Enfield headspace questions.

[steelrain82]

Ok so I want to shoot my enfield hopefully soon but I was wondering how I can check headspace without the proper tools it chambers and extracts snapcaps and actual rounds without a problem.

[berg]

Ok so I want to shoot my enfield hopefully soon but I was wondering how I can check headspace without the proper tools it chambers and extracts snapcaps and actual rounds without a problem.

Chambering and extracting won't tell you much about head space. A fired case will tell you something but if it's too long, it could be dangerous.

Checking it is very easy for someone who has the gages, can you just take it to a local shop and have a smith check it?

[steelrain82]

I've never seen an enfield at my local shop and they send the guns out to a gunsmith and I get charged twice once by the shop and once by the smith.

[Mssr. Eleganté]

About 8 or 9 years ago somebody over on Gunboards posted that they had actually found an Enfield with bad headspace. Of course it still fired okay, but the brass was only good for one or two reloadings because of the headspace issue.

[smle-man]

Unless one of the locking lugs is missing from the bolt I wouldn't worry about headspace on a Lee Enfield. I've owned one firearm in my life with excessive headspace, an original Winchester 1895 carbine in .30-06. The primers backed out slightly from the primer pockets when fired. I still shot it. I've owned scores of Lee Enfields in 35 years. None of them had dangerous headspace. The only firearm I have ever seen with dangerous headspace was an M2HB that blew the topcover off because the operator didn't know how to set the headspace. That's it in probably 200+ firearms owned and thousands seen.

[gunboat]

Take a resized empty case -- cut paper shims ( case head diameter) add shim till bolt resists closing -- do not use heavy force to close bolt - this will give a rough measurement - If it appears to take more than about 8-9 thou have it professionally checked --

You can safely fire rimmed cases when the weapon has excess headspace by making sure the extractor holds the case against the bolt face - Another method is to put a thin rubber band around the cartridge base that holds the case back -- Those cases can then be used normally by neck sizing only --
my ha-penny

[emcon5]

You can check it with a new or resized case and a spent primer, instructions here, starting at post #13:

http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?95532-Wher-can-I-get-a-cheap-.303-headspace-gauge

[Milsurp Collector]

Ok so I want to shoot my enfield hopefully soon but I was wondering how I can check headspace without the proper tools it chambers and extracts snapcaps and actual rounds without a problem.

As a bare minimum you need a .303 British Field gauge http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/sid=1...___303_British

If the bolt closes on a standard round of ammo and DOES NOT close on the Field gauge the rifle's headspace is acceptable.