When I reload ammo for matches I always use a case gauge and check every loaded round for primer problems, case length issues, and sizing issues. It has saved me from disaster on more than one occasion. When case gauging, I’ve often found a cartridge with an upside down primer, or one with a crimp or bulge that would have prevented proper chambering or extraction during the match. When I practice, something I don’t do often enough, I don’t bother.
I currently shoot a Remington VersaMax shotgun in competition and it has been absolutely reliable for me. I have found, however, that all shotgun shell manufactures sometimes make shotgun shells out of spec. Something like a weird rim, a bad crimp, a shell out of round, a bb pushing out the side of the shell or something along those lines. If you’ve shot much shotgun, you’ve seen it. When I find these out of spec shells I set them aside and shoot them later to see if they would have worked. Usually my VersaMax eats them anyway without mishap but every once in a while a shell will surprise me and not eject, not chamber or not allow the bolt to lock up. Those shells and the malfunctions they cause are what cost you big in matches.
There are a number of manufactures out there making case gauges for rifle and pistol calibers but up until now, I had never found one for shotgun. Travis Boggus, a friend of mine, shoots cowboy action matches (SASS). He uses a double barrel shotgun that does not have ejectors on it. If there is anything out of spec on the shotgun shells, they don’t come out of the shotgun easily, thus eating up precious time. He has designed and manufactured a shotgun shell case gauge to help prevent problems.
The Boggus Shotshell Gauge is CNC machined from aluminum and hard anodized. It checks the entire shell and is sized to SAAMI minimum chamber dimensions. If the shell doesn’t slip in and out of the gauge easily (falls all the way in and out without assistance), don’t use the shell in a match. It’s that simple.
The Boggus Shotshell Gauge is a simple, inexpensive tool and it may solve those random shotgun malfunctions that were up until now a mystery.
You can purchase one at Uniquetek.com
***In the spirit of full disclosure, readers should understand that I am a sponsored 3 gun competitor. However, I’m not sponsored by the company that made the product being reviewed, leaving me free to give you my unbiased opinion. I am not being paid for the reviews I’ve written.