I found what looks like a workable deal on feeler guages and am considering putting them in the online store for sale.

As many of you fully realize (and others don't have a clue yet) you really MUST know what the barrel to frame gap is in order to correctly set a size die for a Contender or Encore barrel. For those still on what the magazines and reloading manuals put out, your sized cases must not stick out of the chamber more than what the barrel to frame gap is, and a set of feeler guages is the best common way to get this measurement.

The feeler guage set I found goes to .015," which covers most barrel to frame gaps. Rarely do they ever exceed this.

What I need to know is:
1) Are feeler guages something you can readily buy locally in your hardware stores, and
2) if so, what do you have to pay for them?

If most of you can buy them for the same or less than I propose to sell them for, then there is no need for me to stock them.

What I propose to do is to include instructions on the store site along with some photos of course, showing how to measure the gap and compare case head protrusion to the gap measurement.

As a side note, I find the greatest extremes of gaps in custom barrels. The variation is often much greater than with factory barrels. While the extremes of the gap are really immaterial, you must know what it is in order to adjust the size die. The gap can be zero, or it can be a tenth of an inch, and it really has no bearing on anything. But the case head should stick out almost the full amount of the gap especially if it is large, or it may need to be exactly flush with the end of the barrel if the barrel has no gap and shows a contact mark on the end of the barrel above the chamber where it hits the breech face.

You can "fly blind" and have trouble, or you can wake up and smell the coffee by learning to adjust your size dies to get the right case head protrusion from the end of the barrel.

Contenders are most problematic since they will let you cock the hammer when the barrel may not be adequately locked up, but you need to size cases correctly for the Encore as well, which will not allow you to cock the hammer if it is not adequately locked up.

Please take a minute and let me know about your sources of feeler guage sets.

In pursuit of ZERO "I'm getting misfires with my Contender......"

Thanks,

Mike

Hi Mike even if it has no real value for you guys in the United States of A. , over here feeler gauges are fairly easy to get and as usual the price depends on the quality!You can have really cheap ones in the 15$ range and really good (expensive) ones in the 50$ range , keep on giving us your "secrets" , thanks Juergen

Mike,
Doing a quick look in the MSC catalog, a 9 leaf 1/2" X 3" set can run from $9.11(Import) to $19.50 (Starrett). Shipping is free. The other avenue could be that most automotive parts stores and McMaster Carr may carry them cheaper.

FWIW,

Mike,

I just checked with a couple of the local chain auto parts stores (Champion & Checker) and found that one can buy a feeler gauge in the range of $4 to $6.

Dave

Mike,
I'd say that if you sold them with a zerox copy of instructions for proper use and then corresponding die set-up, people would buy yours and dedicate that set to firearms use.
Show the need for them and you can sell them.
T.D.

Mike,

Feeler gauges are pretty cheap and plentiful here in the land of Zion as well, According to Chas, yup, he showed up, dirt and all, anyway he said Checker Auto parts has them for about $6.00 - $12.00.

I have an idea though, according to Jurgen, the price of feeler gauges are on the high end in Germany, and, with the price of good German beer in the states being likewise a little high, let's see if we can set up a trade deal with Jurgen and swap beer of feeler guages. What do you think?

Anyone in Cuba need feeler gauges?

Malm

I'm glad I did a little checking first and need to pay an auto parts house a visit locally as well, I guess.

Some are paying much less for feeler guages in their locales, as little as $2.50, which is a lot less than the price I was quoted for resale purposes.

The quality of the guages is really not too critical. What is critical is at least a rudimentary awareness of what the gap is and how much the case can stick out of the chamber before interfering with barrel lock up, which it definitely will do if the case is too long and has not had the size die set accordingly to correctly locate the shoulder.

Even getting TC shooters to think about it is a good first objective.

Like I told one respondent, this old "Double slam" to get the gun to fire is, to be kind, stupid. If you have to slam it shut, something is wrong.

I'll do some more digging. And yes, I will use the ease of posting photos to the store to use it for instructional purposes. Definitely.

Ref. prices, the price will be coming down on the Diamond EZE Laps, and I will have additional EZE Lap items as well, including a super fine 1200 grit polishing lap. It won't be a substitute for the Wyoming Stone, but it will smooth things up quite a bit, I'm sure. Some critical surfaces in both Contenders and Encores are horribly rough and as cast. The EZE Laps cut through this casting bark with ease and produce a much, much better finish.

Thanks for the help, fellas.

Mike

It was a good idea Mike. I recommend feeler gauges to anyone who owns a T/C rifle. You're completely right on that point.

Something like these?>>>http://www.mytoolstore.com/kd/kdfeel01.html