Cartridge (pistol) gauges vs case gauges. What's the difference?
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- Опубликовано: 26 авг 2024
- In this video we talk about the differences between a case gauge and a cartridge or pistol gauge. The two are sometimes confused. I focus on those made by L.E. Wilson, but there are others.
Here's a link to the SAAMI standards site. Click the link there for the "performance standards" for the firearm type you are interested in. All the info, including cartridge and chamber dimensional drawings like you see in this video can be found there.
saami.org/tech...
Note: at 18:07 I inadvertently mis-spoke. I read off the dimension for MINIMUM OAL when talking about MAX OAL. This was picked up by Joesmoe, one of my Rumble viewers. Apologies! Also, I should have mentioned that the rounds featured in this video WERE crimped with a Lee carbide Factory Crimp Die. The one ‘sticky’ 38 round I showed was in spec for diameter, but close. I cleaned the gauge and it went in just fine. 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
I have the L E Wilson for all my pistol calibers. And also a FCD for each. Great explanation and the " bring in the expert " was brilliant !!
Hi Tim! As always, I’m happy to hear from you and appreciate your comments! As user of home-cast bullets, I need alternatives to the Lee carbide FCD, but I do use them. The rounds in this video were crimped with Lee carbide FCD dies. 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
Good to see you Walter
Howdy, Dale. Thanks for stopping by the bench. See ya ‘round the chats! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
Attention to details regarding dimensions was my first step to success with pistol ammo.
Hiya, Mike! Thanks, Amigo. 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸🇨🇦
Well Shown/explained Viejo. This confused the heck out of me when I started. Each company has a different name for their case cartridge gauges in some cases and it was hard to grasp what they were selling from their terrible descriptions. I wish videos like this were around back then.
Hi, Paul. Boy..don’t we all wish we had the videos back in our day at the School of Hard Knocks? Thanks for stopping by! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
Excellent Lesson Professor Walter!👍
Haha…thanks Willie! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
Well said.... another great video from Viejo.......
Thanks, Michael! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
Awesome explanation, valuable information, sir. I swear by LE Wilson gages. I clean mine with alcohol prior to use, and oil prior to storage. I have LE Wilson gages for every caliber I reload rifle and handgun.
Hi, Colt. Thanks! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
Thank you Walter. You keep record keeping method and discipline is amazing,, the way we all should be doing it. I need to take a lesson from you.
Thanks, Rick! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
Excellent video. Very important information for reloaders. Thanks for sharing.
Hiya, Edward. Thanks for stopping by. See ya ‘round the chats! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
Good afternoon Walter. Very good information and video. Thanks for sharing 👍🇺🇸
Thanks, Dwayne! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
Something like this needed to be done good job. I've had it on my agenda for a while. I've never gotten to it. I wanted to pick up a gauge and then I would have a set of everything that I could compare, but I never have.❤❤❤
Hi, C-Dub. Thanks. I’d been planning to put this up for quite a while too…finally got around to it. 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
I use the Wilson pistol gauge and my barrel for my semi auto handgun reloads, and the cylinders for my revolver reloads. I have never had to trim any handgun brass, so i never have purchased a case length gauge. I bet I just jinxed myself. Great video thanks for sharing
Hi Duffer. The only time I use a case length gauge on something like a 38 case is when the crimp might suffer from a case being too long or too short. Then I use the gauge to just sort them.
Very good explanation, Walter. I really like L.E. Wilson tools that I have, and will be adding more as time goes by. I have the Lyman gauge you showed, and have experienced that it is not always reliable. It's embarrassing to have your gun lock up while shooting your hand loads. The barrel or chamber of the firearm is always a best practice. Thanks, Buddy.
Hi Jamie. Thanks for stopping by! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
Great explanation of what gauge works best for what job.
Thanks
Thanks, Papa! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
It's too bad they don't make a case length gauge combined with a trimmer to automatically shave any excess brass in one operation! Thanks for another informative video Walter, it reminded me I have to get a couple for .45 Colt.
Hi Info! Any case trimmer does that. When set properly, the trimmer cuts any case longer than the setting, and leaves the shorter ones alone. There are some power versions such as the one made by Dillon that can be mounted on a progressive press. Expensive devils though.
Great video Viejo, very good explanation of the difference in the gauges. Even an ole faaaart like me can appreciate a refresher course.
Thanks, Bob. Agreed, us ‘old dawgs’ still need a lesson now and then. 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
@@viejo2a Man I wish you were closer, I would love to have you stay for a few days.
