Headspace Checking

[fguffey]

Buy a NO GO gauge and check it.

I think I'd find another gunsmith - one with a reputation for having knowledge concerning old milsurps.

I think I'd find another gunsmith - one with a reputation for having knowledge concerning old milsurps.

Any disagreements ?

Back to Hatcher. he moved the shoulder of the chamber forward .080” , he pulled the trigger expecting the case to have case head separation, he knew the case would not stretch .080”, sure enough the case did not stretch .080” his shoulder of his fired case did not move, it was erased, it flattened, his case body became part of the shoulder, his shoulder became part of the neck. Hatcher’s shoulder on his fired case was a new shoulder. Hatcher became a fire former, when he pulled the trigger he formed cases for his new creation, his new creation was a modified 30/06 chamber with .080” added between the bolt face and shoulder of the chamber.

Reloading forums are full of memory work, goes something like: Head space is (Repeat after me) ect.. ect.. yudda, yudda etc.. It is impossible for a reloader to understand what happened to Hatcher, Hatcher did not understand what happened to Hatcher. Hatcher did not understand case stretch, Hatchers cases did not stretch, Hatcher’s cases got shorter, his cases did not stretch between the case head and case body.

Problem: The sequence of events described when the trigger is pulled (again, like memory work, as in repeat after me....etc..) Starts with the firing pin striking the primer, as told it drives drives the case, bullet and powder forward into the chamber ‘THEN’ the shoulder of the case hits the shoulder of the chamber *skip a long boring explanation and locks up the case body onto the body of the chamber????? For those that are keeping up I said the case does not stretch between the case head and case body, meaning I am wrong or the person that continues telling the long boring story is wrong.

I form first then fire, I eliminate all that case travel, I form first then fire, I am a case former. I form 8mm57 cases from 30/06, The shoulder of the 30/06 case is ahead of the 8mm57 shoulder .121”, when forming all the reloader is required to know is when to quit forming the shoulder on his new creation, me? I quit early, when forming 8mm57 cases from 30/06 I quit at + .014” just in case the chamber is generious, if the chamber is not generious, the bolt will not close because the newly formed case is equal to a field reject gage. THEN! I decrease the gap between the bottom of the die and shell holder and adjust the die closer to the shell holder, I continue forming cases until one will chamber/allow the bolt to close. to prevent waking up on a new world every day and starting over I save the formed cases for the next Mauser.

The reloader is under no obligation to load and shoot the newly formed cases, I do, this method/technique allow me to cut down on all that case travel.

F. Guffey

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