bigedp51
05-26-2010, 02:32 PM
The average unfired commercial cartridge case is .002 shorter than minimum head space for any rimless cartridge case to insure chambering. One piece of tape added to the rear of a unfired case "should" bring you to minimum head space and should be good enough for anyone.
I shoot and reload for the .303 British Enfield which at maximum military head space can have .016 head gap clearance or air space between the rear of the case and the bolt face.
You do not need head spaces gauges to set head space, all you need is a way to measure YOUR head space. A RCBS Precision Mic will tell you all you need to know and you can use it for resizing your cases and setting up your dies.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/IMGP5130-1.jpg
Below is "0" or minimum head space for a .308 Win.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/IMGP5157-1.jpg
Here is a fired .308 case in the RCBS Precision Mic and it is .001 longer than minimum head space.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/IMGP5155.jpg
Below is the same new unfired .308 ammunition in my gauge, and this means the case stretched .003 on firing
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/IMGP5163.jpg
With the RCBS Precision Mic you can measure your cartridge without any tape and then add tape to the rear of your case and KNOW to the thousandths of an inch where your head space is set at.
All a head space gauge will tell you is if your bolt will close, the RCBS Precision Mic will tell you far more and unlike a head space gauge you can keep using the RCBS Precision Mic to check you cartridge head space and setting up your reloading dies.
You people are taking "head space" to the extreme, on my Enfield rifles I can replace the bolt head to change and decrease head space. On a worn out Enfield that fails head space and if it can't be fixed you slip a rubber o-ring around the case and fire form the cases at "zero" head space. Zero meaning the rubber o-ring holds the cartridge case firmly against the bolt face and you DO NOT get any case stretching.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/IMGP5098.jpg
Give yourselves some "growing room", a grain of powder, frozen condensation, or for some of you the thickness of a butterfly wing will prevent you from closing the bolt.
You DO NOT have a custom bench rest rifle with custom made reloading dies, you have a store bought Savage or Stevens rifle. I myself would be more worried about my expander button pulling my necks off center and making crooked ammo than worrying about an extra .002 head space.
A M14 at maximum head space has .010 head gap clearance or an air space of .010 between the rear of the case and the bolt face.
And for the people who cried about the end of the world because some people are using cartridge cases and tape to check head space, I will leave you with the following to think about.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/image006e.jpg
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/762natoin3006.jpg
Signed
Ed with his both eyes and all his fingers after 35 years of reloading.
I shoot and reload for the .303 British Enfield which at maximum military head space can have .016 head gap clearance or air space between the rear of the case and the bolt face.
You do not need head spaces gauges to set head space, all you need is a way to measure YOUR head space. A RCBS Precision Mic will tell you all you need to know and you can use it for resizing your cases and setting up your dies.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/IMGP5130-1.jpg
Below is "0" or minimum head space for a .308 Win.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/IMGP5157-1.jpg
Here is a fired .308 case in the RCBS Precision Mic and it is .001 longer than minimum head space.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/IMGP5155.jpg
Below is the same new unfired .308 ammunition in my gauge, and this means the case stretched .003 on firing
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/IMGP5163.jpg
With the RCBS Precision Mic you can measure your cartridge without any tape and then add tape to the rear of your case and KNOW to the thousandths of an inch where your head space is set at.
All a head space gauge will tell you is if your bolt will close, the RCBS Precision Mic will tell you far more and unlike a head space gauge you can keep using the RCBS Precision Mic to check you cartridge head space and setting up your reloading dies.
You people are taking "head space" to the extreme, on my Enfield rifles I can replace the bolt head to change and decrease head space. On a worn out Enfield that fails head space and if it can't be fixed you slip a rubber o-ring around the case and fire form the cases at "zero" head space. Zero meaning the rubber o-ring holds the cartridge case firmly against the bolt face and you DO NOT get any case stretching.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/IMGP5098.jpg
Give yourselves some "growing room", a grain of powder, frozen condensation, or for some of you the thickness of a butterfly wing will prevent you from closing the bolt.
You DO NOT have a custom bench rest rifle with custom made reloading dies, you have a store bought Savage or Stevens rifle. I myself would be more worried about my expander button pulling my necks off center and making crooked ammo than worrying about an extra .002 head space.
A M14 at maximum head space has .010 head gap clearance or an air space of .010 between the rear of the case and the bolt face.
And for the people who cried about the end of the world because some people are using cartridge cases and tape to check head space, I will leave you with the following to think about.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/image006e.jpg
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/762natoin3006.jpg
Signed
Ed with his both eyes and all his fingers after 35 years of reloading.