Lyman Ammo checker

[Hasselbach]

So I invested in a Lyman Ammo checker for my large rifle and pistol calibers. I found that my handloads out of 10 2 will not drop into the Ammo checker. Now I’m not sure what that is exactly telling me or what to do. Is there a fix for this or is it scrap? Will a lee factory crimp die fix these?


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[mdi]

A Lee FCD will just cover up any problems, not fix anything. What calibers? Most ammo gauges are on the tight side of SAAMI specs., so good ammo sometimes will not gauge, but chamber fine. For semi-auto handgun ammo I use the plunk test. If I have gauge problems for rifle ammo, I'll measure every dimension I can on the rifle cartridge (and not forget to inspect the rims!) to locate where the cartridge is too big. I have had "problems" with cartridge gauges for 3 cartridges, both pistol (2) and rifle (1), and the gauges now reside in a drawer somewhere...

[Hasselbach]

9mm


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[mdi]

Pull thr barrel out of your gun. Drop a cartridge in the chamber. It should fall all the way into the chamber (and "plunk") and when the barrel is inverted, the caartridge should fall out.

[Hasselbach]

Ok thanks. I only bought these cause I had an issue with my .308 and needed to bump the shoulder back. Figured well I’ll buy pistol gauge while I’m at it. Seems like I wasted my money


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[Walks]

I pull the bbl's out of my semi-auto's and do the "plunk" test that way.
I do revolver ammo by dropping it into a RUGER NM Blackhawk & spinning it with the gate open. I use COLT SAA on half-cock in .44WCF & .38WCF. If they'll drop into an old COLT chamber they'll fit in any rifle.

As a kid, I sat on the back porch with my DAD, cycling ammo thru rifles, he'd pull firing pins out of bolts first. Something I still do.

[kungfustyle]

What is going on, if you are using range brass, the col of the brass varies greatly. Separate the seating and crimping and that will help. If you want to get rid of the problem trim the brass. Lee quick trim has a good product for that because it grabs the brass and wont let it spin while you trim. The Lee trimmer will set you back just under $30 for the cutter and trim die.

[Green Frog]

Back to the device the OP asked about... a loaded ammo gauge is a valuable item if used properly. I dislike having to disassemble my guns to check ammo fit, and loading each round in an assembled revolver or semi-auto at my indoor loading bench just doesn't seem to be the safest strategy. I have no experience with the newer Lyman block-type gauge units , but found the Dillon gauges (one for each caliber) to be very helpful. I was hoping that the new Lyman unit would cover the revolvers well by having a hole for 327, one for 357, one for 44 Magnum, and one for 45 Colt. This would cover the cartridges mentioned and since the cases are cylindrical, would also cover the shorter versions of each caliber. Unfortunately, the most important (for me, at least) is the 327 which is totally absent.

The semi-auto rounds provide a different challenge as most of these headspace on the case mouth, so there would have to be a separate chamber cut for each caliber and each length. OP, if you will check some of the "rejects" by the "plunk test" mentioned previously, you will be able to determine whether you really do need to adjust your seating and crimping (taper or roll) dies. I'm sure a very small adjustment would go a long way, but it may not be necessary if the Lyman gauge is just too tight (cut to minimum specs.) If a tight gauge is your problem, I would suggest you slowly and carefully lap it out to match your pistol's chamber requirement.

Regards,
Froggie

[georgerkahn]

For what it's worth, I've invested in a L. E. Wilson cartridge gage for each caliber I load. Many years ago, I was shooting 10mm in Bullseye competition, and pretty much none of my loads chambered in my pistol -- this, after using an "ammo checker". The Wilson gage line was recommended to me by a saged shooter, and -- as I just wrote -- I now have one to complement, each, 25 of the 29 calibers I load.

Re what you have, I can only speak to what *I* did, which I'm sure is labeled as 'dangerous, and only a stupid fool with suicidal wishes would do'. I ran them again through the bullet seating, followed by crimp dies. I have/use Lee Factory crimp dies, too, and these marvelous little buggers have sections near their bottoms which squnch (technical term) the top end of your cartridge to grip the bullet. GREAT dies! -- for this purpose. If, say, however -- the bullet you've loaded's diameter plus the case-wall thickness equal a total diameter greater than SAAMI chamber specs -- it is most doubtful. You'll just have a wonderfully crimped bullet in a still too-fat case. What another posted suggested -- the drop in your rifle chamber check -- works, you should be OK. I recall my having to do that once with some .30 Carbine ammo I had acquired... BEST!
geo

[tazman]

I got one of the Lyman gauges for my rifle calibers. If it drops in the gauge, it will fit in my rifles.
Some of my neck sized case will fit in my rifles but not in the gauge. Need to use some common sense with them.
I don't have one for the handgun cartridges.

