M1A .308 Loads ,Primers?

[30Cal]

Is the Wilson case gauge a good gauge? I have an old one that my Dad had. No instructions, but it seems if the case drops in, and you put the gauge down on a flat surface, and it stays flat, you're good to go.

It'll get the job done.

[ar15barrels]

Is the Wilson case gauge a good gauge? I have an old one that my Dad had. No instructions, but it seems if the case drops in, and you put the gauge down on a flat surface, and it stays flat, you're good to go.

When you drop the case in, look across the rear face of the gauge and find the shallow slot that's ground into the rear face.
The case head should be somewhere between that ground slot's face and the rear face of the gauge.
If the case fits deeper into the gauge than that ground slot, you are sizing too much.
If the case head sticks out of the rear of the gauge, you are not sizing enough.
That's basically how you use a Wilson or Dillon case gauge.

[f4tweet]

Outstanding, that was what I thought that the distance between the machined area and the base was the acceptable length. Now, does this mean the shoulder area is sized properly also?

[rksimple]

When you drop the case in, look across the rear face of the gauge and find the shallow slot that's ground into the rear face.
The case head should be somewhere between that ground slot's face and the rear face of the gauge.
If the case fits deeper into the gauge than that ground slot, you are sizing too much.
If the case head sticks out of the rear of the gauge, you are not sizing enough.
That's basically how you use a Wilson or Dillon case gauge.

And depending on the chamber, even if its sitting flush, he could still be sizing too much. Better is to buy a case comparator and adjust your die to bump the shoulder .002. If you set up your dies correctly, you should not need a small base die. Reloading for the m14/m1a is not hard.

[f4tweet]

I am going over to Stockade tomorrow and check this out. I have been reloading pistol for 7 years, but this is a different animal because of the added consideration of the case neck and shoulder to do CORRECTLY. I am using new Redding Dies. Thanks for the input everyone. F4tweet

[f4tweet]

M1A .308 Loads ,Primers?

Well I went over and bought a case comparator base with a .30 & .22 ring. This is so easy to use and it tells you a measurement based off the ogive of the bullet, not the OAL off the tip of the bullet. I found the tips of the Sierra always seemed to be a little different, hence OAL measured from the tip was always off. This and a Stoney Point (Hornaday) OAL Gauge, and a case gauge are an incredibly cheap set of tools that tell you exactly what you need to know. Thanks everybody, I got a years worth of knowledge in a couple of weeks.