More headspacing questions....

[fgw_in_fla]

Without getting too overly technical as I'm fighting a nasty chest cold & have a real good Nyquil buzz going :P.....

To what extent does the headspacing affect accuracy?

Would excessive headspace (.004" - .006" & beyond) have an adverse affect on a rifle's accuracy / consistancy?

And... To reverse that -- --Would a minimum amount of headspacing (.002" or less as in snug bolt closure) have any affect on a rifle's accuracy?
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From what i've read & understand from the folks at this site, excess headspace will reek havoc on brass, as in stretch & overwork it. I believe that is what caused all my Winchester 30.06 brass to show signs of head seperation on over 80% of my brass after 4 to 5 reloads (a few even broke open in the FS die while sizing!). Shortly after, I had discovered my rifle was headspaced at .008"

What say ye o knowledgeable shooters of the mighty switch barrel, tack driving thunder stick??

Frank in Fla.

[Blue Avenger]

Adj the die up .008 to make up the difference

[bigedp51]

fgw_in_fla

Military chambers are long and fat and commercial rifles have shorter and skinnier chambers.

Now think about this

Head space is governed by the cases you shoot and not the rifle..............

Meaning military cartridge cases are thicker than civilian commercial SAAMI cartridge cases.

What happens when you fire a commercial cartridge case in a military chamber..........it stretches badly "UNLESS" it is fireformed to the chamber. You do this by seating your bullets long and jamming them into the rifling to hold the case against the bolt face. Thereafter you only bump the shoulder back .001 to .002 with a full length resizing die or use a neck sizing die.

The average full length resizing die is set up the push the shoulder back at least .002 "SMALLER" than the GO gauge or minimum headspace. If your actual headspace is .003 over minimum headspace and your resizing die makes hard contact with the shell holder you have just pushed the shoulder back .005 or .003 too much.

There are some very simple ways to control cartridge headspace.