Most accurate .223 chamber headspace gauges

[copterdoc]

Anyone have an idea what brand of .223 chamber headspace gauges are the most accurate? And are .556 and .223 different?

[copterdoc]

Thinking of go, no go and maybe field gauges.

[Dirtlaw]

I use Forester which allows me to measure within one thousandths of an inch. Others use methods which allow accuracy to one ten thousandths of an inch or better.

[ar15barrels]

Anyone have an idea what brand of .223 chamber headspace gauges are the most accurate?
And are .556 and .223 different?

If you want the most accuracy, get the full set of 10 gauges.



That will let you measure to the 0.001" instead of just to 3 specific gauges.

5.56 and 223 are different but they basically share a minimum spec.

[baih777]

Dont forget 223 Wylde

[smoothy8500]

Dont forget 223 Wylde

That's based on .223, the throat is different....

[ar15barrels]

That's based on .223, the throat is different....

It's actually more like an enlarged 5.56 case body with a tighter throat than it is like a 223 with a longer throat.
Look at the case body dimensions and compare it to both 5.56 and saami 223 in my reamers comparison.

http://www.ar15barrels.com/data/223-556.pdf

[smoothy8500]

Look at the case body dimensions and compare it to both 5.56 and saami 223 in my reamers comparison.

But they still use the same headspace gauge, right? I can see where the Wylde is more like 5.56 rather than 223.

[ar15barrels]

But they still use the same headspace gauge, right? I can see where the Wylde is more like 5.56 rather than 223.

There is no standard for Wylde.
The maker chooses which headspace range they want to use.

You can check them with either range of gauges and determine what range the maker probably used.

[Toxic Shock]

Your best bet for getting an "accurate" headspace gauge is to use one from the same manufacturer which made the chambering reamer you used when making the barrel. If you didn't machine the barrel yourself, but just want to measure the headspace, then all you need is the "GO" gauge.

With proper headspace the bolt should just close on a GO gauge, but not on a NO-GO gauge. Doing this gives you a range, where the actual headspace is somewhere in between the length difference of the two gauges. When I'm building a rifle I don't want the headspace to be somewhere in a "range", even though it is normally acceptable and safe. I want to know more accurately what the headspace is. To do this I will ream the barrel until the bolt will just close on the GO gauge. Then I will cut a series of disc out of .001" shim stock and place these one at a time on the base of the gauge. This will tell me how much headspace I actually have.

It is very important to make sure that the chamber is clean while taking these measurements as even the tiniest particle of debris between the shoulder of the gauge and the chamber will give you a false reading. Putting in extra effort when chambering a barrel pays dividends when the rifle is able to shoot tight groups, and checking to make sure that an existing firearm has proper headspace is a good safety precaution.

[kendog4570]

...I can see where the Wylde is more like 5.56 rather than 223.

The Wylde is nothing more than a loosy goosy (read slightly larger than standard 5.56) 5.56 NATO chamber with a "match" type throat and leade.

[fguffey]

With proper headspace the bolt should just close on a GO gauge, but not on a NO-GO gauge. Doing this gives you a range, where the actual headspace is somewhere in between the length difference of the two gauges.

I want to know the length of the chamber from the datum to the bolt faced; I do not have a problem with measuring the length of a head space gage, if I can measure the length of a head space gage from the datum to the base of the gage, I can make one.

When I start, I want to know the length of the chamber. I am told by the manufacturer they are selling me a barrel with a short chamber; I want to know how short.

F. Guffey

[fguffey]

Your best bet for getting an "accurate" headspace gauge is to use one from the same manufacturer which made the chambering reamer you used when making the barrel. If you didn't machine the barrel yourself, but just want to measure the headspace, then all you need is the "GO" gauge.

20 years ago, reloaders were saying the same thing about shell holders and dies. They were making up cute little sayings about matching the brand of the shell holder with the brand of the die. 35 years before the cute little saying C&H of El Monte, California stamped the bottom of their die boxes with another saying. The saying on the bottom of the C&H counter display fiber box instructed the reloader to use a shell holder with a height of .125", I added 'deck' to 'height' and got deck height of .125".

The deck height of .125" was not silly enough to catch on and reloaders continue to insist on matching the colors of dies and shell holders.

All the reloader had to do after C&H printed their instructions on the bottom of their fiber boxes was to measure the deck height of the shell holder they are using, regardless of brand.

There are a lot if instructions that go with the shell holder with a deck height of .125", and then a reloader that matches colors will grind the top of the shell holder and reduce the deck height.

F. Guffey

[fguffey]

If you didn't machine the barrel yourself, but just want to measure the headspace, then all you need is the "GO" gauge.

I know, change that to 'I knew' because both of them have died in the last three years. There is a remote chance there are members on this forum that know "all you need is the "Go" gage" is not a true statement.

F. Guffey

[Scota4570]

Regardless of the precise numerical value of the rifle's mechanical headspace, it is out the window if the ammo varies. Which it does........