lee loadmaster owners must watch youtube

[gunoil]

lee loadmaster owners must watch youtube:

http://youtu.be/L3z84CbNmdo


So u think your loading good ammo?
Try buying and using this below from midwayusa.com:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/744135/egw-4-hole-chamber-checker-max-cartridge-gage-9mm-luger-38-super-40-s-and-w-45-acp

The cartridge gage taught me how to adjust dies and perfect my ammo.

[AFK]

I don't get it. Did EGW sneak in to my house and measure the chamber on MY guns? I agree this tool might give you a rule of thumb, but to say that this tool is the same size as every gun in a specified caliber is crazy. Waste of $20.00. The plunk test is free. In my experience, once you develop a round and plunk test it, you're good to go. If you know what you are doing and your press and dies are set up properly, all of your finished rounds should be the same as the one plunked. Let's say I am reloading 500 rounds of .45 ACP, there is no way I'm going to drop every round in to this tool.

[ffries61]

I bought an EGW case gauge, *** in my opinion, made so tight none of my ammo will fit it, but very round has fed and gone bang in 2 or 3 different pistols, I also emailed them asking about sending it back, no response, so I'm not real enthused about their customer service.

[JeffG]

I like the billet turret. I previously bought the turret stabilizers, which helped a lot. Just might have to get the billet turret.

[brtelec]

Plunk test has not failed me yet.

[gunoil]

AFK, they want come to your house, you know more than they do. All factory ammo goes into same die, Oh ****, l forgot again, you know more than the factory too.


This can help alot of newbies, but u dont need it cause your a pro. Why did you join CB so late in your career, we needed ya around here.

[Garyshome]

I use a Dillon!

[KYCaster]

AFK, they want come to your house, you know more than they do. All factory ammo goes into same die, Oh ****, l forgot again, you know more than the factory too.


This can help alot of newbies, but u dont need it cause your a pro. Why did you join CB so late in your career, we needed ya around here.


Had a friend call today asking about his 45ACP ammo. All of it goes in his Dillon case gauge, but not all of it will go in his chamber..............

What's up with that?

If the factory knows more than he does, why doesn't all his ammo work?

Jerry
BTW....he's not a member here so he doesn't have the benefit of all our vast experience. Give me some professional advice and I'll relay it to him.

[VHoward]

AFK, they want come to your house, you know more than they do. All factory ammo goes into same die, Oh ****, l forgot again, you know more than the factory too.


This can help alot of newbies, but u dont need it cause your a pro. Why did you join CB so late in your career, we needed ya around here.

Wow! AFK just voiced his opinion like you did. You get all out of joint because his opinion didn't match yours? Life is too short to be getting an ulcer over something as trivial as this.

[gunoil]

Suprised at you vhoward, cartridge gage is a good thing for lots of reasons, even finding split cases. All factory ammo goes in one before box. Also its great for newbies to use a cartridge gage. lt will take you to a better level of ammo. I have dillon 1050 and still check all my ammo with and do lot of brass prep stages too.

l use to say the same thing before l bought one, my ammo is now better and all in that box have been in same gage.

l try to have some tact about someones thread especially when that thread can help someone else loading pistol or beginning reloading, after all this is a forum where people come to learn.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

My ammo is best when it fits MY barrel. I do use case gauges for semi auto rifle to see how far I am pushing back the shoulder. But that's it.

[VHoward]

Suprised at you vhoward, cartridge gage is a good thing for lots of reasons, even finding split cases. All factory ammo goes in one before box. Also its great for newbies to use a cartridge gage. lt will take you to a better level of ammo. I have dillon 1050 and still check all my ammo with and do lot of brass prep stages too.

l use to say the same thing before l bought one, my ammo is now better and all in that box have been in same gage.

l try to have some tact about someones thread especially when that thread can help someone else loading pistol or beginning reloading, after all this is a forum where people come to learn.

I use case gages. I have 1 dillon case gage in 45acp and 2 Lyman case gages in .223 and 9mm. No problem with recommending one. But someone posts that they had problems with the particular one you posted about and you get your nose out of joint. There is nothing in this world that is perfect. No need stressing over someone disaggreeing with you.

