223 Cartridge Gauge

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Red Iron

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Just getting into reloading for an AR and I've run into a hiccup. I had a cartridge jam in the chamber. It removed without too much trouble but would have been an issue if I had been in a competition. I've done a search on cartridge gauges and I think I'm going to buy one so I can easily/quickly check loaded rounds. I've read that JP Enterprises is a good gauge as it checks headspace, case length and case diameter. I haven't been able to find a Canadian source. I've found the Lyman case gauge at a site sponsor and would like to buy it but I haven't been able to determine if it gauges case diameter as well. I've looked at the Hornady case comparator but it looks too slow for quickly checking every loaded round.
 
Red Iron said:
Just getting into reloading for an AR and I've run into a hiccup. I had a cartridge jam in the chamber. It removed without too much trouble but would have been an issue if I had been in a competition. I've done a search on cartridge gauges and I think I'm going to buy one so I can easily/quickly check loaded rounds. I've read that JP Enterprises is a good gauge as it checks headspace, case length and case diameter. I haven't been able to find a Canadian source. I've found the Lyman case gauge at a site sponsor and would like to buy it but I haven't been able to determine if it gauges case diameter as well. I've looked at the Hornady case comparator but it looks too slow for quickly checking every loaded round.
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I'd go for a JP which I think you will have to order from the US. I've also been searching for a Canadian supplier and have not been able to find one. The Lyman gauge will only measure case length from datum point on the shoulder. You should note that the JP gauge is reamed with their chamber reamers (223 Wylde) so if your chamber is tighter than a JP chamber, the gauge won't catch this.

Another option is the Sheridan Engineering gauges (they offer both slotted and non-slotted gauges). I haven't used these but they claim to measure case width as well.
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IvoB said:
Measure neck size with a calliper
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He's not talking about the neck width but about the width of the case body and the length of the case from shoulder-datum to base. A caliper could work but because 223 is a tapered cartridge, you'd have to measure various points on the case - very slow if you're checking hundreds of rounds.
 
I have the Hornady cartridge case headspace gauge, a Wilson .223 case gauge and the JP .223 Chamber Case Gauge.

So here is the problem, a fired case will not fit in a Wilson or JP gauge so you don't know the fired length of the case to setup your die for proper shoulder bump.

The JP .223 Chamber Case Gauge works great for checking the loaded cartridge doing a final check.

Below is a fired case in my Hornady gauge.

headspacegauge005_zps20685e73.jpg


Below the same case after resizing with .003 shoulder bump.

headspacegauge004_zps4465b7bc.jpg


Bottom line, I'm 65 and have chronologically gifted eyesight and find it very easy to see the digital display on the calipers. The Hornady gauge makes it very easy to setup your dies and not over resize your cases. And the JP .223 Chamber Case Gauge is good for the final check to make sure it will chamber.

I buy a lot of once fired Lake City military brass, and it is sized with a small base die to ensure it will chamber in three different AR15 rifles. Also commercial .223 cases are not made as hard as 5.56 cases and can cause extraction problems f not sized properly . On top of this resizing dies do vary in size, as a example I have a standard Lee die that will push the shoulder back .009 shorter than my GO gauge. And this same die sizes the case smaller in diameter than my RCBS small base die. So having more than one type of gauge comes in handy to solving problems.

If you are young with good eyesight you could get by with just the JP .223 Chamber Case Gauge. "BUT" just remember there is only .003 difference between the top and bottom steps. And a resized case for a semi-auto should be .003 to .005 smaller in diameter than a fired case and .003 to .006 shorter than the chamber for reliable extraction.
 
Thanks for the info so far. I'm not really looking to set up dies and I only own the 1 AR (so far). Just looking for a quick method to check loaded rounds to be 99% sure they will chamber. The round that caused me grief had the shoulder buckled slightly and I didn't notice. The round would have passed a length check because it was the diameter of the shoulder that jammed it
 
A case gauge is your best bet. I purchased a Lyman 223 case gauge, and a 308 case gauge and both products worked as intended. The .223 that I reload for are for two different AR uppers.

Red Iron said:
Thanks for the info so far. I'm not really looking to set up dies and I only own the 1 AR (so far). Just looking for a quick method to check loaded rounds to be 99% sure they will chamber. The round that caused me grief had the shoulder buckled slightly and I didn't notice. The round would have passed a length check because it was the diameter of the shoulder that jammed it
Click to expand...
 
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