remington 700 lite primer strikes

[wildfowler]

As long as he will pledge to return it in a timely manner, I will be very happy to send him my Wilson case gauge so he can check his fired cases before he goes and buys more tools. It's very easy to see if your headspace is too deep which could be a contributor to light primer strikes. I agree however that a reloader should be in the never ending process of accumulating a basic set of helpful tools. I use my hornady comparator tool like what's pictured above regularly. Honestly however I could probably do without my Wilson case Gage because I really don't need to use it more than a handful of times. The hornady tool will show the same thing. The only reason I even pulled it out again in the last five years or so is because I have bought a new 300 blackout.

If the OP had a complete factory rifle, the headspace should be correct from the factory. If this was a receiver and barrel set like mine that was installed by a gunsmith there is a small possibility that gunsmith did not fit the headspace exactly correct.

My gunsmith could have done a better job by grinding a little more off of my recoil lug. I could have told my gun Smith going into this that bolt action 300 blackout are notorious for having light primer strike issues and to please set my headspace as short as possible. But I got lazy and did not consider that at the time. I am personally OK with my set up because I may have a slight case capacity increase over SAMMI due to longer shoulder.

[wildfowler]

all casing i fired didnt fit in gauge, i assumed that they wouldnt because the expanded to fit my chamber, so what am i looking for with this test

Don't assume that. Would they not enter the case at all or did they not seat below flush. My Wilson gauge will accept a fired case. For my rifle, which has a slightly longer headspace, the rim of the fired case will stand taller than the top shelf.

You are looking to see if your rifle is head spaced within spec.

Hornady calls that a "cartridge" gauge for checking to SAAMI spec, so it's probably not designed to accept a fired case like a headspace gauge is.

So we get to help him spend more money on different tools

I am not speaking of the hornady comparator tool that you illustrated above. I am speaking of the Wilson case Gauge.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/71404 ... c-blackout

Instructions:

Drop a fired case into the gauge. Take a measurement on headspace. This can be done with either a depth micrometer or caliper (Depending on if the case is sitting high or low in the gauge). If the case sticks out past maximum headspace the firearm probably has a larger than average chamber. The gauge can still be used because it is being used to determine how much resizing is required.
Now once the initial measurement is taken, slowly dial in the full length sizer until there is a 0.001 to 0.002 drop in headspace. This will give the measurement to resize the case just below the chambers headspace in the firearm being reloaded for, giving a more accurate shot and saving brass by not causing it to be overworked.
Once the brass has been sized, set the brass in the gauge and set the gauge on a flat surface with the head side facing down. Now look across the top of the gauge, this give the maximum and minimum for trim length.

[SwampDog_13]

The problem with using a cartridge gauge like the wilson or sheridan to diagnose a headspace issue with fired brass is that they should be cut to the minimum chamber spec. Now unless a chamber is cut to the exact minimum spec a fire formed piece of brass should never make it all the way to said gauge.

They are great tools but I find them more useful when deciphering complete cartridge issues.

[dellet]

Don't assume that. Would they not enter the case at all or did they not seat below flush. My Wilson gauge will accept a fired case. For my rifle, which has a slightly longer headspace, the rim of the fired case will stand taller than the top shelf.

You are looking to see if your rifle is head spaced within spec.

Hornady calls that a "cartridge" gauge for checking to SAAMI spec, so it's probably not designed to accept a fired case like a headspace gauge is.

So we get to help him spend more money on different tools

I am not speaking of the hornady comparator tool that you illustrated above. I am speaking of the Wilson case Gauge.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/71404 ... c-blackout

L.E. Wilson has been making precision reloading tools for over 80 years. The Case Length Headspace Gauge allows reloaders to measure case length from the base of the cartridge to the shoulder, as well as the maximum case length. This process shows the reloader if ammunition is being produced within specifications.

Technical Information

Material: Steel
Features: Precision Machining
Notes:

This is a one-piece, non-adjustable cylinder-type gauge for checking fired and resized cartridge cases for cone-to-head and overall length
Used to compare cartridges against the minimum SAAMI chamber dimensions
The item description will indicate if the headspace gauge is Adjustable

Instructions:

Drop a fired case into the gauge. Take a measurement on headspace. This can be done with either a depth micrometer or caliper (Depending on if the case is sitting high or low in the gauge). If the case sticks out past maximum headspace the firearm probably has a larger than average chamber. The gauge can still be used because it is being used to determine how much resizing is required.
Now once the initial measurement is taken, slowly dial in the full length sizer until there is a 0.001 to 0.002 drop in headspace. This will give the measurement to resize the case just below the chambers headspace in the firearm being reloaded for, giving a more accurate shot and saving brass by not causing it to be overworked.
Once the brass has been sized, set the brass in the gauge and set the gauge on a flat surface with the head side facing down. Now look across the top of the gauge, this give the maximum and minimum for trim length.

