Hey everyone, I'm starting to load for my .50 ae now after getting comfortable with .45acp and 9mm luger. One tool I use for the latter cartridges is a max cartridge gage. I have been unable to locate one of the for the .50AE, so I was wondering how I would check headspace for this completed round? I have trimmed the cases to the specified length and I'll keep close on the OAL listed in the manual. Just for info I'm using Hornady cases with CCI 350 magnum primers. Also using IMR 4227, and Ranier 300gr. leadsafe jhp's. Anyone that can help out, or has a good recipe, will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Your having a confusion of terms.
Headspace is the distance from the chamber step to the (closed) breachface. Your case length is only a problem if it exceeds this distance (that's where trimming comes in).

OAL is the length of the assembled cartridge.

"Back in the day" us old timers used to make our own OAL gauges out of tubing or (if you wanted to be fancy) 3 pieces of steel (2 plates bolted to a block that was machined to match the OAL). There were no "factory made" gauges.

To check headspace in a Desert Eagle 50 AE, you would need go no go gages. Lots of luck finding them.

The 50 AE cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case so, if the gun is made within accepted specifications and the case length is per SAAMI specs, the headspace will be correct. The way you'll get excess headspace is by trimming too much.

Personally, as long as the cases aren't over SAAMI specs, I would never trim them. As for COAL, the main thing you need to be sure of is that the finished cartridge will feed through the magazine. Unless the loading manual specifies bullets of the same contour that you're using, the seating depth, is going to vary a little and that probably won't matter.

Thanks for the good info! Are the suggested COAL or "Trim to specs" in the reloading manuals SAAMI specs? Or are they the specs the company tested the load at?

A NO-GO Gauge would be 1.297" long
A GO Gauge would 1.285" long
These gauges are for checking your gun.
These are directly from the SAAMI chamber drawings.
Any tool maker or machinist with a lathe could make these gauges.

If field stripping of the gun is easy just use the barrel as your ammo gauge.

If you must have a gauge make a chamber casting of your chamber and measure it.

Then just measure your ammo with calipers.
Or just measure a fired case and make sure you ammo is smaller in diamter than the fired case.

The "headspace" of the ammo for this caliber is just the case length. The max case length is the minimum chamber length. That is as the engineers designed it.

The case is 1.285 +.000 - .100 .010 per the SAAMI drawing.

Cartridge length is 1.595 to 1.555.


I notice you are using those elcheapo Raniers. You would be better off with good cast bullets.

Unless you are using oversize cast bullets the cartridge gauges are not a very useful. You will just gauge everything good.

quote:

Originally posted by medic883:
Thanks for the good info! Are the suggested COAL or "Trim to specs" in the reloading manuals SAAMI specs? Or are they the specs the company tested the load at?

1. The maximum case lengths and trim to lengths are SAAMI specs.

2. The COAL lengths published are what the publisher of the reloading manual used in working up a load with a particular bullet or bullets.

quote:

The case is 1.285 +.000 -.100 per the SAAMI drawing.

Clearly a typo.



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quote:

Originally posted by TX Nimrod:

quote:

The case is 1.285 +.000 -.100 per the SAAMI drawing.

Clearly a typo.



.

Yes the danger of discussing reloading on the net.
It should be

1.285 +.000 -.010

I would add that I am dumbfounded why some folks will not buy a loading manual. They then turn around and ask other people on the net for loading data. Typos can get you.

.[/QUOTE]Yes the danger of discussing reloading on the net.
It should be

1.285 +.000 -.010

I would add that I am dumbfounded why some folks will not buy a loading manual. They then turn around and ask other people on the net for loading data. Typos can get you.[/QUOTE]

I have manuals, I just don't have a maximum cartridge Gage.

quote:

Originally posted by medic883:
.

Yes the danger of discussing reloading on the net.
It should be

1.285 +.000 -.010

I would add that I am dumbfounded why some folks will not buy a loading manual. They then turn around and ask other people on the net for loading data. Typos can get you.[/QUOTE]

I have manuals, I just don't have a maximum cartridge Gage.[/QUOTE]

Sorry I was not referring to you. You did not ask for loading data. I was referring to those who spend money on everything but a manual.

Well I did inquire about other folks load recipes, so I could see where they're might have been confusion, and I agree with you a manual is the most important tool we can use.