[scooter.maclusky]

I bought a Lyman case guage to help me obtain the proper headspace when sizing .223, it seems simple enough.
I was looking at more expensive stuff but was wondering if this is all I need?
What do you use to make sure your rounds headspace properly?
Thanks

 

[graywolf1]

go / no go gauge if your suspect of the head space to begin with or for initial check.
If your not suspect of it being off, it sounds like you are OK. Don't bump the shoulder back any more than necessary, that's one of the best ways to create excessive H/S.

 

[stargeezer]

That's what you need. The system that looks overly complicated is exactly that - overly complicated. If you get into match shooting where you are trying to put 5 rnds in one hole at 100yds, you might need it. Most folks do a lot of reloading (thousands of rounds) with what you have in your hand.

 

[Sr40ken]

I bought a Hornady headspace gauge. I used it once to set my .223 sizing die up. My loads now have a good fit for the chamber of my Mini. I think it was worth it, someone else may not. If the Lyman works for you(no reason it shouldn't) that should be good enough!

 

[brimic]

What do you use to make sure your rounds headspace properly?

Stoney Point shoulder guage (I think they are owned by Hornady now).
The whole point of this exercise is safety first, brass life or accuracy second.

Not sure about how mini chambers measure, but AR-15 556 an easily be 0.007" longer than your cartridge- resizing the brass back to factory length a few times you are looking at using a broken case extractor in the best case scenario or a kaboom in the worst case.

 

[StandingTall]

I bought a Lyman case guage to help me obtain the proper headspace when sizing .223, it seems simple enough.
I was looking at more expensive stuff but was wondering if this is all I need?
What do you use to make sure your rounds headspace properly?
Thanks

You should be good to go with that for normal reloading. I use an L.E. Wilson case gauge. As I progress further into service rifle competition, I may end up getting something more accurate.