Headspace gauge - Hornady Headspace bushing kit - Must have reloading tool

[@NC-xk1eg]

This is one of the best shooting accessory I ever bought.

[@loganmorton9304]

I learned the hard way. Just got my hands on the headspace comparator and found I was bumping shoulders 10thou. In my 7mag. No wonder I only got 3 resizings out of my brass. Great video. Thanks

[@felixmikkialmosttoasted3911]

You almost sold me that you knew what you were talking about- until i saw that Mopar sign above on the wall Ha ha thanks for the video

[@grunt167]

Good information for both newbs and experienced reloaders. Thanks!

[@phillhuddleston9445]

You certainly sold me on this tool, I neck size only for my bolt actions at least some of them but I've always full length sized for my semi-auto's without realizing how much that brass could be stretching.

[@aaronarcher2356]

Yes, very good and correct information. Books is how I learned it. But most KZbin will not tell you or not tell it in a good way. This is a bit of a dangerous hobby, great safety must be taken.

[@DLN-ix6vf]

TIP: for the Hornady bullet comparator; I just measured 3 different 223 bullets of different weights and manufacturers and found a total of CBTO variance of some .030. All bullets must have identical O'Gives. Then I removed the plastic plunger and filed down the rounded end into a more pointed end and remeasured a 3 bullets again @ 8 each and found the new total variance of the same bullets to be .010. In two of the bullets the CBTO variance was less than 5%. Very accurate now. My conclusion is the bullet bases are not 100% perpendicular to the concentricity of the bullet and the plastic plunger end is too large to get an accurate reading on a small point from the base of the bullets. This was all done in a brand-new JC Custom barrel just purchased and not installed. I wish Hornady would install a smaller metal pointed end on their plunger for a little extra money.

[@backnine]

Had a AR10 .308. Bought SB resize die. Was using full length prior but some cases were a little expanded at the base and would not chamber. The SB eliminated that problem. Set die up according to RCBS. Went to range and started getting pierced primers. Never had that before. I also had put a new Geissele G2S trigger in (nice trigger). So I have 2 new things in play. Never considered the new die as I check them in a case checker. They head spaced in the low end. At the time did not have the Hornady head space gauges. Looked on internet and found information on this problem. No one said anything about to much head space. Thought it was the new trigger hitting harder. One article said to buy a JP Enterprise high pressure bolt it has a smaller diameter firing pin ($185.00). It solved the problem but groups were bad. It was bothering me that the factory bolt would work. Worked with factory loads. After buying gauges I found that that my sized brass was .014-.015 under fire formed brass. A bell went off. That case when fired was slamming back into the firing pin when fired. Set the sizing die up to bump .002 and checked in AR10. It would chamber but you would have to fight it to extract. I found my AR10 functioned best with a .004 bump. My Remington 700 bolt gun worked with the large head space with no group problem or pierced primers. The Remington has a smaller firing pin diameter. Also the Remington closed hard with a .002 bump. .003 bump was good. I put the factory bolt in went to the range with the properly size brass and worked perfect. No piercing or cratering (primer flow). I will save the JP bolt for my 6.5 Creedmoor build. This bolt is recommended for a 6.5.

[@mikejackson6591]

Thank you for the link to this video. I have eyeballed hornady comparator and headspace kits on the shelf at my local reloading store a dozen times. I knew I needed the comparator but didn't know what the other was for. Thanks again for your videos. You've made reference to helping people save money with your videos as being fundamental part of the intent. It's hard to sift through necessary as opposed to nice to have gear. You making it clear that these are necessary if for safety only is appreciated. I'm a 28 year diesel technician and don't mind buying good quality tools but running out and buying everything snapon makes is just foolish. I'll have to watch this a half dozen times but I at least feel like I know the importance of getting this part right and from day one I felt the die setup i instructions were lacking to say the least. But another way I had an uneasy feeling from jump on this part of reloading. One more thing. Your data driven videos that don't focus around groups far and away make the most sense being as shooter error and variances in equipment , conditions and so on won't necessarily translate from your day at the range to mine. Anyone complaining about the lack of groups has missed the substance contained in your videos. Thanks again

[@conservativesniperhunter7439]

Thanks you for providing us hand loaders this important information on these essential tools to roll up safe , accurate and reliable reloads . I notice that you don’t have your videos on Bitchute or Gab , perhaps you might consider putting them up on those platforms before anti gun Utube starts to ban your videos. Cheers 🍻

[@jlc904ubc]

Thanks! Another great video. I am new to reloading. I have this tool and the other you mentioned as well. I have not used them much. More videos on the other tools mentioned would be great. Thanks again.

