A stupid case gauge question.....

[Zaydok Allen]

I've gotten in the habit of using Wilson max cartridge length case gauges to check my final product. They get the job done.

I was going to buy a 38 Special gauge but I'm only shooting my 38 loads out of 357 mag revolvers.

So is there any practical benefit to having a 38 Special gauge, given that scenario? I can't think of any.

 

[LUCKYDAWG13]

No you just dont need it in a revolver in a pistol do a plunk test

 

[daboone]

I agree with LD13 above response. Honestly the only use I have for case gauges is for setting the trim length of my Wilson.

 

[Rule3]

For checking "length" only, I see no need for a gauge anyway for any caliber?.

 

[J-Bar]

For checking "length" only, I see no need for a gauge anyway for any caliber?.

Once in a while I find one with a burr on the case rim or a poor crimp which will prevent seating fully. I check every round in a gage made for that caliber before using it in a match. It does not take long, certainly less than using the firearm, and the gauges are not expensive.

Its your ammo and your choice and, if you are competing, your score.

 

[mcb]

Yeah I like a good case gauge. I know if it "plunk" tests in the case gauge it will plunk test in the actually gun. I find a case gauge as fast or faster than using my semi-auto barrel and much faster than trying to do it with a revolver. It is also easy to feel a poorly seated primer in the gauge. That said if your shooting them only in 357 magnum revolvers then a 357 Magnum gauge would be just fine too. They are rather inexpensive get both.

 

[mdi]

I've not had good luck with cartridge gauges. I have two that now reside in a drawer somewhere in my shop. Reloads that would not gauge more often than not would chamber and shoot fine. I now use a plunk test for all my semi-autos and a "sorta" plunk test for my bolt guns. Never have I had a need to "fix" any chambering problems for any revolver I own as all the handloads slide into the chamber freely...

 

[rfwobbly]

The primary use of the case gauge is to check concentricity ('roundness'). You can also use it for length, but (you're correct) that's hardly necessary when revolver rounds give you a crimp groove.

You cannot check concentricity with a caliper or micrometer, because those instruments only contact 2 opposite points. If a high point should correlate to an adjacent low point, then simple readings will indicate the cartridge is OK, when it could look like the cartoon below...



...which we can all agree is anything but "round".

Hope this helps.

 

[Bandit67]

I'm with MCB. I like to use a case gauge for pistol rounds. I totally understand the "plunk" test, but I load for more than one gun in each caliber and I have found that if it passes the gauge it will work in all my guns. Also I got tired of getting the pistols out and disassembling them every time I load. It works for me.

 

[mcb]

I've not had good luck with cartridge gauges. I have two that now reside in a drawer somewhere in my shop. Reloads that would not gauge more often than not would chamber and shoot fine. I now use a plunk test for all my semi-autos and a "sorta" plunk test for my bolt guns. Never have I had a need to "fix" any chambering problems for any revolver I own as all the handloads slide into the chamber freely...

I don't get many rounds that fail my case gauges. In an evening of reloading 400-500 rounds I might have a half dozen fail the gauge on a bad night. Of those failed ones I typical find 4 out of 5 of them will still chamber and function fine. As it should be the gauge should be tighter than all you guns in that cartridge. I typical take anything that fails the gauge and it goes in the practice box. When that box gets full enough I will do a plunk test with my selected handgun and take those that pass the plunk test to the next practice session. Those that fail the plunk test get torn down and recycled as much as practical.

 

[Dudedog]

I would think the .357 gauge should show if they are out of round.

But case gauges are not that much, and if you like to gauge ammo get one for .38 if it makes you happy.
One can never have to many reloading toys

 

[berettaprofessor]

My first case gauge was a Wilson 243 because I was having problems chambering in a remy 700. Lee dies weren’t setting the shoulder back and the base would stick up about a millimeter in the gauge but wouldnt chamber in the rifle. Later, found that other dies wouldn’t properly resize a 223 case to 300 blackout and a Hornady gauge saved me that time. Well, more accurately, the purchase of RCBS small base dies for both calibers solved the problem.

 

[Mowgli Terry]

My gauges are from Midway and a few from Wilson. I'd rather use the gauge than sit there with a file stripped handgun. My experience is that if it round passed the gauge it will chamber. On my gauges it's possible to check for COL. Before loading a ton of ammo I do check the round for fit in the magazine and/or chamber. I have loaded many rounds this way and have no trouble chambering. Also all my dies are standard and are my handguns.

 

[Walkalong]

I do not have any case gauges for revolver rounds. So far so good.

 

[reddog81]

They make case gauges for revolver rounds? Weird...

I know which of my .38 Specials has the tightest chamber and if a round fits in a that gun it'll work in any .38.

 

[Mowgli Terry]

Case gauges for revolvers: It may sound dumb. Using a gauge allows me to find any problem area with my reloads. Generally, there are none. However, I routinely use the gauge on any round considered for personal protection. This use of gauges is a personal choice. This is my personal voodoo reloading procedure. I have gauges of 38 Special, 357 and 44 magnum. It's the full moon. Maybe, I'll some handgun rounds with my gauges.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I use mine for .357 case gages to quickly tell me if I over crimped any of my full power loads. That and if I messed the rim up on any.
I do find one now and then. Even though they still go in the cylinder, I like to know what I'm taking to the range.

 

[Doublehelix]

I also gauge all of my completed rounds. I like to use the 100-hole Hundo gages with my pistol rounds, but have found that they do not make them for the .357 or .38 spl rounds. I just bought *both* the .357 and the .38 spl Wilson gages, that way I have my bases covered depending on which rounds I load.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

So far I only have 45 acp and 10mm gauges. Obviously those are a bit more critical for proper fun notion of finished rounds. I realized though it's just s but faster and easier to use a gauge than a pistol barrel.

So I thought I'd spend $25 and get a 357 also for convenience.

Sounds like I've got the right idea. No real need for a 38 gauge.

While I do enjoy having the equipment I need, I am not interested in slowing this hobby to consume more of my house. So I like to minimize equipment.

I guess I don't really need it at all though really.

 

[LUCKYDAWG13]

well if you rely think you need one this is it https://www.speedshooter.com/produc...n=Double-Alpha-Golden-Multi-Pocket-Case-Gauge

 

[Walkalong]

So far I only have 45 acp and 10mm gauges

So far I only have one for 9MM as far as pistol calibers go.

 

[Dudedog]

https://www.speedshooter.com/produc...n=Double-Alpha-Golden-Multi-Pocket-Case-Gauge

That's neat, reasonable price as well.

 

[Texas10mm]

I like the EGW seven hole gauges. However they are cut to minimum and you have to work with that. If using oversized cast bullets you also have to work with that since every gauge I've seen is based on jacketed bullets.