[gunoil]

Iam not stressed, l think about new people and trying to keep them informed. Dont beat a company or their product down if it might help someone. If one has never used a product. I wish i had used cartridge gages in the beginning for my pistol brass/ammo finished. CG finds a split mouth case that you miss. It checks base rims too. Great for small calibers too. I know some load nasty unchecked ammo, they should start a thread. I try to keep moving forward.

[AFK]

AFK, they want come to your house, you know more than they do. All factory ammo goes into same die, Oh ****, l forgot again, you know more than the factory too.


This can help a lot of newbies, but u dont need it cause your a pro. Why did you join CB so late in your career, we needed ya around here.

That's funny I don't recall mentioning that I was a pro. I didn't know there was such a thing as a professional relaoder. If there is, where do I apply? What I can say is that I got into reloading for a few reasons. One being the ability to produce quality ammo tailored to MY guns. The tool that the OP mentioned is just as generic as factory ammo. If you use one that's great. I'm glad it works for you. I will say that the tools I use are markedly better though. I didn't have to spend any additional money on them either. They are called barrels. Many companies make them. I have ones produced by Smith & Wesson, Kimber, Springfield, Sig, and Ruger. They are excellent tools, multitasking tools as well. You can measure cases with them and launch projectiles.

I would also say that I certainly do know more than EGW about MY guns. As I should.

If you do some research you will find that by using these aftermarket tools, there is no guarantee that the ammo will fit your gun even though it fits the tool. Why not eliminate the middle man, save some money, and use the tool you already have?


This can help a lot of newbies, but u don't need it cause your a pro. Why did you join CB so late in your career, we needed ya around here.

I prefer to help newbies by trying to give them information and tips that will work every time. Using your barrel will, using a generic gauge won't, end of story.

I don't think you need me around here. You pretty much have the sarcasm and stupidity covered.


I wish i had used cartridge gages in the beginning for my pistol brass/ammo finished.

Why? Didn't your gun(s) come with a barrel?


CG finds a split mouth case that you miss. It checks base rims too

Oh I forgot to tell you about a couple of other free tools I have for this, they're called eyes.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Hehehe. :popcorn:

[JRPVT]

:not listening:got this covered

[tazman]

My most accurate ammunition for my 9mm pistol will not fit in a case gauge yet it feeds and functions flawlessly. I tailored it specifically for my pistol. I know it probably won't work in other guns, but it doesn't need to as long as it works in mine.
The times when I used a case gauge, my accuracy diminished because the boolits/cases did not fit my chamber properly.
Thanks for the info, but I will stick to tailoring my ammo for my own guns.

[sparky45]

Some of you ignorant people, WAKE UP! OP's remarks are essentially valid and supported by such research as done by Krieger Barrels Inc., ever hear of those folks? I urge you to go to http://www.kriegerbarrels.com/Proper_Reloading_Practices-c1246-wp7875.htm

Here's a excerpt of one of their articles (research) which proves OP's message:

Proper reloading practices



Beyond the basic's, Reloading for accuracy.

With the recent influx of new shooters, as well as veteran shooters, new to the world of custom rifles, we have seen a lot of confusion on match prepping ammo for such firearms. Please understand, prepping ammo for a match or minimum SAAMI chamber can be very different than prepping ammo for a NATO chamber or a loose chamber on a factory rifle. Please feel free to critique and correct as you see fit with your own personal experiences. We are typing this as veterans of competitive shooting (including but not limited to: High Power/Service Rifle, Bench Rest, Silhouette as well as Bullseye Pistol) as well as reloading for the same, but we are humble enough to admit that we do not know everything there is to know about shooting and reloading. We have made our own mistakes in the past, and have learned from them. We hope to pass some lessons learned on to reloaders/shooters that are struggling with similar issues but aren’t sure what or who to ask. Most of the returns that we see for function and even accuracy issues are traced back to improperly reloaded ammunition, or even poor or damaged factory ammunition, and can be solved by simply following these steps.

Properly sizing brass.

