Starting 308 Win. Which case gauge?

[BlackBox35]

I have been reloading pistol for a while and I am going to start reloading 308 Win. soon. I know i need a case gauge.

I am going between the Dillon case gauge and the Lyman Large Rifle ammo checker.

Other the the Lyman can check more the one caliber. What is the real difference between the two?

 

[Gtscotty]

Do you mean a gauge to measure headspace and set appropriate shoulder bump on your dies? I use the Hornady headspace gauge kit and am quite satisfied.

I don't use steel drop-in style gauges, with your dies set up correctly for your rifle, I'm not sure what use they would be?

 

[jwrowland77]

Use your rifle. That's the only thing I've used and have never run into any issues.


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[Paddy]

I use Sheridan case gauges. I believe they are far and away the best made ones.

 

[Reloadron]

This old thread covers several types and designs, what they will and will not measure. I like some of the ones which are cut with a chamber reamer so they give a good indication of case diameter. Anyway, give the link a look and then you can narrow down which design you are thinking of.

While your rifles chamber can serve as a gauge if you have several rifles of the same caliber you may want a gauge anyway.

Sheridan Engineering was the company who makes a gauge (slotted and non-slotted) which is cut with a chamber reamer so you get a good indication of diameter. Gauges like the Sheridan and Wilson or Forrester types are pretty much a Go/NoGo type gauge while gauges like the RCBS and Hornady LL types can give you real world numbers. Depending on what you want.

Ron

 

[Nature Boy]

I use the Hornady for the reason Ron states.

I also have the Dillon drop in gauge that I use to cull purchased .308 that could potentially have been fired through a M240.

 

[Robert101]

I have to agree to use your chamber but I also have a Wilson gauge and like it a lot.

 

[Rule3]

Wilson works for me. Kinda "cute" Dillon only sells their gauge in 223 and 308 but others are Wilson? What does the Dillon do that Wilson doesn't? looks like a copy?

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/880646/le-wilson-case-length-headspace-gage-308-winchester

 

[WestKentucky]

The rifle. I have been loading .270 win for well over a decade and the gun itself has been my only guage. In all these years with multiple loads on the same brass, the only issue I have had has been with length. Get a trimmer with the proper cutting head, and a set of calipers. Set the calipers a couple thousandths below "max" and simply use it as a go/no-go. With this method you will seldom discard brass except for neck tension problems.

 

[ants]

I use the rifle so I get the shoulder exactly where I need it.
You can figure it out easily, just use the chamber
where you would use the case gauge.

Case gauges are cut to make sure your ammo fits every gun.
This is handy for many people, and I won't disparage others.
But I prefer to fit the gun exactly as the gun needs.

After a few dozen rounds I get to know my chambers
and I set up the die to please my guns, rather than the case gauge.


To each his own. Use the gauge or not.

 

[BlackBox35]

I am going to be reloading 308 for 2 semi autos and 1 bolt gun.

If I was to use just the chamber as a gauge. Would if be better to use the bolt gun?

 

[jwrowland77]

I am going to be reloading 308 for 2 semi autos and 1 bolt gun.

If I was to use just the chamber as a gauge. Would if be better to use the bolt gun?

It'd be best to set aside brass for each rifle, and keep them separated. Or do the bolt on its own and use the smallest of the two semi-autos that way the brass will cycle in either. Only issue you may run into is if one semi-auto has more headspace than the other.

 

[Reloadron]

I am going to be reloading 308 for 2 semi autos and 1 bolt gun.

If I was to use just the chamber as a gauge. Would if be better to use the bolt gun?

I load for a M1A, AR-10 and a bolt gun. Sometimes I load for individual rifles using components which work best in a specific rifle and sometimes I just load .308 Winchester according to the sizing die instructions. That generally gets a case back to a case headspace of 1.630" and the cases should chamber in any .308 Winchester SAAMI chamber.

Shot some .308 Winchester yesterday in the bolt gun. The brass was LC 13 and the shoulders were set at 1.630". After shooting they are all about 1.634" so they grew about 0.004". All I really need to do is knock the shoulders back about 0.002" make sure they chamber and then load them up. Just make sure your sized brass chambers before loading a hundred rounds that won't chamber.

Using a single chamber to gauge I would use the smallest chamber. If you size to your smallest chamber they will fit the remaining two.

Ron

 

[lightman]

Personally I think a lot of this measuring business is over thought. I loaded for a lot of years by just adjusting my dies to fit my chamber. With that said, I think Dillon's gauges are stainless while Wilson's are steel and will rust if not waxed or oiled.

 

[ants]

Sometimes I load for each rifle separately.
Sometimes I make practice ammo that would fit any gun.
Sometimes I get a deal on bulk bullets and load 'generic' practice ammo.

It just depends upon the ammo I'm making and what I'm doing with it.


Generally speaking, the powder and projectiles I use in the bolt action are chosen specifically.
Whether long range target ammo or hunting, it is very specific to the application.
I use the bolt gun very differently than the AR10's.
And I go through less ammo in the bolt gun.

So it depends upon the ammo I'm making and it's purpose.

 

[119er]

I now use EGW Chamber Checkers. Works great. They agree with the case gages mostly, but for the M1A, I like knowing that it fits a chamber fully. Especially the first resize of once fired LC brass. The really hard ones to resize nearly always fail the checker on the first trip through the die. Once I have trimmed and deburred, I check all of them before priming. Last batch of 1000 had 3% that needed another go through the die. I attribute it to MG's.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

While your rifle is the best gauge there are times you are loading without the rifle available or loading for multiple rifles. For those times I keep a Wilson gauge handy, the same as the one linked to by Rule3 in Post #8. They are accurate and inexpensive. I have one for every bottleneck rifle cartridge I load.

 

[Mr.Revolverguy]

Nothing but Sheridan gauges for me. As mentioned Sheridan is cut with a chamber reamer but also is cut to minimum SAAMI spec.

To replicate a tight match chamber. Many case gauges are over-sized in diameter which gives you a good idea of headspace or trim length only. If this is what you are looking for, you are right there are plenty on the market that will meet your need. But if you are using these same gauges as chamber checkers you will be shocked of your results. In my obsession with 300 blackout I learned this very thing. I had a Wilson case gauge early on to check my cases with and they would slide right in but the finished rounds would not chamber in a Remington AAC model 7. After calls and emails to Wilson it was stated by Wilson that their gauges should only be used to check trim length. In this case my 300blkackout brass was to thick at the case mouth after being cut and formed from 223 brass. This same brass would not fit inside the Sheridan gauge.

The Sheridan gauge has saved me a number of times over the years and though more expensive I will not use anything else now.

I am not affiliated with Sheridan in any kind of way just simply stating my real world experience and the differences between the Sheridan product and others.

Pictures of what I am talking about




Same piece of brass with a Sheridan gauge


My article
If you care about my journey with the 300 blackout http://www.dayattherange.com/?page_id=3460

 

[Oldhandloader]

RCBS Precision Mic

Sir,

Case gauge is good; I suggest you get one. But with fired brass either from an unknown rifle or from your semi-auto, the primary issue in my experience is obtaining a precise adjustment on your full length resizing die.
I've had this discussion here many times but reloading a straight wall pistol case is quite a bit different than a bottle neck rifle case.
Check You Tube for RCBS Precision Mic. This tool is caliber specific and will help you set your FL Resizer to produce a reformed case that will be "zeroed" at a factory round profile or a hair shorter or longer. And, of course, don't forget to properly lubricate those casses with Imperial.
Good Luck!

 

[joem1945]

L.E. Wilson is what I use.