[@raining1975]

Best practice is to deprime before measuring a fired case, any primer cratering will throw your numbers off.

[@wm973]

It's just good practice to avoid missing a primer which protrudes above the base. Good catch.

[@hdmungeryt]

He mentioned that you can use the anvil attachment for the base of the cartridge when measuring, but you can also use another insert holder on the other arm of the calipers and use a bullet comparator insert (I usually use the .22 insert) so the base of the case has something flat to sit against and a proud/cratered primer has someplace to go that won't affect your measurement

[@BoltActionReloading]

You are correct for sure. I de-prime on a separate step, but some don't. if you are using your resizing die to de-prime it can add to the confusion as well. The 7.62.54R was de-primed for the measurement and as long as there is no primer cratering it should not affect it. I did not want some think they should running it through the resizing die and then taking the measurement.

[@conservativesniperhunter7439]

A Hornady Universal de priming die is ideal because it only knocks out the primer , it does not resize the case . Quick and easy to use .

[@BoltActionReloading]

@@conservativesniperhunter7439 I am not brand specific to the decapping die. I use lee for anything that isn't the small flash hole or a magnum case. For those I use a Redding, a little pricier but they work great.

[@RuggedSportsmen]

I ordered ready to load brass for my 6mm in a howa 1500. Thankfully I only loaded 50 rounds. All of them was super hard to close the bolt a couple bolt wouldnt even close. I found that I needed a two thousandths bump on all of the "ready to load" brass. Its a good number to know so I am not running into any problems while I am in the field

[@josevelez7539]

Great video and explanations! I am starting to gather tools for reloading and although I bought those Hornady gauges I didn’t know how to use them or their importance. Thank you!

[@leeNWHuntinganFish4713]

Great job it was nice that you included the dyes and how to adjust

[@TheCFN007]

Awesome Video, very well explained ...

[@Johnny-jr2lq]

Great video brother I can’t wait till you decide to get a auto loader. It’s not a crazy big deal if you don’t because most of the information is applicable to both. But I believe when you get a AR10,M1A,Garand or maybe a SCAR 17, I’m sure things will definitely get a tad bit more interesting.

[@lanceschul]

Excellent tool!

[@chicowize]

Great video, thanks for explaining this so well. TFS

[@claverton]

good vid, but measuring cases with a comparitor with primers still in not recommended. If the primers are a tad proud (which they often are) then they will throw the measurements out

[@echosreloadingchamber7306]

When using the Hornady headspace comparator gauge I recommend you deprime the cartridge casing prior to measuring. Due to the fact that you may get some primer cratering that can throw your measurement off quite a few thousands of an inch. Great video on the tool myself works very well.

[@jimdunkle4823]

When I started loading in the late 60s early 70s a friend showed me how to set my fl dies. He said to shot a new round through my rifle. Than to set the fl die by screwing the die down a little at a time on the fired case till the bolt would close easily when the fired case was put back in the rifle. Using the head space gauge would best! Thanks for the info

[@toddreed9629]

Love your videos thanks

[@steveshortt90]

Nice and clear info mate! Thank you

[@BoltActionReloading]

Glad it was helpful!

[@wm973]

Timely vid! Just looking at what to check and how to adjust but you did it very well. Got a question, Can you only check the chamber with a once fired case from that chamber? I think I know the answer but will you get different results with different ammo? Glad you mentioned bolt action vs semi-auto bump cause not seen it mentioned. Ordering one today. Thanks! WM

[@BoltActionReloading]

Yes, you want to check the measurement from that chamber. I like to fire a new rifle with factory ammo, get my measurements as a starting point and then start reloading. Different brass can affect the measurement slightly so you want to compare the before and after sizing measurement. Keep in mind if your setting the neck dimension with the sizing die (using the expander ball in your sizing die, I don't) you don't want to keep using the same piece of brass to size and readjust because you will work harden that brass. I use expander mandrels to set my neck tension. I cover it here if you want to check it out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6rLZqCiesZojsU

