headspace question

[double tap]

last fall i bought an eddystone barreled receiver from camp perry. my intention is to get it rebarreled, but i wanted to shoot it at least once as is before. so i took the bolt i intend to use (the only one i have) and checked the headspace. closed on the go and just barley closed on the no-go gage. so i puched a round peice of post it note paper that mic'd at .004" and put it between the no-go gage and the bolt face, and the handle was far from closing. next item to buy is a field gage. i was using forster gages. should it be safe to fire at least once.

[chuckindenver]

ok, lets back up a little, before you run out and touch the switch, if this has a dark bore from being shot with blanks...dont shoot it until you really clean it.
second...on a 1917 P14 or other cock on closing bolt rifles, its felt resistance of the tool, even if it closes , 17,s have a hard camming surface, the cocking assembly must be removed as well as the extractor..
plain bore solvent wont clean those nasty bores...hot soapy water and or black powder solvent works best.

[double tap]

yes the bore is a bit dark but the lans and grooves are intact but not great the muzzle ware is right at 2. i will try the soapy water, never thought to use that. i also did remove the firing mech. and extractor so i could fell just a bit of resistance at the last tiny bit of bolt closing. so it should be safe to fire? i have also heard you are the man to do it. what is your charge to swap a barrel and headspace on a stripped receiver? turn around time? thanks for the info

[Dan Shapiro]

Had Chuck do 2 M1917's for me. As to cleaning the bore, wait until Momma ain't home. Heat up a bucket of water on the stove then take it outside; shoot some dish soap down the bore, stick the stripped rifle barrel in muzzle down. Start scrubbing. Let the hot water and soap do the work.

Hope your barrel turns out better than mine. Both were HEAVILY pitted from shooting corrosive primered blanks. Rounds were keyholeing at 25 yards!

[chuckindenver]

you can contact me direct at molinenorski AT msn.com ill be happy to give that info.

[Gus Fisher]

last fall i bought an eddystone barreled receiver from camp perry. my intention is to get it rebarreled, but i wanted to shoot it at least once as is before. so i took the bolt i intend to use (the only one i have) and checked the headspace. closed on the go and just barley closed on the no-go gage. so i puched a round peice of post it note paper that mic'd at .004" and put it between the no-go gage and the bolt face, and the handle was far from closing. next item to buy is a field gage. i was using forster gages. should it be safe to fire at least once.

If you felt even the tiniest amount of resistance when closing the bolt on the No Go Gage as opposed to closing the bolt with no gage in the chamber, then the rifle IS headspacing correctly.

[John Sukey]

Wonder why we NEVER hear worries about headspace on Mousers or Springfields, but everyone is scared of Enfields?

[chuckindenver]

most 98, 24 Mausers and 1903 ,s cock on opening, and have less locking surface pressure, though they should all be checked, the 17 wears on the lugs and lug weighs a lot more. thats just a shot in the dark for me...personally i check them all..

[jgaynor]

Wonder why we NEVER hear worries about headspace on Mousers or Springfields, but everyone is scared of Enfields?

The P14 and M1917 ARE mausers!
Since the P14 fires a rimmed cartridge (unless modifled) i do have to wonder just how much trouble you could get into.

Regards,
Jim

[Gus Fisher]

Wonder why we NEVER hear worries about headspace on Mousers or Springfields, but everyone is scared of Enfields?

I can not speak on Mausers, but with Springfields, I suggest if is because Milltary Armorers inspecting them so often with headspace gages is the reason we don't hear much about it. The fact that until very recently in CMP games matches, there has been a lag of decades where the 03 has not been used in competition may also be part of the reason. I DO know that Hatcher's Notebook and other period sources talk aboiut checking Headspace and many sources have warned against swapping bolts without using headspace gages to check them.

When CMP had the 03's and A3's a few years back and the chambers and bores filled with cosmolene when you got them, MANY of us checked them for headspace even if it looked like the bolt had been in the rifle for a while. BTW, I saw more headspace problems with them by percentage than I ever saw with other 03's. I think it was because the bolts were shipped separately in some cases from the rifles and the bolt that headspaced correctly did not get back into the rifle. Then CMP began cleaning bores and checking headspace before they shipped them.

I have even a very small number of DCM Garands that did not headspace correctly, but only about four or five in all the years I've inspected them.