Get a case gauge for the cartridge you are reloading for, this is an invaluable tool when it comes to sizing brass. A case gauge is essentially a ‘chamber’ in a piece of steel with a hi/low limit step at the base to check headspace of your brass (checking from a datum point on the shoulder to the base of the case head), as well as a hi/low limit step at the case mouth to determine proper trim length. If one is not available for the cartridge you are loading for, have one made by a custom gunsmith. Do not believe that screwing your sizing die down to the shell holder will properly size it. We have had two personal incidents where doing this (following the die manufacturers instructions) has pushed the shoulder back .050” too far on a set of .308 dies, and also did not size the shoulder back far enough (by .005”) on a set of .223 dies. In both cases, the case gauge showed this on the first piece of brass sized! The .308 was an easy fix, just unscrew the die in the press by the .050” that it was short. The .223 needed .005” removed from the top of the shell holder on a precision grinder to correct the problem. Now that shell holder is ‘married’ to that sizing die for life. Some benchrest shooters and other advanced reloaders / long range shooters will even have custom dies made to re-size brass and seat bullets to there specific chamber, also using special "arbor press" type reloading presses for these operations.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Yeah for rifle when trying to bump the shoulder back. But not for pistol. Two different beasts altogether.

[sparky45]

I would suggest it fits both with equally exacting ammo quality. Definitely valuable for beginner and experienced reloaders alike. Plunk test is only as good as ones interpretation. Besides, what's wrong with standard quality control?

[AFK]

Yeah for rifle when trying to bump the shoulder back. But not for pistol. Two different beasts altogether.

You are correct sir. I didn't see any rifle calibers in the tool the OP linked to.


Some of you ignorant people, WAKE UP!

I agree 100%. Please read the entire thread before commenting. This is about a specific tool for reloading PISTOL cartridges.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

By all means, if the CGs work for you go ahead. But for pistol, the chamber is the BEST CG for that particular firearm, hands down. If I wanted to reproduce factory-like ammunition, I would. Here is one example of where the barrel used as a CG works better for me. When I load for semiauto pistols, I load my rounds so they headspace off the ogive of the bullet. When I do the plunk test, the bottom the the case is FLUSH with the barrel hood. It doesn't stick above it or below it. The boolit is actually touching the rifling before it is even fired.

[sparky45]

You are correct sir. I didn't see any rifle calibers in the tool the OP linked to.



I agree 100%. Please read the entire thread before commenting. This is about a specific tool for reloading PISTOL cartridges.


And that's exactly correct, however, your condescending tone and attitude stomped all over a valid and important learning tool for beginners and "experts" alike. You have a problem with tools that are made to aid in loading quality ammunition?
If you do I suggest you submit your critique to the equipment manufacturers.

[sparky45]

By all means, if the CGs work for you go ahead. But for pistol, the chamber is the BEST CG for that particular firearm, hands down. If I wanted to reproduce factory-like ammunition, I would. Here is one example of where the barrel used as a CG works better for me. When I load for semiauto pistols, I load my rounds so they headspace off the ogive of the bullet. When I do the plunk test, the bottom the the case is FLUSH with the barrel hood. It doesn't stick above it or below it. The boolit is actually touching the rifling before it is even fired.

I agree with your statements. But do you think all beginners are proficient or capable in even performing the "plunk" test? Before you answer, consider the NuBee that "know's it all" before he/she even has the reloader set up. It's much easier for me to use a Case Gauge to check my ammo than using a barrel, and BTW, that only works with a semiauto, not so good with a revolver.
Anyway, I have and use Case Gauge(s) on a routine basis and feel confident about the product I make. I'm sure you are just as comfortable with your ammo as well. Potato/Potatoe.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

I teach reloading and I teach ALL beginners to use their barrels as CGs. It's free (well, not really...you paid for the gun) and easy. There is nothing wrong with CGs. I don't think anyone is trying to be condescending. When someone comes along and questions the quality of the ammunition we are making (
So u think your loading good ammo?) and offers a suggestion that in fact may make our ammuntion less accurate and less tailored to our guns, some people may not take it the right way. This is just my observation and two pennies.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

But do you think all beginners are proficient or capable in even performing the "plunk" test?

If they can't perform this test they have NO business reloading. Period LOL!