[Grmps]

How accurate is this?

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...=1#post3529306

[mdi]

A chamber cast will tell you exactly the dimensions of your gun's chamber. Good info for many uses but, but not necessary for most handgun cartridge fit. Good for rifle rounds to find bullet seating depth in relationship to the throat, rifling, etc. There are much easier methods for pistol cartridge/chamber fit...

When I'm working up a load, I usually first make a couple dummies, so I don't put a live round in any gun. During a loading session, I have a gun barrel on my bench and occasionally I'll stop and plunk a couple rounds. I have had so few chambering problems with my revolvers, I don't have to check chambering of a live round in the cylinder...

[mdi]

What is going on, if you are using range brass, the col of the brass varies greatly. Separate the seating and crimping and that will help. If you want to get rid of the problem trim the brass. Lee quick trim has a good product for that because it grabs the brass and wont let it spin while you trim. The Lee trimmer will set you back just under $30 for the cutter and trim die.

The OP would have to determine if "crimping" was the cause of his problem. I have been reloading 9mm for only 19 years and 45 ACP for 22 years and I have never had to trim a case. Probably fifty percent of my reloads are "range brass"...

[ioon44]

Same here, I have never trimmed 9 mm, .40 S&W or .45 ACP all range brass. I shoot IDPA & USPSA so I load a lot of rounds per year.

[Dragonheart]

If it is 9mm I suspect your problem is simply a bulge in the brass close to the case rim. When you size a cartridge case in a die the entire case is not resized because the head is held in place by the shellholder. A small portion never gets sized and after repeated firings or fired in unsupported pistol chambers the brass develops the "Bulge". This bulge keeps the case from seating fully into the chamber.

[marek313]

Couple things to note here. Not all brand gauges are the same. Some are tighter then others I think my Hornady is pretty tight but Lyman is usually not too bad. If you are loading anything larger then .356 which most of us do, chances are it wont fit your gauge. Doesnt mean there is anything wrong with your ammo its just out of SAAMI specs for 9mm but you already checked the chamber fit so we are good here right??? I still use these gauges but mostly for rifle rounds.

[BigBore45]

i use them for checking random commercial loads i manufacture. works well. a set of calipers and some soot or permanent marker will get you all the information you need when coupled with this lyman tool.

[MyFlatline]

The plunk test is great for a single gun but when you have multiples in each caliber , I like the Wilson gauges.

Yes , most will still chamber if the go almost to the head in the gauge but they don't get put in with the "go to" ammo.

[georgerkahn]

Two "replies" -- FIRST, I pretty much exclusively employ the L. E.Wilson gages. I do not know re other calibers, but a year or two back a shooting colleague had similar -- not dropping all the way -- result from his Lyman multi-gauge, with some .38 S&W Sp.'s he had loaded. (His was a black block with several holes in it) In my Wilson, his loaded rounds dropped with no problem. To be OCD, we then checked chambering on two different revolvers, also with no problem. Sadly, the only semi-auto present was a S&W 52, which chambers flush-seated wadcutters -- his were Keith style SWCs -- so we couldn't check with that barrel.
My SECOND REPLY: On regular occasion, I too get loaded rounds which will "rub" (not drop freely) in the Wilson gage, or seem to go down only as far as the rim. Checking each and every round before boxing is part of my Quality Control. I set these aside, and my "cure" is to put them back in the press. I crimp as a separate stage, and move the cartridge to this crimping station, and re-crimp it. Then, with my fingers, I rotate case 180*, and crimp again. Moving (it's on a Dillon 550) holder, it now drops out and I again try dropping it in the Wilson gage -- and 99.999% of the time -- voila -- it plunks in. This is how *I* address it.
Good luck!
geo

[mold maker]

/\ /\ /\
Same problem and same solution.