Folks,

I know that there are no such things as stupid questions, only stupid people. I hope that after asking the following that the former is still true and that I don't belong to the latter .

I often hear people talk about setting the shoulder of a case 'back a couple of thousands". How do you make this measurement? Do you do this by eyeballing it with a dial caliper or is there a common method that is more precise (RCBS mic, etc...) ?

Thanks!!

-Steve

Steve,

Stoney Point makes a set of gauges for this (as well as OAL) measurements. You use them with a dial caliper. I think a set for six different calibers is about $35 from Midway/Midsouth/Natches, etc.

Or, you can make your own like I did, or you can buy depth-stop collars for drill bits at your local Home Depot for about $5 and use those. Simply find the correct size that sits on the shoulder about halfway-up and measure your length that way with dial calipers. I also use this tool to measure OAL for soft-point bullets. The tips are often mashed so you cannot accurately measure OAL from the tip of the bullet. Measure on a point on the ogive where it is consistant.

The key with both measurements is to use the same fixture everytime so that you are always measuring from the same datum. Once you establish this datum point and correlate it to your final goal, you'll know how long the base to datum point needs to be to properly fit your chamber, or how long your OAL (at that measuring point) needs to be to give you consistant seating depths. Use a bullet with a pristeen point to establish your datum point for OAL measurements.

Good luck.

P.S. There are NO dumb questions ! If there were, I'd be the king of them!

There are two other ways besides the one mentioned above which also work. RCBS sells what they call a Precision Mic which is cartridge and caliber specific. It's quite accurate but not as handy and fast as the Stoney Point.

The other way is to do it by feel. You can do this by backing off your sizing die a full turn, then progressively screwing it down 1/8 turn while resizing a case. Check the case in your chamber each time until you get a barely perceptible drag as you chamber. This should be about the right amount. It takes time and patience and isn't quite as accurate as the Stoney Point, but is effective if you're on a budget.

[ 10-29-2002, 20:14: Message edited by: Bob338 ]

Thanks Guys!!

-Steve

Anybody ever use a deprimed straight wall pistol case and a dial caliper?

Insert neck of fired rifle cartridge into opening of pistol case of a size that contacts the shoulder about midway down from the neck junction.

Measure O/A length. Setting dies to reflect on 0.002 / .003 change in total combined length would be a 0.002/003 setback of the shoulder.