Hornady Lock-N-Load O.A.L. Gauge

Kendo · May 12, 2009, 06:49 PM

Have any of ya'll used one of these things and what do you think? Also I checked my AR in .223. Heres what I came up with....actual chamber oal is 2.281. The book, Lyman 49th edition, calls for oal of 2.260 according to the instructions on the oal gauge this is fine it calls for .020 to .040 of free travel. Just for kicks I measured a factory live round. It was 2.175 that seems like alot to me. Can I expect that much more accuracy from closing the free travel gap in my handloads? I figure the factory oal is to make their round somewhat generic to fit all guns.

42769vette · May 12, 2009, 06:51 PM

with a ar the rounds are shorter that they could be to allow for magizine feeding. if you lengthen the round to much you will have trouble feeding it

Shoney · May 12, 2009, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Have any of ya'll used one of these things

I'm uncertain what you are referring to, but I use a good dial caliper for measuring OAL.

Kendo · May 12, 2009, 09:57 PM

Shoney, with this tool you use a caliper to measure the end result. They have a empty cartrige drilled and tapped out to screw the tool into,you put one of you're bullits in the end of the special empty hull , then you take out your bolt assembly and slide it into the chamber. Push the rod from the back wich pushes the bullit to the lands, tighten the set screw, then measure the dummy round with your dial caliper. If I wasn't so computer illiterate I would post you up a link. Look it up if ya want, its made by Hornady.

Shoney · May 12, 2009, 10:21 PM

You are using it to determine what your setting off the lands should be, I presume. Although I am familiar with the tool, I have not used it. I have used a similar tool, the comparator.

Of the two tools, I have no idea which will work the best, but the LNL OAL Gauge appears to be quite simple and straight forward to use, especially in bolt weapons.

Kendo · May 12, 2009, 10:43 PM

Yessir thats what I'm using it for. Shoney do you think or know if my RRA .223 would cycle a round with an OAL of 2.265? The OAL of the chamber measured 2.281. I wont hold ya to it, just what do you think.

Shoney · May 13, 2009, 01:02 AM

You did not list a bullet you will use. An OAL of 2.260 is standard for some heavier bullets. The problem is will 2.265 fit and feed flawlessly out of your mags.

That additional 0.005 doesn't seem to be enough to make the fit too long, but bullet shape could make a big difference. As with most things, your weapon will tell you much better than I can.

HJ857 · May 13, 2009, 09:04 AM

If you plan on feeding the rounds out of a magazine, then the OAL gauge is largely useless. Mag length is a lot shorter than an optimum length, as you've discovered.

I seat my standard loads to 2.260 to 2.265 and they feed perfectly out of Colt 20 round mags and any Pmag. I can only recall one fail to feed in the past year and that was with a brand new upper. I would be real surprised if a 2.265 round would not work in your RRA.

If you are thinking of loading accuracy rounds, then the OAL gauge is a critical step. In this case you'll be loading rounds that are too long to fit in a magazine and you'll be single loading (more than likely).

I load 75g Amax's to .015 off the lands and those rounds are insanely long.

Keep in mind that when using the OAL gauge, you're measuring to where the bullet touches the lands, and that has nothing to do with the tip of the bullet. So you should use a bullet comparator gauge to measure the length of your bullet from the ogive area of the bullet and not from the tip, simply because the tip of any given bullet can vary considerably.

I think a step that is more important, and widely ignored, is using a case length gauge to figure out exactly how much to resize your brass. If you use the standard published specs or if you set up your sizing die according to the instructions - you're probably resizing the brass way too much.

By using a case length gauge you can set your sizing die to resize a minimum amount. Over sizing is basically allowing the case to flop around in the chamber. Whereas a properly sized case is going to fit nice and cozy in the chamber and will likely give you an accuracy boost.

This is similar to a bolt gun user only neck sizing brass so that the case fits that particular chamber nearly perfectly. For us AR shooters, we have to full length size, but we don't have to adhere to SAAMI specs, which is just a "best fit" sizing that will work in pretty much ANY rifle. SAAMI specs, in my opinion, are great for commercial ammo, but has nothing to do with how I load rounds for my specific rifle.

Here's some links.

Case length gauge/headspace
http://www.sinclairintl.com/product/...eadspace-Tools

bullet comparator
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tNumber=231904

Great single load mag
http://www.creedmoorsports.com/store...cat=283&page=1

Kendo · May 13, 2009, 05:22 PM

Thanks HJ interesting stuff. Shoney the bullet is a 50gr Barnes varmint grenade.

May 12, 2009, 06:49 PM	#1
Kendo Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2009 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 103	Hornady Lock-N-Load O.A.L. Gauge Have any of ya'll used one of these things and what do you think? Also I checked my AR in .223. Heres what I came up with....actual chamber oal is 2.281. The book, Lyman 49th edition, calls for oal of 2.260 according to the instructions on the oal gauge this is fine it calls for .020 to .040 of free travel. Just for kicks I measured a factory live round. It was 2.175 that seems like alot to me. Can I expect that much more accuracy from closing the free travel gap in my handloads? I figure the factory oal is to make their round somewhat generic to fit all guns.