[@donald2308]

Salmon, mackerel,herring, cod,capline

[@concernedaussie1330]

Awesome video thanks.😊

[@36736fps]

You touched on the fact that this procedure is appropriate to a single rifle and chamber. Have you done any comparisons of the shoulder movement in the different rifles/chambers? I once had a pair of rifles that allowed neck sized brass to be interchanged between the two rifles. Also, does the stretched case still chamber OK? If so, why bump the shoulder back?

[@Tobenator1200]

Thanks!

[@RatelLaw]

Thank you

[@garymcmullin2292]

I have long ago settled on neck sizing until, after several firings, the bolt gets too hard to close on an empty fired round that has been neck sized. When I get to that point I usually just "lightly bump" the shoulder and test fit in the chamber until the right feel closing the bolt is felt, then set the die lock and do all the cases. Somehow never had to have a tool like this. If I had auto loaders or was loading for others (which is suicide!) I can see where this would be helpful.

[@repairfreak]

So are you saying if you bump your shoulder back to far this will allow the cartridge to move forward more, thus putting the bullet physically touching against the barrel lands and possibly cause a pressure spike which can cause case head cracking? I’m aware that some people find it advantageous to run bullets closer to their barrel lands, but in this case they use a reduced powder load to bring the pressure down for safety. Of course proper bullet seating depth also plays an important role to keep case pressure down just the same as a proper head-spaced (shoulder bumped) case does if I understand correctly?

[@kennyk6190]

New to reloading here, once I find my proper length for each rifle, how do I know how to set up my dies for the correct sizing ??

[@zombies409]

You mentioned the instructions from the die manufacturer about the 1/3 to 1/4 turn. But that may not be proper. How do you use the information from this video and properly setup the die?

[@BoltActionReloading]

Hi David. You use this tool to measure the headspace on a fired case and then screw your die down so that the headspace measurement after sizing is complete it is .002 less than the first measurement. Hope this helps. BAR

[@craigp187]

Another great explanation video! I have a question, is this bushing set/head spacing necessary if I always only neck size my brass for a particular rifle? It seems that the proper case “sizing” is set by the fire formed case. Of course, I could be wrong, or missing something. I do occasionally full length size some cases, like the once fired cases from a friend who doesn’t reload his own ammo. So maybe that is the answer to my original question... Then, knowing my particular needs, for my rifles in the same caliber, I can resize his brass to my specs.

[@timfarley6493]

How come I am not getting notified of new videos even though I have subscribe and have clicked on the bell icon.

[@BoltActionReloading]

You still have to be logged into KZbin in some fashion. I have a new video every Saturday.

[@timothyward7381]

I’m still trying to figure this out if the round is fired and the shoulders move out wouldn’t it be considered fire formed to ur chamber why would u wanna turn brass back to Sami spec? Working it back and forth wouldnt it make brass life shorter?

[@garymcmullin2292]

yes you are right, which is why savvy loaders neck size.

[@MrIdasam]

Just so I'm understanding this, so, what you're saying, is that despite whatever the measurement of a fired casing is, I only need to resize it no more than .003 of an inch from that measurement? If that's true, what if I resize it just that .003, and it won't fit into a headspace gauge? Why is .003 the magic number?

[@ajcates9136]

Great vid thanks

[@BoltActionReloading]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@reeleone]

So if I understand you correctly, fired case need to measure with this tool and after that resize in full lenght die 2-3 thousands back ?

[@BoltActionReloading]

That is the basic idea. You want your die set to move it only that ammount.

[@Master...deBater]

I have an old 6.5X55 Mauser. I am unsure about the headspace so I remotely fired some cartridges... everything seems fine. I checked the fired brass against the unfired and found that it had grown in length only about 4 thousands. Is this telling me the headspace is ok...or do I still need to buy an official headspace guage?

[@NielsonRichard]

checked the website, maybe i missed it but what bushing are you using for 6mm creedmoor?

