Here's a Q for the experienced out there....

[nevanevan]

You're getting excited over something that isn't terribly important. OAL measurements are normally for magazine fed rifles and don't apply too much to a single shot. You're more interested in the chamber length as it applies to where the rifling starts. Establish that lenghth and set your calipre to it for use as a guage.
"...wasting my time and money on comparator gauges..." Yep. They're made to separate you from your money. A good vernier calipre, preferably digital, is the only thing you need.

Read the original OP's post before commenting. The OP has already purchased the Comparator tool and this thread is about using it properly and understanding the benefits of seating into, touching, or before the lands. Save your frugal comments for somebody else

back to the thread

 

[MadMarty]

Like stated in my origional post, it's not that I don't know how to use the hornady gauge, nor the couple others that have used them for years. Or the fact that using other measuring tools and tricks had the same issue. Across the board of all the ways to measure, and not just by my hands there was a large variance in measurements.