headspace?

[skscj]

Hope this in the right forum.
This a pic. from my T-38 Arisaka 6.5x50. Is this a headspace problem? Every round fired has this ring towards the bottom of the case.

Sorry about the terrible pic.
Thanks

[Mikeb]

Hard to tell. If your afraid of a head separation you need to check for a crack starting on the inside. Make a tool out of a paperclipwith about the last 1/8" bent at right angles and sharpened a bit. run it into the case and feel for a crack by scratching around just above the head. The real test for headspace is done by using headspace gauges. a poor mans no-go gauge can be done with a factory round and three layers of scotch tape on the head. If the bolt will close on that you may have a little extra head space. The only real test is with precision gauges. If the rifle will close on a field gauge the barrel needs to be set back. You can get a bit of extra mileage by fireforming and neck only sizing ...if you reload.
take care
Mike

[Beelzy]

Nope, that is from a chamber that's a little on the fat side.

A case with headspacing rings has a bright shiny thin ring, and does not necessarily go all the way around the case.

I would consider it normal with an old Arisaka. Wait till you run that case through the sizing die. I bet its a really tight fit.

[swerv512]

looks like the line where your sizing die ends.... i'd use the paper clip method described above to double-check the separation issue. the real question is do all your recent cases look like that?

[J-cat]

If you think you have a headspace issue, check it with a gauge. looking at brass exterior won't tell you anything.

[gunboat]

Is that case marked 6.5 jap ? -- Although photo is a bit fuzzy the case does not look to be semi-rimmed --

[Beelzy]

If you think you have a headspace issue, check it with a gauge. looking at brass exterior won't tell you anything.

Oh it will tell you, believe me. My "Miss Piggy" leaves a nice VERY visible line
when the Headspacing is off even just a tiny bit.

[westcoastr]

was this case just resized? if so might just be the issue Swerv mentioned. BUT to me looks likes like your HS is too long. Do the paper clip test, then cut a few open lengthwise and check them out for incipient case head separation (ICS). Then get it gauged. All of these are cheap and easy and might save your face, although most rifles can handle a ICS pretty easily. FAL's can take hundreds/thousands as lots of GI brass that they use for reloading are stretched from firing in machineguns w/ sloppy HS.

[J-cat]

Oh it will tell you, believe me. My "Miss Piggy" leaves a nice VERY visible line
when the Headspacing is off even just a tiny bit.

An exterior line is deceiving. Why don't you section the case?

[knucklehead0202]

looks to me like Beelzy said, that's your fireformed brass from a chamber a bit on the big side. how many rounds have you put through it, and how many have come out looking like that? i recently picked up a 6.5 arisaka carbine and haven't had a chance yet to try it out so i'm curious. my type 99 has had no problems at all.

[ar15barrels]

looks like the line where your sizing die ends....

Nope, that step is where the case wall gets thin.
The area that's smaller in diameter is the case head/web area which does not expand like the thinner case walls forward of there do.

What happens with excess headspace is that the front 3/4 of the case sticks to the chamber wall and the case head slides back, creating a thin section just forward of the web.
This usually takes several firings.
I have never seen it happen with a single firing.
The solution for excess headspace is just to not size the cases as much.

That area just forward of the extractor groove, but behind the web is often called the expansion ring as you can measure it's growth to check for relative pressure.

Here's some discussion of Ken Water's method:

http://yarchive.net/gun/ammo/pressure_signs.html

[skscj]

These are once fired shells. I put less than 50 rounds down the pipe. The ammo is from Precision Cartridge, head stamp says 6.5x51R. Why would the box say 6.5x50 144 gr. fmj, and the case say 6.5x51R? I didnt feel anything with a paperclip.