Best oal gauge?

[RangerBrad]

I have tried the Frankford arsenal gauge and I dare you to try and get the same measurment twice (even close). I have also tried the Hornady OAL gauge but the brass was not sized and wouldn't fit in the chamber ( brass far to big) and when my father-in-law tried to size it, it crushed the case. What is a good oal gauge I can find that can be trusted at a fair price? Thank's, Brad

 

[Trickymissfit]

I have tried the Frankford arsenal gauge and I dare you to try and get the same measurment twice (even close). I have also tried the Hornady OAL gauge but the brass was not sized and wouldn't fit in the chamber ( brass far to big) and when my father-in-law tried to size it, it crushed the case. What is a good oal gauge I can find that can be trusted at a fair price? Thank's, Brad

I've been using the Stoney Point gauge for a long time. Hornaday bought Stoney Point, and the gauge they sell is similar.
gary

 

[emn83]

I use the Hornady gauge, it works very well for me, now that I know what I'm doing

 

[Sully2]

I use a bullet and a fired casing. Coat the bullet with a black marker....seat that bullet in the casing so that it holds tight and nothing more.

Chamber the round as best you can...and close and open the bolt ( not open the whole action...just the bolt) so that rifling marks appear on the marked black bullet.

Cant get the bullet out? Knock it out of the barrel with a clean out rod and start over...seating the bullet deeper this time. Re coat the bullet...etc...etc.

Once you have an OAL that works for you...crimp or ??..the bullet tightly into that case

 

[Joe King]

I use a bullet and a fired casing. Coat the bullet with a black marker....seat that bullet in the casing so that it holds tight and nothing more.

Chamber the round as best you can...and close and open the bolt ( not open the whole action...just the bolt) so that rifling marks appear on the marked black bullet.

Cant get the bullet out? Knock it out of the barrel with a clean out rod and start over...seating the bullet deeper this time. Re coat the bullet...etc...etc.

Once you have an OAL that works for you...crimp or ??..the bullet tightly into that case

Exactly how i do it, beyond that I then measure the dummy round with a hornady bullet comparator very VERY carefully, then seat that bullet into a sized case to the dummy round dimensions, label it and set in my die box. the only down side is that you need a fired case first, but I'll just go get a box of the cheapest factory blammo I can find and fire off 1/2 of them.

 

[Mikecr]

That plastic junk can't be expected to work.
THIS is the best OAL measuring tool:
Reloader's Nest Forum - OAL
Go to woods post about the R-P tool.

 

[RangerBrad]

I like that the R-P tool works like the Frankford. I would hope it would be better as I and a friend I know both have the same problem in not getting consistant readings. Brad

 

[RangerBrad]

What is this about having to calculate in head space when using a Hornady/Stoneypoint style OAL gauge? Brad

 

[Trickymissfit]

What is this about having to calculate in head space when using a Hornady/Stoneypoint style OAL gauge? Brad

here's some thought I picked up from the benchrest crowd years back:

The case neck is over size in the I.D., but the basic body is slightly undersized. I personally prefer to do it all with once fired and unsized cases to calculate the headspace. Theye will then glue a shim to the face of the case body to get the proper headspace off the modified case. This can be measured by compairing the modified case with a once fired case. Most of the time it's about .0025".

Now I don't worry too much about this. I make my deminsions off the fired case, and know the difference before hand. So when I measure the bullet in the mod case I simply add the difference between the fired and modded case. Not perfect, but very close.
gary