Re: Question using the Hornady OAL gauge
Using mine, occasionally the bullet does want to stick a little, and this results in a grossly under length case. I saw another post on here about picking up a $1 36 inch 1/4 inch diameter wooden dowel at the local hardware store. This is inserted into the front of the barrel and the Oal gauge from the rear. (Minds outta tha gutter). You then "balance" the bullet between them, playing with it until you get the feel of the bullet just barely touching the lands. That being said, my 175 SMKs have triple the deviation from average length as the 178 Amax, so I measure 10 and average them, then use the average to deter ing COAL and seating depth. Works pretty well from my limited experience.