barrel switch without go-no go gauges

[rp85]

hello;

did a search on how to do this switch, but did not find the answer. would like to return to 243win. barrel. with out gauges do you use a case sized in your resizing dies or do you use a case that was fired in the barrel????? thanks for any input.

have given up with extraction probelms with the 308win barrel. returning to the 243win.

rp

[hershey]

use a fired case from the barrel to get as close to original as possible or size your case to your die, the set your barrel to that, i generally do the sized option, but also measure my brass to make sure it is real close to spec.

[Apache]

One other thing will help in the future, put a witness mark on the (bottom) barrel so you will know where it was the last time the barrel was fitted. When switching barrels a lot it helps.

[Armed in Utah]

Set up a lot of barrels...still have yet to use gauges....my dies & brass is all I use....

[dcloco]

Set up a lot of barrels...still have yet to use gauges....my dies & brass is all I use....

+1

[Apache]

Set up a lot of barrels...still have yet to use gauges....my dies & brass is all I use....

+1

+2 Kinda hard to find gauges for all the wildcats I shoot...

[Blue Avenger]

I am another that uses sized cases.

[CARBON-ARCH]

If you have never fired a round out of the barrel being installed, what do you need to do to the brass top be able to use it as a gage?

[DGD6MM]

I load for my brothers .243. I took 2 pieces of brass that had been fired twice in his rifle and full lenght rezised them and used them as go gauges on a buddy's rifle. I went to the range with him and we shot out to 640 yards, we both shot verygood. Last weekend he won a Tactical shoot with that rifle, he outshot an Army Sniper out of Fort Benning by half a point. That was some good shooting with a rifle that was headspaced off of brass. :)

[CARBON-ARCH]

Nice shooting. Thanks for the info on using brass for head spacing.

[Blue Avenger]

start by sliding a piece into the barrel and look at how it fits. Easy to do as the barrel is off and in your hands. Make sure it bottoms out with a very lite tap. if it goes to deep and you do not have the full extractor groove showing, or appears to have to much case sticking out, you will have to start measuring your brass to see if it is the right size and / or You should have a smith check it to see that the chamber was done properly. I have bought a couple barrels that were RE chambered and not quite right.
One was to deep. barrel would screw tight to the bolt head. Case went in to deep and It would only extract after firing. the case was blown back into the bolt head. one cure would have been to raise the die and not push the new shoulder back down creating a larger volume case, BUT I would have had to fire all the cases to make them this way and that might not have turned out well!
If the cases stick out to far, you get into thinner metal and the cases could or will separate int 2 pieces. This can also happen in a proper chamber if you reuse (reload) a case to many times. each firing makes the case thinner.


I forget the exact measurement for case protrusion and am not where I can look it up so I will leave that foe some one that has the information to post rather then guess wrong.

If your case fits properly you are good to use it for a gauge.

[rdfrench]

Not trying to hijack this thread, but I wanted to tell you guys my particular situation and see if what I'm thinking will work. I just ordered a barrel from Fred in 6.5-06. I already have the dies and some 25-06 brass. I also own a Ruger 77 in 25-06. I'm thinking of making a load for the 25-06 and firing it thru the Ruger. Then FL size thru my new 6.5-06 dies (obviously checking case dimensions afterward) then using that piece of brass as my gage. What do you guys think?

[Blue Avenger]

Not trying to hijack this thread, but I wanted to tell you guys my particular situation and see if what I'm thinking will work. I just ordered a barrel from Fred in 6.5-06. I already have the dies and some 25-06 brass. I also own a Ruger 77 in 25-06. I'm thinking of making a load for the 25-06 and firing it thru the Ruger. Then FL size thru my new 6.5-06 dies (obviously checking case dimensions afterward) then using that piece of brass as my gage. What do you guys think?

[img width=600 height=450]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v675/gcidso123/savage/201_5028.jpg[/img]

I think you would be better served by necking down .270 brass so that if there is some discrepancy in the shoulder it will crate a false shoulder to space off of. Here are some .308 necked down to .243 with my .243FL A.I. dies, then fired in an A.I. chamber

[rdfrench]

not sure I follow BA.

[Blue Avenger]

You see the wide spot at the shoulder neck junction where the round would touch the barrel? You tend to get a better neck junction going down in size then up.
also I did not mention that the .270 being a few thousands longer then the o6 would let you trim the cases to a longer equal length.

[rdfrench]

You see the wide spot at the shoulder neck junction where the round would touch the barrel? You tend to get a better neck junction going down in size then up.
also I did not mention that the .270 being a few thousands longer then the o6 would let you trim the cases to a longer equal length.

okay...I think I get where you are coming from. So I should just find some once fired .270 brass and run it thru my 6.5-06 die. When I trim should I trim to below minimum case length, just to be sure my shoulder makes contact with the chamber? Also this will be my hunting rig...so I don't want the bolt closing tight when chambering rounds. How does one adjust for this when head spacing off of sized brass?

[Blue Avenger]

trim to min after firing.
turn barrel in until you feel it stop turning. open bolt to be sure extractor has slipped into groove on case. close bolt and recheck that barrel is turned snug. if bolt is to stiff back it off a little. when you tighten the nut it will also pull the barrel away from the bolt a little. do it a few times and you will get a "feel" for it.