It's much easier for me to use a Case Gauge to check my ammo than using a barrel, and BTW, that only works with a semiauto, not so good with a revolver.

With a revolver you can check many at a time. How many chambers you have in the cylinder?


Obviously people use them and that is fine. Companies are still selling them.

[AFK]

your condescending tone and attitude stomped all over a valid and important learning tool for beginners and "experts" alike

Not so valid if the ammo fits in the gauge and not the gun. I don't see it as an important loading tool, I see it as gimmicky for pistol cartridges.


But do you think all beginners are proficient or capable in even performing the "plunk" test

If they cannot remove the barrel from their pistol to use as a case gauge, they should not be loading ammunition. Loading ammunition is much more involved then a basic field strip of the firearm they are loading for.


I suggest you submit your critique to the equipment manufacturers

When a company makes such bold statements like "EGW uses the same chamber reamers that are used by gunsmiths and barrel makers when machining these blocks so you know if your ammo fits in the block it will fit in your chamber" and "Just drop loaded rounds in the chamber checker, if the round is flush with the top of the block it will fit in the guns chamber", do you really think they would listen to common sense? It's poor and greedy marketing tactics to make such statements when it can easily be proven to be untrue.

[VHoward]

Case gages only check to see that the cartridge meets saami specs. That does not mean every gun out there has the same specs. When you load the cartridge to fit in the case gage, there is a very good chance it will fit in the guns chamber, but not always. You can get more accurate ammo if you customize the cartridge for the chamber the ammo is being loaded for. So making the statement that every loader must have a case gage is inaccurate. As has been pointed out multiple times, the barrel or revolver cylinder can be used as the case gage.

This boils down to it is personal preference and there are no absolutes here.

[sparky45]

That's exactly right V, however, I have NEVER, NEVER had a round that properly fit my case gauge(s) not fit in my gun(s). If a gun has problems with SAAMI spec ammo, it better be on it's way back to the manufacturer, otherwise the second round you shoot through that barrel might well be the last.

[Bullwolf]

Case gages only check to see that the cartridge meets saami specs. That does not mean every gun out there has the same specs. When you load the cartridge to fit in the case gage, there is a very good chance it will fit in the guns chamber, but not always. You can get more accurate ammo if you customize the cartridge for the chamber the ammo is being loaded for. So making the statement that every loader must have a case gage is inaccurate. As has been pointed out multiple times, the barrel or revolver cylinder can be used as the case gage.

This boils down to it is personal preference and there are no absolutes here.

I completely agree with the above quote.

I'll use 45 ACP for this example as I have a Wilson 45 ACP case gauge, and I occasionally use it instead of a plunk test depending on what I'm doing, or what guns I am reloading for.

Most of the time I hand load cast boolit ammunition tailored specifically to my Colt or Springfield 1911. Sometimes I load specifically for my 4506, or another handgun... Other times I load for both myself and my friends or relatives firearms who I let shoot at my place.

When loading specifically for my Springfield 1911, I just plunk in my Springfield's barrel and use it as the case gauge.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=117714&d=1411960872&thumb=1 http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=117715&d=1411960880&thumb=1

If I am loading ammunition to be fired in more than one gun, I'll use the Wilson pistol case gauge instead.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=117713&d=1411960844&thumb=1 http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=117716&d=1411960890&thumb=1

I gauge every individual loaded round I craft in either the Wilson gauge, or my pistol barrel before shooting it to eliminate any embarrassing stoppages at the firing line.

Much of this is personal preference and learned behavior. When I first started reloading, I did not have the benefit of any case gauges, or the internet. I am sure that having had access to a case gauge back then would have been insightful. I think that those who are new to reloading would greatly benefit from the use of a case gauge.

Later on in life, I worked for a small commercial reloading company housed inside a local indoor shooting range. This reloading company used Dillon & Wilson gauges, and would gauge every round that was loaded before packaging.

These days, out of habit I keep quite a few different brands of case gauges around. I still gauge every round that I load. I do realize that the case gauge isn't perfect, and has it's own drawbacks, especially when used with oversize cast boolits. Having mostly used the same case gauges for years, I have a pretty good understanding of their limitations.

