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Lee Case Length Gauge Use With Small Flash Holes?

I Have Ordered A Case Length Gauge From Lee For The 22 PPC. I Had Asked Them To Make It With A Smaller Diameter Pin To Use In The Smaller Flash Hole That This Case Has. They Said They Could Not Because It Would Be To Weak And Break Off. Any Suggestions On How To Modify The Pin To Fit The Flash Hole With Out Reaming The Flash Hole To The Larger Diameter. If Not How Much Accuracy Would You Lose Going To The Larger Flash Hole?
 
I find my Forster does the same job and faster. Ive tried to turn the pins and wasnt satisfied with the result, Im just not that good a barn machinist. Ive also tried to modify one to a shorrter case with bad results. 4$ or so for each experiment.
 
I Have Ordered A Case Length Gauge From Lee For The 22 PPC. I Had Asked Them To Make It With A Smaller Diameter Pin To Use In The Smaller Flash Hole That This Case Has. They Said They Could Not Because It Would Be To Weak And Break Off. Any Suggestions On How To Modify The Pin To Fit The Flash Hole With Out Reaming The Flash Hole To The Larger Diameter. If Not How Much Accuracy Would You Lose Going To The Larger Flash Hole?
Turn it down to the diameter you need.I have used my table top sander to turn several things down to fit.
I Have Ordered A Case Length Gauge From Lee For The 22 PPC. I Had Asked Them To Make It With A Smaller Diameter Pin To Use In The Smaller Flash Hole That This Case Has. They Said They Could Not Because It Would Be To Weak And Break Off. Any Suggestions On How To Modify The Pin To Fit The Flash Hole With Out Reaming The Flash Hole To The Larger Diameter. If Not How Much Accuracy Would You Lose Going To The Larger Flash Hole?

I do mine like hunter does except I use a drill press and flat file and sand and polish smooth when done. I make my 6ppc ones from 6mm BR gauges by grinding them shorter and making the pin smaller. I would not ream the flash hole larger.
Dustin
 
Find someone to make a couple of them from scratch and install the smaller dowel pin that apparently Lee is too lazy to source from a small parts catalog. There are many companies that sell small mechanical fasteners and components. Those pins are a standard catalog item.
 
I Have Ordered A Case Length Gauge From Lee For The 22 PPC. I Had Asked Them To Make It With A Smaller Diameter Pin To Use In The Smaller Flash Hole That This Case Has. They Said They Could Not Because It Would Be To Weak And Break Off. Any Suggestions On How To Modify The Pin To Fit The Flash Hole With Out Reaming The Flash Hole To The Larger Diameter. If Not How Much Accuracy Would You Lose Going To The Larger Flash Hole?
Hi Hotshot! I had the same question when I bought a Lee 6mm PPC collet die to size necks for 6mm BR. ...... The Lee mandrel (solid shaft) had a .062" decap pin. and Lapua flash holes were .059" ....... I realize you are using the case length (trim) gauge. So I'm not sure of the case length gauge pin diameter. I can say that I simply chucked my mandrel into a drill motor and reduced diameter just enough to fit the flash hole. (about .058") I got the same story from Lee about weakening the pin and have had no problems sizing about 300 necks so far. ...... I use the Redding body die then finish sizing with the Lee collet............... The Lee case length gauge works just fine except when you have case heads that vary in thickness or there are internal burrs at the flash hole. The Lee case length gauge bears on the internal flash hole shoulder so trim lengths will vary a bit if the above two conditions exist. ....... I used the lee case length gauges for many years and finally switched to a Wilson trimmer. Camping is much happier now :cool: Good luck, Dale
 
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Quote from Martin22250: ".. I would not ream the flash hole larger..."

Neither would I. There is something happening (IMO) that seems to make these small flash holes more accurate. Years ago PPC made small flash holes in 22-250 brass. That was the most accurate loads I could get by far with that 22-250. Still have the rifle and brass but it has not been used in decades.
 
. The Lee case length gauge works just fine except when you have case heads that vary in thickness or there are internal burrs at the flash hole. The Lee case length gauge bears on the internal flash hole shoulder so trim lengths will vary a bit if the above two conditions exist. ....... I used the lee case length gauges for many years and finally switched to a Wilson trimmer. Camping is much happier now :cool: Good luck, Dale

Actually the lee case length gauge (pilot for their trimmer) "bears" on the face of the shell holder used to turn the case. If you are bearing on the inside of the case head something's wrong.

For those that haven't tried to turn one of Lee's depriming pins or index pin on their case trimer, they are hard. Best way it to chuck the main rod in a drill press and use a fine grinding wheel on a dremel tool. Go slow and don't take any more material off than absolutely necessary. On the trimmer pilot, make sure the final finish is smooth or you run the risk of the pin behaving like a rasp and enlarging the primer flash hole.
 
Ireload2 The case gage they are talking about doesn't have a removable pin Its all one piece and not just hard its really hard. The one I use for 223 has cut thousands of cases and is still holding on, they are so tough I would be reluctant to cut one, but the procedure Amlevin describes sounds like its good to go. These tools are simple but they just work. They cut OAL more consistantly than anything I have tried.
 
These tools are simple but they just work. They cut OAL more consistantly than anything I have tried.

I love these Lee trimmers! So simple, but so effective. And, if you want to trim longer than standard trim-to length, you can turn the spindle out a bit, to whatever trim length you prefer, then use some thread locker to discourage it from moving. (Or spread the split threaded portion apart slightly to create more thread "bite" - or both.)
 
I love these Lee trimmers! So simple, but so effective. And, if you want to trim longer than standard trim-to length, you can turn the spindle out a bit, to whatever trim length you prefer, then use some thread locker to discourage it from moving. (Or spread the split threaded portion apart slightly to create more thread "bite" - or both.)

a more positive method is to merely cut a shim that fits the OD of the pilot and has a hole that the split threaded part can fit through. The shim will be a positive stop. For example, if you want to trim .308 cases to 2.015" instead of he 2.005" that the lee pilot is set for, add a .010" shim.
 
Actually the lee case length gauge (pilot for their trimmer) "bears" on the face of the shell holder used to turn the case. If you are bearing on the inside of the case head something's wrong.

For those that haven't tried to turn one of Lee's depriming pins or index pin on their case trimer, they are hard. Best way it to chuck the main rod in a drill press and use a fine grinding wheel on a dremel tool. Go slow and don't take any more material off than absolutely necessary. On the trimmer pilot, make sure the final finish is smooth or you run the risk of the pin behaving like a rasp and enlarging the primer flash hole.
a more positive method is to merely cut a shim that fits the OD of the pilot and has a hole that the split threaded part can fit through. The shim will be a positive stop. For example, if you want to trim .308 cases to 2.015" instead of he 2.005" that the lee pilot is set for, add a .010" shim.
Good answer on both accounts. I haven't used the Lee case gauge in so long that my memory is foggy. Thanks for the correction.
 
Thanks for all the info about the lee case length guage.I received the guage yesterday. I used a flat file and took off the amount I needed. Fits in the flash hole perfectly. Thanks again Scott.
 
The gauges I have seen have a hardened steel pin pressed into a soft steel body.
If the entire thing was hard it would easily snap off where the pin joins the body.

Ireload2 The case gage they are talking about doesn't have a removable pin Its all one piece and not just hard its really hard. The one I use for 223 has cut thousands of cases and is still holding on, they are so tough I would be reluctant to cut one, but the procedure Amlevin describes sounds like its good to go. These tools are simple but they just work. They cut OAL more consistantly than anything I have tried.
 

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