Weather too crappy to do anything outside so I decided to measure that case capacities on several brands and calibers I shoot.

For each measurement, I used the average weight of at least two cases, fired, unsized, and with the fired primer in place (except the 38-40, as noted). If the first two cases, empty, weighed within 4 grains of each other, I used just two. If the first two cases of a particular brand weighed over 4 grains difference, I weighed another two and averaged the weight of all four.

I filled all cases to the top of the neck with H2O, then "flat-topped" the meniscus.

Here are my findings, all in grains of H2O:

.219 Zipper from R-P 30-30 brass 36.3 gr.
.220 Swift Frontier 49.3 gr.
.220 Swift newer Norma 50.2 gr.
5.6x57 RWS (case weighs 245.1 gr.) 50.2 gr.
.250 Savage Herter's(France or Norma) 44.9 gr.
.250 Savage W-W Super X 46.1 gr.
.257 Roberts Frontier +P 56.5 gr.
.257 Roberts AI old Rem-UMC 61.1 gr.
.257 Roberts AI W-W Super Speed 61.7 gr.
6.5x54 MS new Norma 53.3 gr
6.5x54 MS PPU 53.6 gr.
.264 Win Mag W-W Super 91.0 gr.
7x57 Mauser PMC 58.4 gr.
7x64 Brenneke older Norma 67.3 gr.
7x64 Brenneke R-P 66.5 gr.
.30 Remington R-P 40.0 gr.
.300 H&H W-W Super 88.0 gr.
32/40 Winchester W-W Super 43.1 gr.
8x56 MS Old West. Scrounger.460" base 61.3 gr
8x56 MS reformed R-P 8x57 61.8 gr.
8x57 IS PPU 64.1 gr.
8x57 IS RWS 63.0 gr.
9x56 MS reformed R-P 8x57 59.4 gr.
.35 Whelen reformed R-P 30-06 72.6 gr.
.35 Whelen reformed W-W 30-06 73.6 gr.
9.3x62 Mauser Graf 75.9 gr.
9.3x62 Mauser old Norma 75.9 gr.
9.3x62 Mauser reformed W-W 30-06 75.3 gr.
9.3x74r old Norma 85.2 gr.
9.3x74r new Norma 81.6 gr.
.38 WCF NEW Starline w/ fired primer 43.1 gr.

Also, I weighed the following brass but could not fill:
9.3x74r new primed Winchester (yes, Winchester)
weighed 215.6 gr.
9.3x74r new, unprimed DWM from the 70's weighed 197.3 gr.

interesting data.....thanks for sharing it.

More info on case capacities here:

http://kwk.us/cases.html

Your measurements are very close to what they're showing. Their #s are not case mfg specific.

Ken Waters used to have case capacities listed in one of his earlier articles in Gun Digest but I can't find it.

quote:

Originally posted by steyrsteve:
Ken Waters used to have case capacities listed in one of his earlier articles in Gun Digest but I can't find it.

4th Edition of Handloader's Digest for Ken's first article and then a much more extensive one in the 8th Edition of the same publication. The latter case capacity list gives the case weights and water capacity for the common brands of cases for each cartridge listed. Ken measures water capacity to the base of the necks or to the cannelure or point where the bullet base comes to on straight walled cases.

The weather must be really bad I never had the desire or cared to measure capacity.

I can tell a 22 hornet hold less then a 30-06 just by looking at them.

Yep, you are definitely bored.

Since the brass case is very elastic, it is not static "case capacity" so much as it is chamber volume which is the determining factor in just what size the pressure vessel is. Unless the cases were fired in the same chamber, and the cases are of the same metallurgy (alloy) and degree of anneal so that they have the same springback after firing, then it is hard to know just what it is you are measuring. In other words, when in the gun's chamber and subjected to 50,000 PSI, the volume of the cases may be some amount different than when sitting on your reloading bench, and thus whatever volumes you measure may be somewhat less meaningful as comparative data.

The information may not be perfect for whatever, but it has "value" in that it gives us something we can understand , discuss and duplicate if desired.How the information is put to use is up to the individual and his brain power. roger

Yes...and because wall thicknesses vary along with shape and dimensional differences in the interior base shape vary between and within brands, those case capacity values are relative ONLY to the cases that you weighed ever so carefully...another time, another case and all bets are off...IF you get all retentive about it.

Case...pun intended...in point...I'm getting ready to do a 375/444, barrel and 8mm brass ordered last night.

This project has been on the front burner for a while now and I've been mucking about with brass...forming some Rem 35 Whelen previously into 9.3x62, shooting up about 300 bullets in those reformed 35 Whelen cases and now reforming them again into 375/444, along with some Hornady 444 M brass, some unfired 35 Whelen and a couple of 30-06 Win cases.

The unfired Rem and Hornady cases ran ~65 gr, the fired/reformed 9.3 Rem ran ~66 gr and the two unfired '06 were ~67 gr.

The fire formed 9.3 were about 0.001" LARGER in OD...they sized OK to 375/444 but would only go about half way into my Wilson 30-06 unfired case trimmer holder.

Only time will tell just what the final case capacity and size will be when I chamber the barrel and fire a couple.

Case capacities are useful to some and useless to others...it all depends on your analosity and basic needs, and is part of the game we play.

I keep saying there is NOTHING cast in stone in this business and when you get locked onto something without remembering Murphy's law you are heading for a fall...or at least a bump in the road.

Agreed with all. I do hope some of you will find these measurements, or at least the need for measuring YOUR brass capacity, useful when loading cartridges for which loading data is sparse.
Using YOUR case capacity, then working with the hoary old Powley Power Computer, can get you started in making safe and useful loads for the rarer calibers.
Gotta go and clean my electric razor, then rearrange my underwear drawer! Just kidding. It's 60 degrees, sunny, and I'm heading to the range.

Wow, you must really have been bored.

Thanks for the info.

quote:

I decided to measure that case capacities on several brands and calibers I shoot.

wow... you shoot that many different calibers
or you just load that many.?

Yes, I shoot these calibers plus a few more, some of them more common. Kind if an addiction.