Sheridan...is it absolutely essential?

[10Driver]

I should clarify that a slotted Sheridan gauge in 300 AAC BLK is at the top of my buy list. I immediately see the value and really planned on having one by now.


My question is primarily more in relation to the .223 and possibly the .30-06 gauges. For .223 I’m planning to stay with pretty standard loads. The.30-06 is strictly for Garands and 03s.



Do I need the slotted Sheridan in these calibers, or can I get by with the cheaper headspace/case length gauges?

[Blowout]

I have a Sheridan gauge for 223 and hardly ever use it. It's great for a quick check, but a head space gauge and bullet comparator and calipers do the job and provide a measurement that can be written down and used when setting up your equipment.

[Omega]

Essential, not really, there are other ways to arrive at the same conclusion. I have one for 300Blk and .277 WLV because I'm forming my own brass, everything else, and those two after fire forming, get measured with a bullet comparator and headspace guage. But I must say, they come in real handy because it measures all the critical points at once, the only drawback is no numbers to reference.

[plant.one]

i wouldnt call them necessary by any means, however i would call them very useful in a specific aspect

while being able to do a "plunk test" doesnt give you any useful information other than yes/no, it can - via the visual slot - allow you to physically see where you need to start measuring for your out of spec area. or at the very least a good general area to do so.

from that respect - it truly is an invaluable tool as it lets us save a significant ammount of time chasing stuff that probably isnt wrong to begin with when we're trying to diagnose a wider issue and focus on where we're most likely to find the flaw thats giving us trouble.

[golfindia]

Many people reloaded many cartridges for many years before gauges came on the scene.

A comparator is a mich more useful investment.

[Zapp]

This is a comment I see come up from time to time about the gauges. People say you can't get numbers off them. That is not exactly true. You could use it in basically the same way you use a comparator. The comparator requires calipers to get the measurement. you could get a measurement the same way, using the gauge and calipers. I machine the different steps on the gauge to be SAAMI reference points.

The basic comparators can trick people as well, since many measure just from the datum point, and don't use a caliber specific insert.

People also say that you can check the diameters just as well with calipers. You can check diameters at each point individually, true. But what they fail to account for is that all of those measurements HAVE to share a common axis. The gauge does that, calipers don't. Bulged or bent brass could pass a caliper/visual test and fail the gauge. Same with bullet seating. Seat a bullet crooked enough, the gauge will catch it even though it could pass calipers/visual inspection.

But if you don't have a good caliper, that should be your first investment.

[r.tenorio671]

I should clarify that a slotted Sheridan gauge in 300 AAC BLK is at the top of my buy list. I immediately see the value and really planned on having one by now.

My question is primarily more in relation to the .223 and possibly the .30-06 gauges. For .223 I’m planning to stay with pretty standard loads. The.30-06 is strictly for Garands and 03s.

Do I need the slotted Sheridan in these calibers, or can I get by with the cheaper headspace/case length gauges?

...how much time, money & components do you wish to save?

...seriously, I find the Sheridan gauges to perform so many functions that I find them to be invaluable and I have them in .223, 300blk, 6.5CM and .308Win and one of the beta .45ACP. The gauges can be used for more than just checking loaded ammo, i.e.:

- set your sizing dies up appropriately
-check your particular bullets ogive for seating depth to SAAMI spec. Of course you can measure your freebore as well for a more barrel specific setting, but this get you in the RIGHT ballpark to start with.
- determine what specifically is preventing a loaded round from chambering (bullet seating depth, trim length, case web sizing, case sizing.)

IMHO, it's one of the wiser investments in reloading tools from the get go as opposed to later after the frustration level has reached a point you start looking to throw money at more solutions (that may or may not resolve your issues.)

[Toby Joe]

Got Sheridan's gauges ordered last night (ordered from BALLISTIC TOOLS). All comments above have merit, and good points made. However, I think the positives of these slotted wonders --- ESPECIALLY for setting up the toolheads / dies for the dreaded "fully semi-automatic" variety of weaponry wizardry may just shave minutes to possibly hours of potential frustration out of the equation. I also ordered the primer pocket "go-no go" while I was at it. I will be using both tools for setting up to process from 5.56 into 300 BO later next week on my 1050.

And, THANKS for the add guys! Looking forward to learning and laughing!