Understood, my fault for not being clear.
I thought Wilson actually referred to his as a headspace gauge instead of cartridge gauge?

Question is if the Hornady is designed to accept a fired case?

We still get to try to spend more of the OP's money to solve the problem

[wildfowler]

The problem with using a cartridge gauge like the wilson or sheridan to diagnose a headspace issue with fired brass is that they should be cut to the minimum chamber spec. Now unless a chamber is cut to the exact minimum spec a fire formed piece of brass should never make it all the way to said gauge.

They are great tools but I find them more useful when deciphering complete cartridge issues.

My Wilson gauge is notched just to illustrate both minimum and maximum headspace on one end and overall case length on the other end.

Maybe I don't understand how to use the gauge. I thought the tool was supposed to indicate your chamber dimensions relative to the minimum and maximum spec.

For example, if your chamber had a longer or beyond maximum headspace length like mine does a fired case would stand out higher than the top of the top shelf on the gauge? Conversely if you were somewhere between minimum and maximum the case head would not sink below the bottom shelf nor would it extend higher than the top shelf?

[wildfowler]

The other way to try and solve the problem or at least rule out headspace as causing the problem without buying any additional tools is through trial and error.

Loosen The setting on your die a full turn from farm contact with your shell plate and tighten back in the press. Size a case. Clean lube and check to see if you can close the bolt on that case. If the bolt will not close without significant resistance, adjust the setting on the die downward in tiny incremental moves retesting for bolt close in your gun between each incremental move until you are just able to close the bolt. Be sure and lube and subsequently clean between the adjustments. Sizing lube could give a false indicator.

My idea of a tiny move is a 16th - 8th of a turn at a time. You don't want to overshoot and move your headspace back to far.

Depending on where you live, you could test this by firing primer only cases in another room away from your reloading components.

[wildfowler]

Dellet. I only have the Wilson gauge and the hornady comparator tool. I am not familiar with other tools on the market. The comparator tool is obviously not cartridge specific, thereby making it much more useful to someone who reloads multiple cartridges.

[SwampDog_13]

The problem with using a cartridge gauge like the wilson or sheridan to diagnose a headspace issue with fired brass is that they should be cut to the minimum chamber spec. Now unless a chamber is cut to the exact minimum spec a fire formed piece of brass should never make it all the way to said gauge.

They are great tools but I find them more useful when deciphering complete cartridge issues.

My Wilson gauge is notched just to illustrate both minimum and maximum headspace on one end and overall case length on the other end.

Maybe I don't understand how to use the gauge. I thought the tool was supposed to indicate your chamber dimensions relative to the minimum and maximum spec.

For example, if your chamber had a longer or beyond maximum headspace length like mine does a fired case would stand out higher than the top of the top shelf on the gauge? Conversely if you were somewhere between minimum and maximum the case head would not sink below the bottom shelf nor would it extend higher than the top shelf?

You're using your gauge the correct way and as far as I'm reading have a complete grasp of its uses. They work great for how you are using them for resized brass. The issue is that once a piece of brass has been fire formed it shouldn't even be able to fit into the gauge anymore. The case body, neck, and shoulder should have all expanded to the point that they would no longer fit in a minimum spec chamber. Therefore not being able to slide all the way down into the gauge.

[wildfowler]

You're using your gauge the correct way and as far as I'm reading have a complete grasp of its uses. They work great for how you are using them for resized brass. The issue is that once a piece of brass has been fire formed it shouldn't even be able to fit into the gauge anymore. The case body, neck, and shoulder should have all expanded to the point that they would no longer fit in a minimum spec chamber. Therefore not being able to slide all the way down into the gauge.

The instructions say to use a fired brass in the Wilson gauge. I am fairly certain these Wilson gauges have oversized bore dimensions to allow a fired case to also fit.

I am also fairly certain that the Wilson gauges are NOT intended to be used as a "loaded cartridge gauge" like some of the pistol gauges are. There was some discussion regarding this issue many years ago when 300 BLK TALK was brand new and the Wilson gauge was the only gauge on the market.

[bangbangping]

We still get to try to spend more of the OP's money to solve the problem

I'm a huge proponent of spending someone else's money.

HOWEVER, in a pinch a sized, properly trimmed 9mm case may be used with calipers in place of the Hornady comparator. Not as convenient to use, but it should say something about the headspace.

...bolt action 300 blackout are notorious for having light primer strike issues ...

No doubt, sometimes even with correct headspace. My M7 will not reliably fire magnum primers, even on neck-sized-only brass. I've tried light firing pins, heavy pins, made my own heavy spring...nope. And a case that doesn't fire after two or three strikes will be significantly shorter coming out then when it went in, so it's obvious that the pin is expending energy pushing that vestigial shoulder back. Proper headspace is necessary, but sometimes not sufficient.