Case Gage for Straight Walled Pistol Cases

[Hefights]

I use a case gage religiously in reloading rifle ammunition.

In many, many years of reloading .45 ACP from a broad diversity of good and questionable range brass, the only failure to feed in multiple guns has been SWC bullets set too long, mostly in one gun, fixed by seating a little deeper with a good quality taper crimp.

In years of reloading 9mm and shooting in Glock 17 and 19, I cannot really remember the last time I had a failure to feed, honestly. I'm sure I did, I just cannot remember it.

I will never gage semi auto pistol ammo, I still try to spend as much time shooting as reloading, I guess I'm just weird that way.

Flame away pistol gagers. I do not shoot pistols for competition, and self defense loads are factory ammo for me. If I reloaded for either purpose, that is the only way I would ever consider using a gage on pistol ammo.

In .45 ACP, I could see using a case gage if you shoot it in a revolver.

[p246]

I load 1000s of round 9 38 and 45 to practice with only. I do not case gauge either but I have access to all the brass I want so I do not load them till they are ragged either.

[joem]

I reload quite a few pistol and rifle calibers. I use maximum length case gauges when I set up my dies and to make sure my reloads will function is several pistols or rifles.. Sure, I still get a few that will not chamber and it's due to a damaged case that slips through on a progressive press.

[Major Tom]

I never owned a case gage, never will. Occasionally, I will use a caliper to measure case length, but only when I think there is an obvious concern. My 45acp pistol will digest anything put in it including SWC and truncated (pointed) bullets. I use a Lee taper crimp.

[Hefights]

So far responses make sense. On another forum that shall remain nameless, folks think you have to gage pistol cases, just because.

[p246]

In the last year there are a lot of new expert reloders out there. The internet is full of weird advice right now.

[Hefights]

You got that right, hadn't noticed it until just recently, but you nailed it. Glad I always have here to come back to.

[joem]

I had a problem with .40 S&W. I finally bought a case gauge so I could get my reloads to function perfectly. I guess the chamber is extremely tight or at minmum specs. The case gauge helped me a lot.

[Hefights]

Yes, so if you need one, you get one and it helps. A bunch of folks are getting cheap once fired or range brass, putting their reloads in the gage, and a few dont go, then they get all wrapped around the axle as if there is a big problem. The point is, 99 times out of a hundred, assuming your life ain't on the line, you put them in a magazine they will still chamber and shoot at the range. Maybe there is a danger of slam fire if you have an UZI firing from an open bolt, but otherwise with the average pistol the risk is very low to nonexistent.

In many batches of surplus brass, there are often some that wont pass a case gage, fired in oversized chambers, or machine gun, bad brass, whatever, and sometimes there is very little that can be done. Its more cost effective to toss the few that dont work and move on. I do it all the time with 2-5% of Korean M2 brass I reload. For most pistols, those outliers will still fire.

I have been reloading and shooting questionable range brass in .45 ACP for years, your not going to tell me they will all pass a case gage test, I do not use small base or any special dies. But they all chamber and shoot if the bullet is seated correctly.