the market. These gauges give you a number, but it does not relate to the numbers on the specification drawing.

When using these measuring tools, you take before resizing and after resizing measurements, subtract the numbers and it gives you the change in shoulder position. It gives you the amount you set the shoulder back.

They do not tell you if your cases are within specifications. They do tell you that your cases are sized to your rifle's chamber.

There are lots of discussions on the value and need of either style of gauge.

 

[USSR]

Muddydogs,

You have the Stoney Point AOL Gauge, so that tells you how far out you can seat your bullets. So, I would recommend the RCBS Precision Mic for measuring case headspace and to enable you to set up your FL sizing die to give you the base-to-datum length you want.

Don

 

[Walkalong]

From what I understand these don't measure head space

They do not, but they do allow you to size your brass where it will headspace properly in a properly cut chamber. They are very handy to have, especially loading for an auto loader.

If you want to check your chamber, buy some go, no go gauges, or have a gunsmith check it.

 

[dmazur]

My understanding is that the Hornady OAL gauge is identical to the previous Stoney Point design. And, their headspace bushings fit the same caliper body. So, if you look at the bottom of this

http://www.hornady.com/assets/files/catalog/2009/69-70_precision_gauges.pdf

you'll see you can buy individual headspace bushings for $8.20 each. You'll only need one for the two cartridges you mentioned.

(It shouldn't be surprising that both .243 and .308 use the same bushing to measure headspace, as the parent case for .243 was the .308... )

 

[fguffey]

I would suggest the go-gage, for most it is no more than something to talk about, If I had one I would use it as a transfer, or a standard or a tool to adjust another tool to .005? (30/06), again, to most it is something to talk about.
Again, if I had one I would modify it to a go, no and beyond gage, methods and techniques allows my money to go further.

I make gages, I take a measurement from the chamber, to the press and back to the chamber, without all the commercial tools. Maximum overall length (COL), I drill the flash hole/primer pocket, I size the case, I seat a bullet, I chamber the test case, then with a cleaning rod to push the bullet out of the case with a cleaning rod until the bullet hits the lands, when the test case is removed from the chamber, is is maximum overall length. And, again, I am THE FAN of bullet hold, I can not have enough bullet hold, I can measure bullet hold.

When removed from the chamber the test case becomes a transfer when setting up the seater die, once the seater die is adjusted it is adjusted to .000 off the lands, and if by now the rleoader has acquired enough skill, methods and techniques to measure the length of the chamber (and if at the instance the case must be fired 4+ times for maximum growth) the reloader can add the difference in the length of the chamber from the shoulder of the chamber to the head of the case to the length of case from the head of the case to the shoulder of the case.

Tools do not make the reloader first class regardless of the methods there is not .001 thousands difference in the results.

F. Guffey

 

[AABEN]

Check them with a steel caliper then trim to lenght as it say in your load book. This is for your brass. Head space use a no go gage. good luck