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I recently came into a bunch of .30-06 casings -Rem, Win, LC, etc, some marked "once fired". I proceeded to punch primers (handheld) then tumbled them clean. I primed them (handheld Lee auto-primer), then thought I best drop them into a go/no-go gauge (I have an older LE Wilson gauge). Interestingly, the cases don't easily drop in. So I ran a few through the RCBS sizing die and they still don't go in easily. I cleaning out the gauge thinking maybe there was grime in there, but no affect. I also put in a new, unfired round and it too didn't go in all the way (went in further, but still not 'seated' flush). Below is a pic of how the casings are sticking out. *note the ring that is around the cases about a 1/4" up from the rim. Is that an indication of a bad die? So do I have a case issue? A die issue? A gauge issue? Or D.) all of the above?!

It can be multiple things.

If the ammo was shot in a auto loader, the base can get unusually large if the bolt unlocks early. They also sometimes have wider bases to aid reliability. This results in an oversized case base that most sizing dies don’t adjust to. The solution there is a small base die.

The other possibility is stacking of tolerances. If the gauge is at the smaller end of acceptable, and the cases are at the larger end of tolerance, you could see this as well.

The third would most likely be the case gauge being undersized given that factory ammo is sticking as well.

The "gage" in the picture above is not in a headspace gage, it's a Wilson case holder for their case trimmer. It's suppose to fit tightly, so the case doesn't spin.

Thanks for the gouge on the bases. RCBS has a "small base" sizing die and they describe it like this: The Small Base Sizer Die is for bottleneck type cases used in tight-chambering semi-automatic, pump or lever-action firearms.
So if I plan on using some of the cases in my Garand and the others in my bolt guns, the small base die would be the sizing die for the Garand cases? (Maybe doesn't matter in the bolts?)

What Rip posted.

This is a Wilson case gage:

https://lewilson.com/case-gage

Rip Van Winkle wrote:The "gage" in the picture above is not in a headspace gage, it's a Wilson case holder for their case trimmer. It's suppose to fit tightly, so the case doesn't spin.

Let's see, where's the emoji for embarrassed sheep-like tail-between-my-legs run and hide because of my own stupidity?!

That's how you learn. By asking questions. Too often question askers are ridiculed. But by asking your question I learned something, too. Thanks.

Oh don't worry, next time I see Rip he'll take off his hat and beat me with it!

Let me know if you need 30-06 cases.

I have over 1000.