New brass for go gauge

[DLT]

Is there any advantages to using a new piece of brass for a go gauge ? If so what could they be or any disadvantages ?

 

[swd]

No, new brass is frequently very short. I’ve seen it as much as .013-.014” short of go. If it’s your own gun, it’s up to you but I’d rather use a go gage.

 

[BoydAllen]

Fl dies are generally built in relation to minimum SAAMI headspace which corresponds to a GO gauge. New brass can be several thousandths shorter than that so if you set up a barrel using a new piece of brass you might not be able to bump back the shoulder of a fired case.

Back in the day I set up a drop in Savage barrel using a piece of new Lapua brass, with a piece of painters tape on the head. To be able to bump fired cases shoulders I had to shorten the shell holder. If you shop around you can find some decent deals on GO gauges.

 

[SeabeeKen]

Why not just buy a go gauge and do it right. I have a box of them for a rack of barrels i use

 

[dgeesaman]

No, new brass is frequently very short. I’ve seen it as much as .013-.014” short of go. If it’s your own gun, it’s up to you but I’d rather use a go gage.

I tested an older 22-250 with custom barrel that was .015 short and I couldn’t imagine why. But this would explain it.

 

[DLT]

Why not just buy a go gauge and do it right. I have a box of them for a rack of barrels i use

I have one just wondering if there were any big pluses or big no no’s in using one.

 

[Murray Brook]

All good advice. Using a virgin case as a go gauge will probably necessitate a custom sizing die. JMO

 

[3Ackleys]

No, new brass is frequently very short. I’ve seen it as much as .013-.014” short of go. If it’s your own gun, it’s up to you but I’d rather use a go gage.

And sometimes long. New ADG 30 Nosler needs to be bumped back in my gun.

 

[RegionRat]

Another reason not to try this, is because there is a stark difference in the stiffness of a piece of brass compared to a steel gage.

So, not only will the shoulder datum length on a random piece of virgin brass be different than the GO dimension, it will require a very skilled hand when compared to using a steel gage.

 

[Orr89rocz]

Ive done it. One with ADG brass, they were not short. I measured one and then ran it thru the die to bump it .002 or so. It moved so i took a new piece and used it as a go. That gun only uses that brass and not factory ammo so no worries

If the brass was short and did not move in the die then i wouldnt do it for the reasons mentioned in this thread.

Another with 257 roberts brass. I had federal and Winchester and dont recall which i used. But the die was an old forster benchrest die and didnt seem to bump shoulder back at all. So that gun, all brass in that die fits chamber tight and bolt close is stiffer than i like but they all go in and it shoots tight. Factory ammo did actually chamber fine

 

[NZ_Fclass]

In the past, I have used brass as a gauge - for a wildcat that had no gauge available. Brass was sized by nefarious methods, measured carefully, then filled with epoxy to prevent crushing. Kinda worked...still have the rifle somewhere.

 

[DaveTooley]

And sometimes long. New ADG 30 Nosler needs to be bumped back in my gun.

Over the years I've run into this before. Your problem is likely a radius mismatch at the neck shoulder junction. Easy to verify. Mark that area with a black magic marker then chamber the brass. If that's the problem you'll see a ring around the case.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Brass filled filled with 2 part(24hr) epoxy was used for my 17 rem go gage. Yes, the brass gets warm, wear a glove. Same brass used for the reamer.

 

[boltfluter]

Did a couple of 6DASHERS this way a few years ago, for a friend and myself. Not sure what our logic was at the time, but it worked out fine. Only about .003 short on the chamber so no biggie.
Paul

 

[JSH]

I used new virgin, ran through a FL sizer, once. It was short and my die would not bump, I should have done more measuring initially. At least that project was a nut job and fix was easy instead of removing material on shell holder or die.

 

[K22]

In addition to the above reason why not to, I had a lot of Hornady virgin cases that had headspace that was too long.