[@tomparks7420]

Just getting into rifle reloading. Will be reloading 6.5 Creedmoor. Been doing a lot of reading. I have read that the 6.5 CM is a dream to reload. And am understanding how important headspace is. I am somewhat confused as you say 1-3 thousandths is acceptable. So if it would be over that say 4-8 thousandths. Do you leave it and just trim to 1.910? I read that if you set your sizing die to just bump the shoulder enough of the case. You should have just a bit of pressure on the bolt closing. Any help would help. . Thanks

[@conservativesniperhunter7439]

002” to 003” is what most reloaders aim for to very close fit of our cases in our chambers for best accuracy and long case life. With 002” to 003” you will feel slight resistance hen you lower the bolt , this indicates a good close fit of the case in our chamber. In Semi Autos we normally want to bump back out case shoulders to around 004” to 005” for reliable functioning of of actions considering that the chambers get very dirty with gas’s blowing carbon everywhere in the actions.

[@RobertThor4]

Hi, can I use .37" bushing instead .375" for 6.5 creedmoor?

[@soonersteve3733]

I just received this kit and 6.5 creedmoor is not listed. Did you come to the decision to use bushing #375 by measuring the neck diameter and shoulder diameter add those measurements together and divide by 2 as stated in the instructions? Thanks 🙏

[@BoltActionReloading]

HI Steve, Your comment got flagged as inappropriate somehow so I missed it initially. If you look up the sammi drawing for it the headspace is off the .375" dimension. If all else fails just google sammi and the cartridge and you should find it on the drawing. I hope this helps.

[@mefirst5427]

As a beginner new reloader of 6.5 Creedmoor, I only have 1 bolt action rifle in this caliber, I don't need this headspace comparator tool correct? This is only for extending life of brass, which I don't really care about, I plan to just reload same brass maybe 5 times and throw them out. Thanks!

[@BoltActionReloading]

This tool is used to set your Full length sizing die up correctly. Without it, you don't have a reference to know how much you are sizing. It not only makes your brass last longer but also should give you better accuracy potential. If you set the shoulder bump too much you can cause case head separations, which may not be likely but still not impossible. I am working on a video at the moment to help illustrate this.

[@mefirst5427]

@@BoltActionReloading thank you!

[@zombies409]

I am new to reloading rifle cartridges, so have been watching your channel to learn. I have a question about the headspace gauge and the results I got. I measured 20 new rounds and got an average of 1.6253". I measured 20 fired cases and got 1.6244" - fired cases are shorter!? I resized the 20 fired cases and got 1.6270" average. I'm at a loss as to how to interpret these results. All ammo was fired from the same rifle. All ammo was same manufacturer/grains/bullet, etc. Any info you can provide is appreciated

[@BoltActionReloading]

Hi David, yes these numbers seem very unusual. What cartridge are you referring to here?

[@zombies409]

@@BoltActionReloading Hornady 0.308

[@RMM--uv7uk]

Sounds like a Dial Caliper issue... Are you sure you are Zeroed and is it a quality caliper

[@amorestperpe]

Forgive my ignorance I've never reloaded...Yet muahaha. Anyways, I'm a bit confused, I've seen a few people talk about this tool but I don't understand what benefit there is in using this tool over say, me taking my deer rifle, fire forming some factory (or even a fully resize case) and then only resizing the neck with like a lee collet die?

[@BoltActionReloading]

This tool allows you to measure how far you are pushing the shoulder of the case back when you FL size. Ideally .002 to .003". The more firings with the collet only sizing you will have a harder time chambering a round. At some point a FL size is necessary and this helps you to set your die to the correct dimension.

[@lomeranger]

@@BoltActionReloading I would like to make sure I understand you clearly. Are you saying after the 3rd or fourth use of my brass the shoulders will keep moving forward till they simply don’t fit? Could I instead bring my die down after the first firing and use that?

[@BoltActionReloading]

@Jason Lome Hi Jason. I am not entirely sure what you are asking. You can't use a sizing die like a seating die and “just bring it down” to a dummy round size. You need to be able to measure what the fired dimension is and then set it back a little. (.002” is what works for most) Keep in mind it is not just growing long but also increasing in diameter. The body of the case and the shoulder need to be sized.

