Need a case gage...

[Sixer]

Just like the title says. I guess I need a case gage (gague?) so I can sort through all of this ammo that keeps getting stuck in my chamber I think that a LE Wilson, Dillon, and Lyman make these gages... but I'm having a hard time finding one in .223. Does anyone have any suggestions on a particular brand or where to find one of these?

P.S. Will I ever have "everything" I need for reloading ???

[kraigwy]

Here you go:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct...tnumber=456614

[mkl]

I use a Wilson gage for my .223 Remington. Great product.

I've had mine for many years, so don't remember just where I got it.

A quick Google search gave this for starters:

http://www.lockstock.com/prodinfo.asp?number=WCG223

I'm sure there are other places that sell these; this was just the first one I found via google.

[Slamfire]

I use Wilson type gages all the time. They are cheap, around $16.50. They do have their limitations, or maybe benefits. A Wilson gage only measures length. That can be an aid if you are trying to determine what the actual headspace of your chamber, or what is going on in that chamber. You can drop a fired case into a Wilson gage and measure its length from the Go datum. The Go and No Go datum lines are correct as compared with the Go/No Go cartridge headspace gages I have.

However, since I have headspace gages for everything, and I shoot a lot of ammo through match Garands/M1a’s/AR’s, I am more interested in safe reliable function. I am interested in making sure that there is no mechanical interference between my sized cases and the rifle chamber.

So let me introduce the concept of a reamer cut gage.

If you know the reamer type that cut the chamber in your rifle, you can ask a gunsmith to cut you a gage from a barrel stub, with that reamer.

In the lower picture on the left is a Wilson gage. On the right is a reamer cut gage make by a well known M1a match barrel maker. He used the same reamer he uses to cut the chambers in his rifles.



Guess what, both of those cartridges are unsized, and you can see just how an interference fit will cause chambering issues.

And here is something . This is a picture of the fat case on the right after sizing in a standard die. It does not drop in all the way in the reamer cut gage.




I don’t have a picture of my reamer cut .223 gage. I got mine from Frank White at Compass Lake Engineering. http://www.compasslake.com/
It was around $35.00. Since I have several match AR’s from Frank, I thought I would get a reamer cut gage using his reamer.

[Sixer]

Thanks for the links and info guys!

So before I order one of these, let me tell you what I want to use it for initially... On a recent thread I was trying to figure out why my reloads kept getting jammed in my AR-15. When I say "jammed" ...I mean disassemble and pry out jammed.

I have a little over 500 rds like this, and some of them shoot great... the others get jammed. I think I finally figured out (with some good 'ol TFL help) that the shoulders on the cases were out of whack.

Would I be able to go through each round and use this gage to determine which rounds will fit and which will stick?

[MADISON]

My LYMAN CASE GAGE has .223 Remmington on it.
It does not have a .22-Hornet on it. I bought a LEE PRECISION case triming system. If it custs the case, you know it's too long.

[mkl]

Would I be able to go through each round and use this gage to determine which rounds will fit and which will stick?

Yes.

If they do not fit flush in the case gage, they are out of SAAMI specifications. If your chamber is sightly larger than SAAMI specs, you may be able to get away with some cartridges that do not fit exactly flush. You will just have to try and see.

But, if they are flush with at least the top mark in the Wilson case gage, you can be 99.9% sure that they will work just fine in your rifle.

[Sixer]

Sweeeet. Thank you MKL!