Head Space Fired cases ?

[Lefty Trigger]

They are a bit pricey but this tool from Whidden gun works is by far the best way to measure headspace. Designed to work with or without primers and or bullets and its easy to use, drop in a case and screw on the lid and take a reading. I use this tool to set up my rifles with same chambers to the same headspace (Savage) so I can easily swap around brass that way my dies work for all my guns.

 

[Bamban]

I made this for a friend's AR10 in 6XC from the barrel drop The window is just an icing, he wants to see the inside. Brass is unfired.

 

[divingin]

OK, the problem with The Hornady Lock-N-Load® Headspace Comparator & Anvil Base Kit is that it really is only good as a comparator. The numbers you are seeing are not at all accurate.

"The gauge measures variations in brass before and after firing or re-sizing. It allows for headspace comparison between fire-formed brass and re-sized brass".

That's all it is, a comparator arrangement for before and after.

Not sure what your gripe about this is. It's stated in the tool's name: "Comparator", not "Gauge" .

Sloppy manufacturing and a generally hard-to-use design aside, it does pretty much it advertises. It never claims to give you true measurements.

 

[AICS308]

I got the Hornady Comparator and Anvil for .308 last week and have been getting very reproducible reference measurements. I have used it for shoulder bumps and other comparison measurements. It certainly is much better than expected.

I installed on my Hornady Calipers per the instructions. By loosening the thumb screw and set screw just enough to allow for movement I could align both parts to the same axis and ensure the faces were flat and parallel, then tighten the thumb screws, then the set screws.

After reading the reviews before the purchase, I am very pleased with the results. It certainly works for my intended purposes.

 

[Ron Blain]

Not sure what your gripe about this is. It's stated in the tool's name: "Comparator", not "Gauge" .

Sloppy manufacturing and a generally hard-to-use design aside, it does pretty much it advertises. It never claims to give you true measurements.

No gripe and yes, it does exactly as advertised. I have one but frequently I see people posting the numbers and thinking it's their headspace. Given a choice I do prefer the RCBS precision mic which is much more expensive and caliber specific. Anyway the tool is just that a comparator and works fine as a comparator. I do point out to people the numbers they see are for differential comparison only and are not a true indication of distance from case head to shoulder datum on a bottleneck cartridge.

Ron