I love my Stoney Point Chamber All OAL guage. What a painless and sure way to get your OAL. I've run into one issue. I'm loading for a wildcat. The 6.5/06 AI to be exact. The literature that came with the tool said that I could send them a case and they would modify it. Easy enough.

After taking a look at their modifications its simple to see that its just a Remington case that has the case head drilled out and threaded to fit the tool and thats it. At least I think. The neck is blown out so the bullet can slide in and out just as a fired case would be.

I've now figured that I can take the provided 270 Win modified case, pass it through the 270 Win die to size the neck down, and then trim it to 6.5/06 length. The bullet fits a little loosely(I checked) but it still should touch the lands and provide my measurement. The shoulder from the AI chamber is a non factor being forward of the 270 (or 6.5 06) shoulder.

Not the greatest discovery in handloading but beats waiting for the two way shipping plus them machining the case you supply. If anything its a standby while you wait.

It just came to me as I was falling asleep and I had to share it with you all.

Boileroom.
Eagle Eye from up the road in PG has the exact specs on what drill bit/tap size is used to make your own cases.Look him up and I am sure he can help you out.The save shipping and time sounds great to me.RB

The tap is 5/16" X 36 TPI. You're best off taking a case fired in that chamber, drill it out without sizing, tap it and you've got it. That way there is no question of "slop" in the headspace which may introduce about a .004" error in measurements normally. Commonly done. You can get the taps from one of the big tool suppliers like Enco or MSC for under $10 or Stoney Point may sell them to you but the last time I heard they were getting quite a bit more than from the tool suppliers.

Bob338 is right, you should use a fired case for this. The gage measures the distance from the chamber shoulder to the lands when it is inserted in the chamber. You then measure from the case "base" to the bullet ogive with your caliper. The differance in headspace from a unfireformed wildcat case and the rifle chamber could be substancial.

quote:

Originally posted by ruttinbuck:
Boileroom.
Eagle Eye from up the road in PG has the exact specs on what drill bit/tap size is used to make your own cases.Look him up and I am sure he can help you out.The save shipping and time sounds great to me.RB

Well theres my easiest solution. Thanks alot.

Loading 16 chamberings, including half dozed 'cats, looked like an expensive proposition if using factory gague and cases. So, I've made my own cases for all of them. In fact I made the body of the gague - out of a piece of metal brake tubing - and the push rod from a brass brazing rod. Drilled a hole in the gague body, soldered on a nut over the hole, screwed in a small bolt that fits the nut. It tightens down on push rod after it pushes the bullet into lands.
I just use one of the fired cartridges, drill out the primer pocket (use paded vise jaws and wrap case with a piece of inner tube rubber), then tap the hole to match the threads of the gague. Use a drummel or small round file to open up the neck just a tad so the bullet slides in and out. Now takes me no more than 20 minutes to make a case for anything I want to load (have made them for 17 Rem through 45/70)