If my cast boolit plunks in my barrel, I know that I'm good. If I want ammunition crafted to fit anything else that has been built to SAAMI specs, I 'll use the Wilson case gauge.

They're both useful implements in your loading toolbox.


-Bullwolf

[jmorris]

Nothing wrong with the plunk test. I loaded for decades without owning a case gauge.

When I began shooting competitively I was having "mystery" malfunctions so I decided to buy a case gauge just to triple check my double check.

Be aware that a plunk test doesn't check the rim of the case. So you can have a case with a defect on the rim that will pass the plunk, only to get caught up on the breech face.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/reloading/DSC02128.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/reloading/DSC02130.jpg

I case gauge all of my match ammo these days, even though it is rare that I ever find a bad case. Before I roll sized the bases though the vast majority of "fail" cases were due to rim defects and would have passed a plunk.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

I see what you are saying but I run my finger across the base/rim when it is in the barrel and would be able to feel any defective rims (ie, rim bent and sticking slightly above barrel hood)...the same way you would with a CG.

[Love Life]

Case gauges are nice for peace of mind, but a set of calipers and a micrometer (maybe) will get you going.

The specs for loaded ammo are available directly from SAAMI and are also in most reloading manuals. load and measure to those specs and all will be right with the world. Even with a minimum SAAMI chamber.

I don't use case gauges and I never have any of these maladies I see pop up from time to time. I load for standard pistols, AR's, revolvers, and match rifles with SAAMI minimum chambers.

Now a bump gauge for rifle brass is nice because it allows you to tailor your sizing to just bump the shoulder back .002-.003 so your FL sizing still gives you a long brass life ( I heart FL resizing).

[rbertalotto]

When ever I chamber a firearm, I use the chamber reamer to make a case gauge. Then I absolutely know my loaded rounds will fit my chamber. This is the only way to be sure using a case gauge.

[sparky45]

Wow! All great POSITIVE responses. That's what I've learned to expect from members on this site.
Very well thought out responses fella's, thanks. BTW, I'm not the OP, I just happen to agree with what he was trying to say.

[gunoil]

This thread is for new members mostly for safety too that are learning and for new loadmaster people. (yes l have dillons too). I like to help new people, l didnt have any help. Someone thats been loading 25 years should help new loaders. If one has never even tried a case gage maybe they should. A cartridge gage is great for beginners. Some newbie reading this thread would say, well l aint askin any question there.

jmorris stated some great points. We can learn something from each other , open mind with good attitude,, and help others and their assurance in their bench.

I loaded w/plunk test early on, (i shoot pistols) but Cart Gage really helped me alot.

Now back to the loadmaster youtube in thread. lts great and useful, its affordable for the quality you get.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

How much do they run?

[gunoil]

I think there 60$ w/shell plate things on bottom. lam getting one christmas.

http://www.mikesreloadingbench.com/

Alot of the 5 hole lee die plates (turrets) have been drilled off. These are made in texas on state of the art equipment. Mike has revolutionized the loadmaster.

[AFK]

A cartridge gage is great for beginners

I'm not trying to be an *ss, but I just cannot agree with this. If someone new to reloading came accross the ad for this case gauge, and purchased it, they would think that as long as their finished round fits in the gauge, it will fit their gun. It may or may not. If it doesn't, it will only be a source of frustration for them. I agree that reloaders with more experience should try to help newer ones. That is exactly what I am trying to do. Teach someone that this gizmo is not neccessary and that it may not work for them. If I was kurt or my tone was off-putting then I apologize. Sometimes we can just agree to disagree. I will say that everyone does not have to agree with my opinion and I do not have to agree with theirs, but don't blast someone just because they don't agree with you.

As far as the LEE product is concerned, it looks great. I don't have any experience with LEE progressives, but I have thought about picking up a used one to play with. I am sure this site is a great source of info if and when I do.

[sparky45]

AFK; with all due respect, how could a SAAMI spec'd Case Gauge do what you suggest? I'm talking about your assertion that a case gauged reload (or factory for that matter) quote " may or may not " fit a persons gun. Now, if said reload, properly case gauged and correct for SAAMI dimensions fails to fit in a gun, I'd be a little suspect of a faulty chamber or something that could be wrong with the gun, not the reload. Does that make any sense to you?
Help me understand what you are trying to say; I'm old and my thinking isn't what it once was. Matter of fact, nothing is what it once was.

