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Thread: Head Space?

  1. #31
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    INSIDE PLAN OF BOX
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  2. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by Eric D. View Post
    Where does that number come from? You may come across many that are very close but if you're pairing a new bolt with a barrel that has 15k+ rounds on it then it would be foolish to not check headspace. Considering the safety implications and the relative cost of a gage compared to 15k rounds of ammo it should be a no-brainer.
    Probably because I've measured a lot of bolts from different manufacturers.

    Most places grab a bolt out of a bin full of them when the assemble a complete upper. They don't check.

    If your 15k+ round barrel needs a new bolt, you are going to have a hell of a time finding a bolt that takes up more than a couple extra thou.

    That brings up another point: What do I call a barrel with 15k+ rounds through it? Especially one with a worn out barrel extension? TRASH! Barrels are consumables. Spend the dime and get another one.
    Last edited by HelloLarry; 02-11-13 at 09:06.

  3. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by MistWolf View Post
    Shao, Iraqguns has a significant amount of experience inspecting ARs for proper dimensions and function. He told me that all that was needed to verify HS in this family of rifles was a proper field gauge. I told him that a minimum gauge was also required. IG expained that if the HS is too tight, it wouldn't chamber factory ammo correctly. He's right and this revelation made setting the headspace on the FALs I built easier.
    Thanks for the info...

    Quote Originally Posted by Iraqgunz View Post

    The gages I use are the exact same ones as the U.S military uses. The only gage used in the M16 FOW is the "Field" gage.

    www.billricca.com has them. Bushmaster did have a true 5.56 field headspace gage on their site, although it didn't have the rebated rim, but I cannot find it any longer.
    billricca.com seems to be out - or at least I couldn't find one - any other alternatives besides Brownell's? All I could find on Ebay was a minimum gauge.

  4. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shao View Post

    billricca.com seems to be out - or at least I couldn't find one - any other alternatives besides Brownell's? All I could find on Ebay was a minimum gauge.
    Check with Bill Ricca to be sure. His website can be a little flakey, but is a veritable font of information!

    I got my USGI gage from ellicottdepot.com. Great customer service. They are out of stock, but it would be worth a phone call to see if they expect to get more in.

  5. #35
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    Mac5.56
    So what are your indicators for bad headspacing in your 30-30? As has been sited by Mistwolf alot of them can be mitigated by reloading technics. Though certain problems can not.

  6. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shao View Post
    Thanks for the info...



    billricca.com seems to be out - or at least I couldn't find one - any other alternatives besides Brownell's? All I could find on Ebay was a minimum gauge.
    Hint: look under collectors corner...

  7. #37
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    There are two different types of headspace, mechanical and case. The mechanical headspace is the distance between the face of the bolt and the back of the barrel. This is the most important and is set by the manufacture. This can not be changed by the user. If this is excessive, that is when case failures develope. The other type is the case headspace, which has been talked about. This is not critical, except on straight-walled rim-less cases such as the 9mm. As long as the chamber is not so tight that the round will not chamber, then you will have no issues other than the longevity of the brass when reloading. I suggest that everyone should check the mechanical headspace and not worry about the case headspace, as long as it chambers.

  8. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shao View Post
    OK... off to Brownells to get a headspace gauge... You've all convinced me...

    Edit:

    Would this be good enough???

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/HEADSPACE-GA...item19d8957cb2

    ...and if my 5.56 chamber is headspaced properly, will I need to gauge it for .223 as well???

    I'm also confused with all the go/no go/field/minimum designations on these gauges...
    Not really - it's going to tell you what you already know: That your chamber is not below minimum and will accept in-spec ammo.

    A more useful tool - especially for the reloader with several rifles, is the Hornady Cartridge HeadSpace tool. This allows you to measure the relative shoulder setback of fired cases as compared to resized cases (and even factory new loaded ammo). And it works for a broad range of calibers. This allows you to set the sizer die so your brass will fit a broad range of rifles - without excessively sizing the cases.

    It's also interesting to note that some brands of cases, as well as older (case hardened) brass, can vary significantly after going through the same sizing die. But that's getting off the topic.

    Actual head space gauges are very useful if you are changing (or checking) the headspace on something like a FAL, where the user can actually make the change - or if someone unkown built the rifle. They are also handy if you are worried about HS an old C&R rifle like a K98 Mauser, Ishapore SMLE. etc.

    The difference of .0006" between the link for the 5.56 GO and the .223 GO is minuscule - as in virtually the same number. Especially when you can expect to see something in the range of .0040 -.0060" difference at the shoulder in factory ammo and cases fired in your AR. IMO if just getting one gauge, a NOGO or Field gauge would be more useful than a GO.

    FWIW, I have HS gauges for several calibers, but none for 5.56/2.23, even though I've built a few. (But I do have a couple of ways to get a reasonable indication of what I've got - the Hornady tool is one and a slightly oversized dummy reload is another.)

  9. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by GunnutAF View Post
    Mac5.56
    So what are your indicators for bad headspacing in your 30-30? As has been sited by Mistwolf alot of them can be mitigated by reloading technics. Though certain problems can not.
    Um, well please keep in mind that the original post states my ignorance on this matter. I am a novice, as in complete newb, to reloading.

    If you read through the thread I posted in the reloading forum, I had two failures to fire, that according to my research suggests a head space problem. The other issue is case bulging about 3/8" up past the cartridge rim.

    Before I started researching head spacing I thought the failures to fire may have been a primer seating issue, but upon further research I heard it could be head spacing due to "hot reloads", and I started looking deeper. I ended up on several legit sites that were talking about case bulging in rimmed and belted cartridges as an indicator as well as pushed out primers (which if you follow the link you will note that the one factory load I fired the other day had a backed out primer).
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  10. #40
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    Thought you may to see the warning signs. I'm fairly new to the M4 platform and FWIW this is a build by an individual. the ammo is Fiocchi. This has been a learning experience but it's not completed yet as I cannot find Go-No-Go gauges anywhere. My problems started as light primer strikes followed by a jammed trigger group. The loose primer lodged in the trigger group. I feel lucky.


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