Great video Walter. You explained it a lot better than I could 👍🇺🇸
Hi, Jesse. Thanks, Amigo! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
Wonderful explanation 👍😁🦶🪶🇺🇸
Thanks, Walks! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
very good info for our newcomers!
Thank you, my friend! Here’s wishing you and your new wife many years of happiness together! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
Great explanation!
Thanks, Len! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
Using the Lee Factory Crimp die for pistol cartridges reduces the reject rate on the cartridge gage.
It does, indeed. These particular rounds were, in fact, crimped with a Lee FCD. That die does tend to adversely affect a cast round when the bullet is, by necessity, sized a little bigger. 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
13:30 I have noticed this situation most often when sizing cases with a carbide sizer. The case is not sized anywhere near the case head and the brand of die has an impact as well. I use older RCBS dies that have the carbide ring close to the die mouth but Lyman dies have the sizer ring set back in to the die body a bit.
Hiya Hillbilly. 10-4 on carbide dies not sizing all the way down. Even steel dies are guilty of that to a lesser degree as none of them can size deeper than the top of the shell holder. I’ve never had an issue with straight-wall revolver cases, though. In this situation, it’s a function of me using a slightly larger cast bullet in a case with a little thicker case wall. The upper end gets expanded a to a larger diameter by the bullet. Thanks for watching and taking time to comment! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
Good stuff, Walter! 💪🏼🦅🇺🇸
Hi Tony! Thanks. 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
Excellent content👍
Thank you, sir! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
Great video walter great info
Thanks, Mac! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
I have an LE Wilson Pistol Max Gage for 9mm. I was using a powder at one time that required an overall length close to maximum. This gage made sure I wasn’t loading them too long. I still had to plunk test my 1911 barrel because it doesn’t tell me if it will chamber.
Hiya, Slide. Thanks for stopping in and taking time to leave a valuable comment. 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
@@viejo2a the knowledge is invaluable and much appreciated. A pleasure as always.
Good video!
Thank you, Keith. I appreciate that. 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
The Lee Factory Crimp Die down sizes my boolits to fit into a SAAMI gauge…
Hi Cincy. These rounds were crimped with an FCD. That die can adversely affect my cast bullet rounds though, when the bullet needs to be sized a little bigger for a particular firearm. 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
I know that FMJ and plated bullets are sold not oversized. So large chambers are not an issue for these commercial products. Do powder coated bullets react similarly?
From what I gather oversized chambers permitted the flame to pass the base of the cast lead bullet. This caused leading in the barrel. This was somewhat went away with hard cast boolits in the BHN of a plated boolit. Most casters used “ free “ range scrap or Lino type from the printing industry.
I like the FCD because it verifies the cartridge is SAAMI spec.
@@livincincy4498 Cast bullets that are smaller than bore diameter can experience gas blow-by in the barrel, which will deposit lead out in front of the bullet along its path. That issue is somewhat mitigated by powder coating, but in order to ensure full obturation of the rifling by the bullet, we size them somewhere between .001-.002” over bore diameter. We also want our cast bullet revolver rounds to fully obturate the cylinder chambers to prevent pressure loss rearward as well as “gas-cutting” the bullet so that’s another reason for over-sized bullets. Due to that, cast bullets often “bump” their way through the sizing ring on the Lee carbide FCD. Further, that size ring may actually swage a cast bullet back down to being too small. Properly sized, powder-coated cast bullets leave very little to zero lead in our firearms. Anyway, in most cases (but not this one) I use alternative crimp dies. It’s a superior die for jacketed and plated bullets, but not so much for cast, IMHO. Check the “about” section here for my email, or message me on Highboy if you’d like to open a more detailed discussion on this. It’s a common topic! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
great info
Thanks, R-Tac! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
Good job
Thanks, Don, 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
I use the Hornady one for 40s&w. But if I loading I usly use a caliber or my barrel from my firearms. Bc noticed loading cast bullets some don't work well in the Hornady case gauge but work in the barrel.
Thanks for checking in, James! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
Great lesson, thanks. Where can we find a page like you have with the sammi specs that can be printed? I like how you have that right in your reloading folder for easy reference.
Hi, Rusty. There’s a link for you in the description box 😀
Thx
👍🤠🇺🇲 Good stuff.
Thanks, Six. 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
🤔🤔
Hi, Glen. Thanks for stopping by! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