[AFK]

SAAMI dimensions are just that. More of a guideline. Every mass produced product can vary in dimension slightly. Dimensions can vary slightly based on many things. For example, how sharp or worn the cutting tool is, the hardenss of the material being cut, to name a couple. Just because a guideline says something should be a certain dimension, doesn't neccessarily mean that it is. There are documented cases where ammo fits in a case gauge and not in a gun and also when ammo fits a gun and not a case gauge. There are a couple of examples of that in this thread alone. I just don't like when a company markets it's product as a bulletproof way to make sure your ammo fits your gun when it is most certainly not. I think it is especially detrimental to the new relaoder. Case gauges work for many people, but they don't work for all people, and I think to imply that they do is a mistake.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

With regard to rifle gages, I have had the headspace fall with the 2 "steps" on the CG and it wouldn't chamber in my dpms lr-308. My DPMS has a supertight chamber come to find out. The shoulder had to be pushed back right to the lower step. So just because it falls somewhere within spec, doesn't mean it will work. But then again this is a rifle CG and not a pistol CG.

Will pistol case gauges find a problem if the boolit is seated out too far? Just curious.

[sparky45]

Will pistol case gauges find a problem if the boolit is seated out too far?

I don't think they do, but Hornady makes excellent tools just for that purpose.

Here's what Dillon says their case gauge does:

"Dillon handgun case gages allow you to check your handgun ammunition to ensure it will fit a minimum sized chamber. Made of stainless steel for long life".

[AFK]

Here's what Dillon says their case gauge does:

"Dillon handgun case gages allow you to check your handgun ammunition to ensure it will fit a minimum sized chamber

Just because it is written, doesn't make it so. Yugo automobiles were marketed to be great and reliable cars and we all know how that worked out. I am in the home appliance business and I can promise you that companies tell the prospective buyer that their machine will do something that it definitely does not. I could also write that I am a thin young millionaire, but that can be proven to be untrue as well.

[sparky45]

You wouldn't mind providing a REAL document or proffer to substantiate your skepticism, would you? At this point I'm afraid I'm going to have to believe Dillions spec. sheet and info. With that said, I could see where a product from a manufacturer could be out of spec itself, not to likely with precision instruments such as these, but not impossible.
P.S. We all know about appliance manufacturer's bogus promises.

[AFK]

I bought an EGW case gauge, *** in my opinion, made so tight none of my ammo will fit it, but very round has fed and gone bang in 2 or 3 different pistols, I also emailed them asking about sending it back, no response, so I'm not real enthused about their customer service.


Had a friend call today asking about his 45ACP ammo. All of it goes in his Dillon case gauge, but not all of it will go in his chamber..............

What's up with that?


My most accurate ammunition for my 9mm pistol will not fit in a case gauge yet it feeds and functions flawlessly


Case gages only check to see that the cartridge meets saami specs. That does not mean every gun out there has the same specs. When you load the cartridge to fit in the case gage, there is a very good chance it will fit in the guns chamber, but not always

I know, as well as you do, that a legal document explaining that case gauges don't always work, as you seem to think they do, doesn't exist. I have provided testimonial already posted in this thread for your reading enjoyment. Even though I don't personally know the folks that posted these comments, I can't say that they are liars. I suppose you could start a poll on this site to see if there is even one vote for "cartridge fit in my gauge but not my chamber". I also think that it would be possible to purchase a gauge and then go to the range until I find someone that it won't work for and then document it on video. It might take a while, because they probably work for a lot of people, but it surely isn't ALL people.


At this point I'm afraid I'm going to have to believe Dillions spec. sheet and info.

Can you please provide valid and documented information regarding how Dillon came up with their specs? Unless it is proven that they have measured every gun manufactured in a specific calber, than it can be proven to be false. It's quite simple really. A tool like this is developed using a specific set of dimensions that are common. Most likely it will work for a vast majority of people. My problem is that these tools are marketed to work 100% of the time for every gun.

