Go /No-go Gauge

      These Go /No-go gauges are designed to verify that chamber headspace is within tolerance from the base to the shoulder.   It is best to remove the ejector on most rifles so that you can "feel" these gauges as they are chambered.   The Go gauge can also be a handy tool that can help you check the depth setting on your NK or FL resizing die.

      When reloading, it is important to be to always bump the shoulder of your cases back at least .001" - .002" to ensure a reliable fit in your chamber.   There is no accuracy gained by crushing a cartridge into your chamber.   This will only deform your case and affect concentric alignment.

      Not all chamber reamers are made perfectly; and when they begin to wear out, they will cut tighter chambers.   Keep in mind that a set of these Go /No-go gauges will not detect the work from a defective or worn chamber reamer.   This is because headspace gauges do not check the width of chambers.

      I have examined a few custom chambers that checked out perfectly fine with Go /No-go gauges, but these chambers had "excessively" tight body diameter.   Match chambers are always tight at the neck and usually require some neck turning, but these rare chambers that I'm referring to were actually too tight (diameter) at the body.   They caused some cartridges to jam against the chamber wall at the expansion ring.

      The case width problem that commonly affects belted magnum calibers is a completely different matter.   That is due to a slight limitation of the resizing operation, caused by the belted case design.   Just keep in mind that a Go /No-go gauge is only designed to detect headspace (length) problems and that it's especially important to consider case width when handloading belted magnums.