CRNA
Well-Known Member
Just a curiosity question. I got to thinking and question is: would it be possible to headspace a rifle (re-headspace after removing the barrel) with a piece of once-fired brass? If the brass was fired with the same rifle?
You may get lucky once or twice, then again you may blow it up the first time. Rent the
go no-go gauges. It's about 5.00 plus shipping.
It can be done with no issues either way, you can easily get a barrel back to where it was but I like to get the head spacing to min so I use a gauge first then after that I'll use a certain piece of brass. I have one rifle that has 4 different WSM and RUM barrels and I have no issues resetting them back.
You should use a piece of virgin brass to get your minimum headspace. Then use a single piece of masking tape to check for no go. Don't force the bolt when you have the tape on. It shouldn't close. Make sure you screw the barrel down until it stops. Make sure it is a firm stop. You don't want to use sized or once fired brass. That will make a sloppy fit for virgin brass or factory ammo.
I imagine all cases are different, that why I like to set back with a fired case from the chamber as it's a reflection of the current head spacing, if I want to set head spacing back to a true min spec the best way is a go gauge.
I have head spaced some with a FULL length resized case with two pieces of scotch tape stuck to the base of the case. It works.
You may get lucky once or twice, then again you may blow it up the first time. Rent the
go no-go gauges. It's about 5.00 plus shipping.