Like the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.

When it comes to this thread, I prefer to say
when you are dealing with someone who can't admit that they are wrong, even though the truth is blatantly obvious, don't continue to waste your time.

I can only hope that if a new reloader reads this thread that they at least feel they need to do a little more research to see if a case gauge is 100% failproof. I'm sure they will find the correct answer when they do.

With that being said, feel free to continue hashing this out. There is nothing left for me to say. If you do happen to acquire a pistol that will not chamber a round that fits in to a case gauge, feel free to return it, send it off for repair, pay a gunsmith to "fix" it, keep buying differnet case gauges until you find one that works properly, or taylor the round to the barrel and go shoot it.

[sparky45]

Since you refuse to reasonably think through just the stuff you post, I feel you are right "There is nothing left for me to say".
What do you suppose this means, "Had a friend call today asking about his 45ACP ammo. All of it goes in his Dillon case gauge, but not all of it will go in his chamber..............
What's up with that?"
That doesn't sound like a problem with a case gauge, sounds more like a problem with the chamber or barrel of the gun.
It almost sounds like you haven't a clue what SAAMI specs mean. But then you are a professional appliance dealer.
If you'd like a little insight into what a case guage can do for you, check out just about ANY website you care to concerning sanctioned Pistol Match Shooting. Almost without exception, hardcore shooters use case gauges because they WORK!!
Sorry you can't see the benefit of a case gauge, especially in light of OP's attempt to help beginners.

[jmorris]

Will pistol case gauges find a problem if the boolit is seated out too far?

Their pistol case gauges are at max OAL, so they would catch a round that was loaded over the max dimention.

They won't however tell you anything about ogive/rifling relationship.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

They won't however tell you anything about ogive/rifling relationship.

So basically, the barrel should be used (in conjunction with the CG, if you insist). This is especially true since we cast many, many different types of different profiles. A round may fit in the CG ok, but have issues with the ogive/rifling contact.

I have no dog in this fight. I am just trying to point newbies in the right direction too.

[Love Life]

Hornady also makes a tool to check seating depth, OAL, and jam.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Yes, I am familiar with these tools. I am talking about pistol. I regularly use a CG for rifle (bumping), in conjunction with the Hornady comparator (for COL), and a few other tools I made (bullet seating depth gage and a gage to determine how long I can leave my brass before it needs trimmed [i.e., pinched in the chamber]).

[Love Life]

Ahhh. Yes, for pistol rds you can use your barrel to do plunk tests and verify your rds chamber in that pistol or to all of your pistols in the same caliber. Like I said before, using a set of dial calipers and a micrometer I have never had an issue with my pistol ammo in any pistol.

Case gauges are cool, but not necessary.

We I see a bunch of issues are with caster and "match" drop in barrels not allowing the use of fat boolits. In that case they are stuck sizing to fit that barrel only.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

yeah, those match drop in barrels almost always need to be opened up a bit. Although I would not consider lone wolf barrels match grade, I always send them some samples when I order aftermarket barrels. I think, IIRC, they ask for 3 dummy rounds.

[Love Life]

I save my money and shoot factory barrels.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Glocks come with barrels????? ;-)

[Love Life]

Sure do. I seenst' em.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

I see you forgot to buy loob grooves...

[Love Life]

They are on back order with Waksupi.

[jmorris]

So basically, the barrel should be used (in conjunction with the CG, if you insist).

If you want to know they are all good, yes. You need to know the OAL for the bullet you are using is OK, you have to plunk at least one. I always make sure even longer OAL's will work for any load that I use in semi autos or if I am not seating into the rifling (only do that on some bolt action pistols and rifles that show better results by doing so).

Again, they are not required equipment but are just another tool that I have that have resulted in catching rounds that could have negatively effected the out come of matches.

With my roll sizing machines they are redundant as they size the portion of the case that is not resized during normal reloading (the part that is either inside the shell plate or untouched because of a lead in radius on the sizing die).

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/reloading/casepro/DSC02110.jpg

Again, another step that I did not use until a malfunction could be the difference between winning and loosing.

When I am just plinking, I don't bother with any of the "extra" steps.