Dillon rifle case gauge

jthuang · June 13, 2000, 08:09 AM

Newbie rifle reloading question.

Just got two of them in the mail from Dillon. One in .30-06 Springfield and the other in .223 Remington. I've got several of their pistol cartridge case gauges but these are my first bottleneck cartridge cases.

My understanding was that the case gauges for bottleneck cartridges have two "shoulders" -- delineating the inner/outer limits for proper headspacing. Looking at these dies, there is an almost imperceptible "strip" machined out from the top (and bottom) of the die, of very shallow depth.

So for proper headspacing, is the cartridge supposed to drop in flush with the top of the gauge? Thanks,

Justin

------------------
Justin T. Huang, Esq.
late of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

WalterGAII · June 13, 2000, 08:45 AM

That's the Wilson case gage, probably. I use one for my .223 semi-auto reloading. The case is supposed to be above the lower cut and below the upper surface. (Between the surfaces)
Just checked my July Dillon. The Dillon case gages don't seem to be made with the same 'cut' as the Wilson. Looks like the head is flush on the Dillon gage.

[This message has been edited by WalterGAII (edited June 13, 2000).]

MADISON · June 13, 2000, 11:25 AM

I do some of my case gaging the "stupid" way.
I have a LEE PRECISION cutter kit [parts bought seperately] that I resize and deprime cases and lock into the cutter. If I can not cut metal off with a few twists I is good.

HankL · June 13, 2000, 06:26 PM

The cut on the bottom or base is for the headspacing and the cut on the top is for case length. As WalterGAII said "The case is
supposed to be above the lower cut and below the upper surface. (Between the surfaces)"
HTH

WalterGAII · June 14, 2000, 07:47 PM

Madison:

What you're doing is trimming. We're talking about a case gage, to check to see if the shoulder is being bumped o.k. for proper headspacing.

June 13, 2000, 08:09 AM	#1
jthuang Senior Member Join Date: January 21, 2000 Posts: 823	Newbie rifle reloading question. Just got two of them in the mail from Dillon. One in .30-06 Springfield and the other in .223 Remington. I've got several of their pistol cartridge case gauges but these are my first bottleneck cartridge cases. My understanding was that the case gauges for bottleneck cartridges have two "shoulders" -- delineating the inner/outer limits for proper headspacing. Looking at these dies, there is an almost imperceptible "strip" machined out from the top (and bottom) of the die, of very shallow depth. So for proper headspacing, is the cartridge supposed to drop in flush with the top of the gauge? Thanks, Justin ------------------ Justin T. Huang, Esq. late of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

June 13, 2000, 08:45 AM	#2
WalterGAII Junior member Join Date: November 7, 1999 Posts: 1,516	That's the Wilson case gage, probably. I use one for my .223 semi-auto reloading. The case is supposed to be above the lower cut and below the upper surface. (Between the surfaces) Just checked my July Dillon. The Dillon case gages don't seem to be made with the same 'cut' as the Wilson. Looks like the head is flush on the Dillon gage. [This message has been edited by WalterGAII (edited June 13, 2000).]

June 13, 2000, 11:25 AM	#3
MADISON Senior Member Join Date: January 1, 2000 Location: Roanoke, Virginia Posts: 2,678	I do some of my case gaging the "stupid" way. I have a LEE PRECISION cutter kit [parts bought seperately] that I resize and deprime cases and lock into the cutter. If I can not cut metal off with a few twists I is good.

June 13, 2000, 06:26 PM	#4
HankL Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 1999 Location: The Sunny South Posts: 2,174	The cut on the bottom or base is for the headspacing and the cut on the top is for case length. As WalterGAII said "The case is supposed to be above the lower cut and below the upper surface. (Between the surfaces)" HTH

June 14, 2000, 07:47 PM	#5
WalterGAII Junior member Join Date: November 7, 1999 Posts: 1,516	Madison: What you're doing is trimming. We're talking about a case gage, to check to see if the shoulder is being bumped o.k. for proper headspacing.