Case Gauge .223?

[tomneal]

After you reload .223, do you case gauge each round?

If so,
Which brand of case gauge do you use?

[Beiruty]

Wilson
I have one Lyman for 9mm completed rd gauge.

[Eric Lamberson]

I check every round regardless of caliber. I typically use the EGW case gauge for most; however, I do use the L.E Wilson gauge for some rifle calibers.

I discovered that checking each round reduces the number of failures to feed and occasionally lets me discover a round that has some flaw that I did not detect during the reloading process.

[TexasJohnBoy]

I have a Lyman for my .223 rounds, check every one. I need one for 9mm, but for now I check those in the chamber of a removed barrel.

****REMOVED**** the barrel from the pistol to check it....

[ghostrider]

I check every round regardless of caliber.

same here.
generally Wilson case gauges for rifles (I have one Lyman, but Wilson is better quality)

for pistol cartridges: Wilson, Dillon and EGW:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/11136 ... tlong-colt

[tomneal]

On pistol rounds, I usually case gauge with a Dillon case gauge.
My next big reloading project is .223 Rem. I realized that I didn't have a rifle case gauge and wondered what others used and did.

Sounds like I should order a Wilson and case gauge.

Thanks for your input.

[warnmar10]

I check every round regardless of caliber. I typically use the EGW case gauge for most; however, I do use the L.E Wilson gauge for some rifle calibers.

I discovered that checking each round reduces the number of failures to feed and occasionally lets me discover a round that has some flaw that I did not detect during the reloading process.

This!

[txtaxman]

I use a Wilson case gauge to set up the full length sizing die on my single stage press and then to check each case after the full length sizing step. This way if a case is not sized enough, it can be corrected immediately, before it becomes a defective finished bullet. At the same time, I can determine which cases need to be trimmed to length.

[tomneal]

The LE Wilson case gauge was amazing. Dropping a stick of resized brass into the gauge tells you a lot if information. Was it sized enough? Does it need to be trimmed?

I've resized (and deprimed) around 1000 sticks of .223 range brass.

Next step:
Swage.
I've borrowed a Dillon Swage 600 and bought a primer go / no-go gauge.
I am sorted the brass into ready check length, and needs to be swaged.

Did anyone else notice there are a lot of steps (and time) to prepping .223 brass?

[LeonCarr]

I have used case gauges to check factory ammunition before a training class, before a match, etc. and it surprised me how much factory produced ammo will not drop into a case gauge.

I have the EGW case gauge that has 9mm, .38 Super, .40, and .45 check holes in it, and have L.E. Wilson gauges for every rifle cartridge I load.

IME they are worth getting and using for checking loaded rounds and for setting up resizing dies. There are a lot of steps to preparing .223 cases, especially once fired military cases for reloading, but seeing tighter groups, in some cases drastically tighter groups, makes it worth it for me.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

[kragluver]

If shooting 223 in a semi auto rifle, full length size, reload per the book and check every round with a case gauge. Failure to do so is inviting potential for an out of battery fire. I use a Wilson. The case gauge check should be the very last step in your load process before the round goes into the ammo box.

I should add that this is a key safety step when hand loading for any semi auto rifle regardless of caliber. Pistol not so much as pressures are far lower and chambers are more forgiving. Case gauge checks or checking that the pistol round freely drops into the chamber of your pistol barrel (field stripped of course) will improve reliability with your hand loads.

This is not so critical for a bolt action rifle.

[tomneal]

I have paused on my .223 project and am early in the .308 reloading project.
I bought a L.E.Wilson case gauge for .308 and plan to check each stick of brass after resizing and again after loading.
The .308 is going in a bolt gun but, it's my son's rifle.

I am still amazed at the L.E.Wilson case gauges for Rifle calibers.

[rotor]

There really is a difference between a case gauge and an ammo checker

[LeonCarr]

Is there really a difference?

Both the Headspace Gauge and the Case Gauge/Ammo Checker shown in the video are cut with minimum SAAMI Spec Chamber Reamers and have a groove at the top of the gauge to denote the minimum and maximum headspace length. Some case gauges do not have the min/max groove but both gauges can be used to check if ammo will fit into your firearm's chamber since both are cut with SAAMI minimum reamers.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

[mrvmax]

Did anyone else notice there are a lot of steps (and time) to prepping .223 brass?

Loading rifle ammo always takes more prep time when loading properly. I don't shoot .223 but about a dozen other rifle calibers. By the time I clean, anneal, size, trim, clean primed pockets I've invested a significant amount of time before even loading. Loading pistol caliber is a lot easier.