[@georgelza]

checking, which unit would you use for a 300 prc, make sense for me to use the 308Win which is "D", but interesting to see the other 300 cal are all showing "E" ?

[@BoltActionReloading]

Hi George. If you pull up the sammi drawing it indicates .420"

[@georgelza]

@@BoltActionReloading thank you, see which measurement you referring to. Will see how/where it is related to on the headspace docs. G

[@joegasparro2395]

You can show free publically available data...thats not copyright protected.

[@Yeye3040]

If a casing has stretched past that 3000th limit that you want to size it back to, what are you supposed to do to correct it and get it back to size?

[@travisostler9998]

It needs to be fired to form to the chamber

[@jamesluke5910]

What in the witchcraft?? That swap disappeared from the table at 15:30 mark 🤣

[@dennispeltier6142]

😊😊😊😊😊

[@randad9333]

What about if you only have new brass in a new gun?

[@BoltActionReloading]

It would be very unusual for someone to only reload new brass, but on new brass you usually won't need to move the shoulder. If you want to know how uniform the lot is it could still be used for that

[@randad9333]

@@BoltActionReloading Lol, I have a 6mm arc, with 6.5 gr brass and all the other components, but no source for factory ammo............and I'm not much a fan of Hornady brass. Anyway, when I size brass, I set the die loose, size the brass, and then keep adjusting the die until the bolt closes nicely. Is this wrong?

[@dave5833]

Hornady is out of stock on this item any ideas who else sells them?

[@BoltActionReloading]

They are OOS most places, If you place a backorder you will get them eventually. If you want something immediately Short Action Customs has cartridge specific options that are more expensive but they are really nice.

[@BoltActionReloading]

They are in stock at Sheels. Good Luck

[@ronmacdougall9612]

Can I use this kit for 30-30 also

[@RMM--uv7uk]

Yes. Its Bushing C-375

[@ronmacdougall9612]

Will this kit work with 30-30

[@BoltActionReloading]

HI Ron, Yes it looks like Hornady recommends the C .375" #C375 comparator body that is included in this kit.

[@Jarhead64]

Great video, I learned a lot!! Have you looked into the Hornady Anvil Base Kit Item #AB1 ? For reloading 300 win mag or any belted cartridge, I suggest checking out Larry Willis. He claims to get 10-20 firings per piece of belted brass. I have read that it does work! Here is a link to his website. www.larrywillis.com/

[@conservativesniperhunter7439]

I have found that my Hornady anvil base dosen’t line up flush, it dosen’t sit in the my Caliper dead straight but is cocked off by 003” to one side . I think it is the screw that’s responsible. I will grind the screw tip flush to see if that solves the problem.

[@SL1CK1307]

Fueling al gore ethms

[@toddreed9629]

762x54rimmed

[@BoltActionReloading]

Hey Todd, Not trying to pick here but if you check out the section on 7.62 x 54R in the Hornady Manual it refers to this also as 7.62mm Russian. You are 100% correct that it is a rimmed case. (and I meant to cover the headspace of this cartridge in the video, since it headspaces on the rim and I actually have headspace gauges for my mosin, but it was getting too long anyway.) I don't personally care but I am not sure that this is specifically the incorrect way to refer to this cartridge, just unpopular. I have heard it refereed to this way my whole life so some habits are hard to break, otherwise I woudl have just called it 7.62 x 54R

[@toddreed9629]

Sorry man I wasn't picking. I knew u knew. I love your vids man always looking forward to the next one

[@vietadvisor6781]

You lost me

[@MrCavemen56]

you talk to much for me need to move along

[@johntruesdale1612]

The directions on the die is so that it will fit any rifle chambered in that cartridge. They didn’t write the directions for it to size to your chamber. Duh.

[@squib3083]

Great video thank you

[@repairfreak]

So are you saying if you bump your shoulder back to far this will allow the cartridge to move forward more, thus putting the bullet physically touching against the barrel lands and possibly cause a pressure spike which can cause case head cracking? I’m aware that some people find it advantageous to run bullets closer to their barrel lands, but in this case they use a reduced powder load to bring the pressure down for safety. Of course proper bullet seating depth also plays an important role to keep case pressure down just the same as a proper head-spaced (shoulder bumped) case does if I understand correctly?