[F. Guffey]

“Another question, does the final torqueing down of the action effect the head spacing, especially when you are trying for the ultimate precision? While the barrel is in the chuck, how tight do you put on the action to test the Go/No-go & then when you are back out in the barrel vice for final install, now tight do you torque the action?”

Bumblebug, as,. I am sure, you can see there are those that understood your question, or, would you consider I do not understand their answers.When the pull through reamers is used the bolt closes when the chamber is finished, the reamer is not pushed with the bolt, by name ‘it is a pull through reamer’ not a push through reamer , of a push/pull reamer.

Nothing like checking your work, again I am the fan of verifying. I have head space gages, head space gages are nice, I do not use head space gages, head space gages come in three lengths, the three lengths are go, no and beyond, for the 30/06 the go-gage is .005” longer from the shoulder of the gage to the head of the gage than a minimum length case. The no go-gage is .009” longer than the minimum length sized case, and the field reject gage is .014” longer than a minimum length case when the case is measured from the shoulder back to the head of the case.

Point? Why settle for three gages that cover a range of from .000” .014” when you could be using 14 gages, again, I have an exception, I have a M1917 Eddystone that has a chamber that is .016” longer than a minimum length case, I form cases for short chambers, I form cases for long chambers, the easiest way for me to form cases for the Eddystone is use 280 Remington cases, I adjust the die off the shell holder .014”. By using different methods and techniques I find case comparators a nice tool, not necessary, just nice.

Different methods and or techniques: If you are using a pull through reamer the barrel is secured to the receiver and torqued before the chamber is reamed, meaning after the barrel is secured and the chamber is reamed you apply the leaver policy, basically, you leaver along.

Then there is the reamer that aligns with the pilot and turned with a ‘T’ handle, (by hand), again an option is to install the barrel into the receiver and secure/torque. Many gunsmiths of all levels have used this method/technique with a high percentage of failures, BECAUSE? Everyone of them jeep repeating the same instructions, goes something like this, “Check often because no one knows where they are until it is too late”. It is possible to measure the length of the chamber from the shoulder back to the bolt face before starting. It is possible to measure the length of a ‘short’ chamber with a go-gage. It is possible to measure the length of a short chamber with a no go-gage, etc., and it is possible to use a go-gage as a go to infinity gage.

Then there is the ‘cut the chamber first’, then install the barrel, anyone that is a fan of transfers, standards and verifying can master this technique with a dial caliper/height gages and or depth micrometers. I do not have less than 30 Mauser barrels, it is unusual when measuring the chamber length of a Mauser barrel to find one that does not have a case head protrusion of .110 +/- very few.

Again, I used one Belgum Mauser barrel to test fire 4 Chilean Mausers, the difference in the length of the chamber between the receivers, barrel and 4 bolts was .001”.

F. Guffey