Wilson case guage
- Thread starter ReloaderRick
- Start date
Get a Hornady Cartridge Case Headspace gauge and you will only need "ONE" gauge for every caliber and rifle.
A fired case can be too "FAT" to fit down "INSIDE" the Wilson gauge. This will not happen measuring fired cases with the Hornady gauge.
I now use my Wilson gauges for paper weights and pen holders.
Colt 5.56 FIELD gauge II, 1.4736 or maximum military M16/A4 headspace.
Hornady gauge calibrated to headspace gauge. (only .0001 off and good enough)
New unfired Federal M193 5.56 ammo, .002 shorter than the GO gauge or minimum headspace.
Case fired in my AR15 chamber, the new unfired case had .005 head clearance.
Resized case with .003 shoulder bump, 1.4675 - 1.4645 = .003 (this case is .003 shorter than the chamber)
The resized case with minimum shoulder bump now has .003 head clearance or "air space" between the bolt and the rear of the case.
Below is an animation of a cartridge case firing and the brass stretching to meet the bolt face. Proper shoulder bump will keep the cases from stretching in the base web area and prevents case head separations.
To calibrate the Hornady gauge I zeroed the vernier calipers and then I loosened the set screw holding the two parts of the gauge together. I placed a .010 feeler gauge between the two parts and locked down the set screw. This turns the Hornady gauge from a comparator gauge, to a gauge that reads actual headspace.
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