Every now and then it comes up what is the easiest way to measure the length of the chamber. There are tools on the market to do it and a close estimate can be made by casting if you have a head space gauge but the quickest and cheapest for a handloader is to use a case length button gauge. The button gauge has a head and a shank with the head being only a hair smaller in diameter than the chamber neck and the shank is a snug fit for a sized case mouth. A fired, sized case gets the neck trimmed short and the button is inserted only slightly into the case mouth. The case gauge (button and case) is then chambered in the gun. As the gauge is chambered the button is forced further into the case and stops when the bolt is closed. The case gauge is then slowly extracted and is measured for overall length giving the total length of the chamber. Several readings are taken to check for consistency. You may get a surprise. I usually cast the chamber in question and then turn my own button from the measurements but below is a link to one source of various caliber button gauges and I believe Brownells is another.
http://www.sinclairintl.com/cgi-bin/...308&type=store
Linear Mode
