Sheridan Cartridge Case Guages

MotoHunter

MotoHunter

New member
I'm looking for a Sheridan Cartridge Case Gauge in .308 with the cut out. Who sells them? Checked Midsouth and Brownells, no go. I'm struggling with a bolt lift issue, and am no where near published max loads with it, and no over pressure signs. It's sticky right at the top of the lift and have found some stuff discussing the same issue and would like to be able to check my case prep completely. I have a Wilson gauge but it will only check the headspace and trim length. I want to be able to look at the complete cartridge fit, especially the case head diameter. They seem to measure out within spec, but something is going on I can't see.
 
I was hoping to find them cheaper than going direct. They are probably worth it to be able to see what's going on with those cases. Thanks for the quick reply.
 
So I bought one with the cut out, it showed up Friday, I used it and found my problem. Why didn't I know about these sooner? I now have several new paper weights/door stops made by Wilson. Anybody want to trade a few Wilson gauges for a small base .308 resizing die set? The chamber in my Mossberg MVP LR is a lot tighter than I gave them credit for.
 
the wilson and the sheridan gauges are two completely different tools, so i wouldnt toss them all just yet. one thing you can do with a wilson gauge that a sheridan doesnt do (usually) is verify headspace measurements on fired brass.

unless you have a tight chamber (right at SAAMI minimum) your fire formed brass most likley wont fit into the sheridan due to the dimensional expansion of the body of the brass.

now that same data can be had with a set of comparators, headspace gauges and OAL gauge so if you still want to offload your wilsons, that would be your next equipment investment i would recommend. might even be able to work out a trade for one or more of those peices.

the hornady sets are nice and can really allow you to being to understand the relationship of your ammo and your chamber even further.

hornady OAL chamber gauge (you need a modified shell casing for each caliber too)
http://a.co/hutMIlP

bullet comparator and inserts (for measuring the Ogive on a bullet)
http://a.co/41hCUyi

hornady headspace gauge
http://a.co/hV4Pwqo

hth
 
So I just bought a Wilson headspace gauge to use for reloading AR-15 and now I'm completely confused on what I truly need. I know that you have to FL size each case for reliable feed, so my assumption was the Wilson gauge was the right way to go. Am I wrong?
 
a wilson gauge is a headspace gauge only.

a sheridan gauge is an ammunition gauge - so it will measure headspace on sized brass as well as verifying that your ammo will fit into any SAAMI spec chamber - its cut to SAAMI minimum chamber (which is just a little larger than SAAMI maximum cartridge)

so not only is it a good yes/no for chambering, the cutaway gauge will allow you to visually see where the contact is being made in a min spec chamber as well as how consistent that contact is.

it also has cuts in the top for headspacemeasuremnts too to make sure thats where it needs to be


you may find that ammo that wont fit into a sheridan gauge WILL fit into your rifles chamber, the trick is to know whats causing it to fail the gauge and what isnt, which is i prefer the cutaway gauges. with a pair of calipers and the saami drawing you can find out based on what you see on the gauge exactly where your problem is.


i started with a blackout one, and have since added 223, 308 & 30-06 to my collection.
 
Originally Posted By: MatlockSo I just bought a Wilson headspace gauge to use for reloading AR-15 and now I'm completely confused on what I truly need. I know that you have to FL size each case for reliable feed, so my assumption was the Wilson gauge was the right way to go. Am I wrong?

full length size the cases just like you are doing for the ar and you probably do not need any stinking gauges.

never owned any kind of reloading gauge in my life (except for a good pair of calipers) and get along just fine.
 
What I found out with my stuff was the full length resized cases would drop into the Wilson gage but hang up right at the head diameter location (.200 up from the base) in the Sheridan gauge. this I have read on Accurateshooter could be causing my bolt lift issue, AKA "clickers". It basically is telling me that my resizing die isn't sizing it properly there. I found an old Herters resizing die this weekend for 6 bucks that seems tighter then the RCBS set and will try it out, if not I will go to a small base die. I was getting a slight bolt hang up right at the top during extraction and no other signs of over pressure and well short of max published loads.
 
Originally Posted By: MotoHunter.. The chamber in my Mossberg MVP LR is a lot tighter than I gave them credit for.
Have a 243 AR10 chamber that was tight also, didn't like most factory rounds, got a small base die for it, now the reloads are happy..
 
Originally Posted By: Plant.Onea wilson gauge is a headspace gauge only.

a sheridan gauge is an ammunition gauge - so it will measure headspace on sized brass as well as verifying that your ammo will fit into any SAAMI spec chamber - its cut to SAAMI minimum chamber (which is just a little larger than SAAMI maximum cartridge)

so not only is it a good yes/no for chambering, the cutaway gauge will allow you to visually see where the contact is being made in a min spec chamber as well as how consistent that contact is.

it also has cuts in the top for headspacemeasuremnts too to make sure thats where it needs to be


you may find that ammo that wont fit into a sheridan gauge WILL fit into your rifles chamber, the trick is to know whats causing it to fail the gauge and what isnt, which is i prefer the cutaway gauges. with a pair of calipers and the saami drawing you can find out based on what you see on the gauge exactly where your problem is.


i started with a blackout one, and have since added 223, 308 & 30-06 to my collection.

Thanks for the explanation!
 
Originally Posted By: SlickerThanSnotOriginally Posted By: MatlockSo I just bought a Wilson headspace gauge to use for reloading AR-15 and now I'm completely confused on what I truly need. I know that you have to FL size each case for reliable feed, so my assumption was the Wilson gauge was the right way to go. Am I wrong?

full length size the cases just like you are doing for the ar and you probably do not need any stinking gauges.

never owned any kind of reloading gauge in my life (except for a good pair of calipers) and get along just fine.


while i agree that you can do everything a sheridan or wilson gauge can do with a set of calipers, a headspace bushing for a comparator for your caliber, an Ogive bushing for the bullet and a saami drawing to spec off of - one thing you cannot do is quick spot check ammo in a yes/no fashion very quickly while reloading with the caliper method.

the sheridan allows you to do a bunch of different measurements at once - body diameter, head diameter, headspace measurement, OAL check, and basic concentricity all at once.

a quick plunk test of every 5th or 10th round (or even every round) in the gauge gives you a definitive answer right there, and you then know if you need to get the calipers out to know exactly how much that loaded round is in fact out of spec - or just set it aside for more intense QC after your loading session, assuming of course you're not having the same issue show up repeatedly.

neither method is incorrect, and your caliper/drawing method is actually superior in some ways, but they both have their strength's and weaknesses.
 


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