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Headspace Gauge

Question

Why spend $100.00 when your can buy the Hornady headspace gauge for $37.00 and the digital vernier caliper can be used to measure other things.

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Digital Caliper Round-Up (:1:) Which Digital Caliper Should I Buy? ~My Recommendation~
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yqZx_FNbSs

iGaging IP54 Electronic Digital Caliper 0-6" Display Inch/Metric/Fractions Stainless Steel Body $28.95
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iGaging ABSOLUTE ORIGIN 0-6" Digital Electronic Caliper - IP54 Protection / Extreme Accuracy
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Dubbo said:
looking for feedback/thoughts on the Larry Willis digital headspace gauge before I buy one.

I myself like the more simplistic approach myself...a barrel stub with the shoulder cut with the same chamber reamer. Can't get any better than that!

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Question

Why spend $100.00 when your can buy the Hornady headspace gauge for $37.00 and the digital vernier caliper can be used to measure other things.

I have to agree. I would buy a pressure gauge for my die press first. If you don't apply the exact same pressure when bumping or FL sizing, you will have +/- .0005 difference in your measurements if not more.

I have Wilson, Redding, and Forester dies and I have never gotten exact results when sizing or bumping shoulders. There's always a slight difference especially if you didn't anneal your brass! It's slight, but you have to practice if you don't have a die pressure gauge to get "almost" exact results. JMO

Am I doing something wrong? There is too many variables to consider that will affect your final measurement.

PS: I use my Hornady gauge with great results, even measuring bearing surface of the bullets. But I would spend the money on a bearing surface gauge first, then the die pressure gauge would be second.

JMO,

Dennis
 
With standup units (height gauging), such as Larry Willis', is not dependent or influenced on "squeeze" or the amount of squeeze, like is caliper methods. Alignment is only influenced to 1 point verses 2 points. These things make it a faster method (time saver) with less error factor.

My 2-Cents
Donovan
 
And you can use your Hornady Lock-N-Load OAL [sic] Gauge as a chamber length gauge, to produce the same datum the Sinclair Chamber Length Gauge reports.

For .223 and .243 class rifles, substitute a modified spent rimfire case for a bullet in the OAL gauge to probe the actual chamber length (to end of neck portion):

.224" bore:

Take a fired 22 Long Rifle case, chuck it in a drill, and using a file, turn the outside of the rim down to the same outside diameter as the neck of a case fired in the chamber. Cut .010" off the mouth end of the LR case to leave the case .590" long or a bit shorter (so it will slip fully over the narrow end of the OAL gauge's stem.)

.243" bore:

The outside of a fired 22 WMR body happens to be 0.243". Take a fired 22 WMR case, chuck it in a drill and using a file, turn the outside of the rim down to the same outside diameter as the neck of a case fired in the chamber. (The 22 WMR case can be used full length, as it will slip over the wider step near the end of the OAL gauge's stem.)

For my 223 Rem, I turned the outside of the 22 LR rim down to .253". For my 6mm Rem, I turned the 22 WMR rim down to .274". You'll want to square off the rim as well as produce the proper diameter.

You do need to trim .050" off the neck of the Hornady (or your homebrew) modified case to accommodate the thickness of the rim of the rimfire case. (Sinclair's slugs require removing 0.100" from the dummy case.)

Using these makeshift parts, the chamber lengths reported by the OAL gauge was essentially identical to the dummy rounds I created using the Sinclair Chamber Length Gauge slugs.

You could use an unfired 25 Auto case (rim turned down as described) for .277 caliber chambers (OD of the 25 Auto body is 0.278").

Here are pics of the .243" part I made from 22 WMR, being used with a 6mm Rem modified case on the Hornady gauge.
 

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You do need to trim .050" off the neck of the Hornady (or your homebrew) modified case to accommodate the thickness of the rim of the rimfire case. (Sinclair's slugs require removing 0.100" from the dummy case.)


I form cases with forming dies. My favorite forming dies are short forming dies. A reloader that is also a case former can form cases that will allow them to measure the length of the chamber from the beginning of the throat to the bolt face.

F. Guffey
 
With standup units (height gauging), such as Larry Willis', is not dependent or influenced on "squeeze" or the amount of squeeze, like is caliper methods. Alignment is only influenced to 1 point verses 2 points. These things make it a faster method (time saver) with less error factor.

My 2-Cents
Donovan

This is why I own one. I also own the Hornaday set.
 
With standup units (height gauging), such as Larry Willis', is not dependent or influenced on "squeeze" or the amount of squeeze, like is caliper methods. Alignment is only influenced to 1 point verses 2 points. These things make it a faster method (time saver) with less error factor.


Larry has bragged about the three point contact? He says he invented it, before that there was an advantage to having 3 legged stools, tables and chairs.


F. Guffey
 
looking for feedback/thoughts on the Larry Willis digital headspace gauge before I buy one.
I have been using one for years. Yes there are tools you can buy for around 40 bucks but what if you load several caliber? Lets say you load for 223, 6mm, 6.5, 30 calibers. At 40 bucks apiece you've already spent more than Larrys tool. As stated this tool takes the "squeeze" out of the equation. It's well made and Larry is a great guy to work with. I think it's more than worth the money.
 

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