May 12, 2009, 10:21 PM	#5
Shoney Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2002 Location: Transplanted from Montana Posts: 2,311	You are using it to determine what your setting off the lands should be, I presume. Although I am familiar with the tool, I have not used it. I have used a similar tool, the comparator. Of the two tools, I have no idea which will work the best, but the LNL OAL Gauge appears to be quite simple and straight forward to use, especially in bolt weapons. __________________ I pledge allegiance to the Flag - - -, and to the Republic for which it stands….Our Forefathers were brilliant for giving us a Republic, not a democracy! Do you know the difference??? and WHY?http://www.wallbuilders.com/LIBissue...les.asp?id=111

May 13, 2009, 01:02 AM	#7
Shoney Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2002 Location: Transplanted from Montana Posts: 2,311	You did not list a bullet you will use. An OAL of 2.260 is standard for some heavier bullets. The problem is will 2.265 fit and feed flawlessly out of your mags. That additional 0.005 doesn't seem to be enough to make the fit too long, but bullet shape could make a big difference. As with most things, your weapon will tell you much better than I can. __________________ I pledge allegiance to the Flag - - -, and to the Republic for which it stands….Our Forefathers were brilliant for giving us a Republic, not a democracy! Do you know the difference??? and WHY?http://www.wallbuilders.com/LIBissue...les.asp?id=111

May 12, 2009, 06:51 PM	#2
42769vette Member Join Date: January 11, 2009 Posts: 86	with a ar the rounds are shorter that they could be to allow for magizine feeding. if you lengthen the round to much you will have trouble feeding it

May 12, 2009, 09:57 PM	#4
Kendo Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2009 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 103	Shoney, with this tool you use a caliper to measure the end result. They have a empty cartrige drilled and tapped out to screw the tool into,you put one of you're bullits in the end of the special empty hull , then you take out your bolt assembly and slide it into the chamber. Push the rod from the back wich pushes the bullit to the lands, tighten the set screw, then measure the dummy round with your dial caliper. If I wasn't so computer illiterate I would post you up a link. Look it up if ya want, its made by Hornady.

May 12, 2009, 10:43 PM	#6
Kendo Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2009 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 103	Yessir thats what I'm using it for. Shoney do you think or know if my RRA .223 would cycle a round with an OAL of 2.265? The OAL of the chamber measured 2.281. I wont hold ya to it, just what do you think.

May 13, 2009, 09:04 AM	#8
HJ857 Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2007 Posts: 447	If you plan on feeding the rounds out of a magazine, then the OAL gauge is largely useless. Mag length is a lot shorter than an optimum length, as you've discovered. I seat my standard loads to 2.260 to 2.265 and they feed perfectly out of Colt 20 round mags and any Pmag. I can only recall one fail to feed in the past year and that was with a brand new upper. I would be real surprised if a 2.265 round would not work in your RRA. If you are thinking of loading accuracy rounds, then the OAL gauge is a critical step. In this case you'll be loading rounds that are too long to fit in a magazine and you'll be single loading (more than likely). I load 75g Amax's to .015 off the lands and those rounds are insanely long. Keep in mind that when using the OAL gauge, you're measuring to where the bullet touches the lands, and that has nothing to do with the tip of the bullet. So you should use a bullet comparator gauge to measure the length of your bullet from the ogive area of the bullet and not from the tip, simply because the tip of any given bullet can vary considerably. I think a step that is more important, and widely ignored, is using a case length gauge to figure out exactly how much to resize your brass. If you use the standard published specs or if you set up your sizing die according to the instructions - you're probably resizing the brass way too much. By using a case length gauge you can set your sizing die to resize a minimum amount. Over sizing is basically allowing the case to flop around in the chamber. Whereas a properly sized case is going to fit nice and cozy in the chamber and will likely give you an accuracy boost. This is similar to a bolt gun user only neck sizing brass so that the case fits that particular chamber nearly perfectly. For us AR shooters, we have to full length size, but we don't have to adhere to SAAMI specs, which is just a "best fit" sizing that will work in pretty much ANY rifle. SAAMI specs, in my opinion, are great for commercial ammo, but has nothing to do with how I load rounds for my specific rifle. Here's some links. Case length gauge/headspace http://www.sinclairintl.com/product/...eadspace-Tools bullet comparator http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tNumber=231904 Great single load mag http://www.creedmoorsports.com/store...cat=283&page=1

May 13, 2009, 05:22 PM	#9
Kendo Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2009 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 103	Thanks HJ interesting stuff. Shoney the bullet is a 50gr Barnes varmint grenade.