Setting the headspace off FL sized brass.

F

frwillia

Guest
I'm going to chamber two barrels in .243Win with a no-turn neck. One will be a SS Shilen #8 contour in 8" twist for my LRPV, the other will be a used Adams and Bennett that is currently chambered in 6mmBR. I plan to saw the chamber off the A&B and re chamber it much like I recently did with the .22-250 barrel. The A&B will replace the tublar file that is mascerading as a barrel on my Savage Sporter.

What I want to do is set them both up using a full length sized case + about .001" to .002" (as was suggested here lin a different thread last week) instead of a go-gage. I'll use the go-gage to be sure they are at least the minimum SAAMI headspace dimension as a check, but other than that, what I want to accomplish is minimum bumping of the shoulder so I can FL size all the time with out over working the brass.

I've set the resizing die up to have the case holder in firm contact with it at the top of the stroke so I should be able to duplicate the sized brass in any press I use the die in.

Is this a reasonable strategy? Or is there a better way to accomplish this?

Thanks
Fitch
 
I'd just chamber both barrels and set headspace using the same go gauge. It wont matter if the bolt closes with a slight felt resistance or you're .000?" over a go. Fired / sized brass should swap between both barrels if the same reamer is used and the head space is set as close to the same as you can make it for both barrels.
 
Purchase a competition shell holder set from Redding, it comes in +.002 – 4 -6 – 8 and +.010 to adjust for the amount of sizing of your dies PN# 11601. Set your headspace to the SAAMI minimum so your brass is not stretched on the first firing, I think this would be a better avenue to pursue. If you should need to alter something I would alter the shell holder and leave the rest standard. Just my two cents……..
Rick
 
Headspacing with a sized, fired case.

I sometimes use a fired case and a fired, sized case to check headspace when trying to get 2 barrels the same with the same reamer. If the fired case was not fired in a chamber cut with the same reamer, it may not resize to the same exact length, so there may still be some variation. Of course if the fired case ends larger in diameter than the new chamber this will not be possible.

As long as you use a go and a no go as a double check, I see no reason not to try it. Your no go can be a go gage with .003 worth of shim or tape on the back.

If you do one first and fire a few cases in it, you can use them to check the second one.

Scott Roeder
 
What I did yesterday was to install a barrel and set my headspace with a go/no go gauge. After that I snugged it up on a resized case. "Very" slight resistance on closing the bolt. This is on a 22 BR and when the round is fired, my brass will drop back in a Wilson case gauge. The brass only takes a neck size to be ready to go again. The brass lasts a long time. Keep the headspace as tight as you can for the best brass life.
It might go 5 or 6 firings before they need a body die. The rest of the time they just get the neck sized with a Forster Bushing Bump die. No shoulder bump.
It's pretty hard to get both barrels to be set "exactly" the same but you can get it "real close". Fire a round and see if the brass will interchange between chambers. It's easy enough to readjust the headspace. Might only take 1/16 of a turn. HTH. Mike.
 
I'll use the go-gage to be sure they are at least the minimum SAAMI headspace dimension as a check, but other than that, what I want to accomplish is minimum bumping of the shoulder so I can FL size all the time with out over working the brass.
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It will probably work. A lot of times, guys try to solve problems that can't really be solved or don't exist, and make things worse.

The dimensions of brass will change as the case is used. Even if you keep your one case as a gauge, the amount you have to size cases is likely to change over 8-9-10 reloadings, and you'll likely have to "reset" your die.

Story: I was cutting PPC chambers in two barrels, and wanted them exactly the same. When barrel #2 was .001 short, I took the reamer out, cleaned it, and ran the last .001 by hand (no power). As Alan Greenspan said, "Ooops!" I'd run it in to .001 long. THWI. I didn't put barrel No. 1 back in & try to get it even. I can still switch brass, BTW.

I've set the resizing die up to have the case holder in firm contact with it at the top of the stroke so I should be able to duplicate the sized brass in any press I use the die in.
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Will the go-gauge fit in the die? Some will, some won't. If it will, set the die up to the gauge, and use the gauge for cutting the chamber.

BTW, if these are Savage "nut" type barrels, you'll have to advance the action as well as tighten the nut when you put on a barrel, or as the threads distort a little, the absolute headspace will change. Not enough to hurt anything, but enough to keep you from getting that "perfect" fit. Yeah, I know because we tried it.
 
Charles E said:
Will the go-gauge fit in the die? Some will, some won't. If it will, set the die up to the gauge, and use the gauge for cutting the chamber.
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I hadn't thought of that. That accomplishes all the same things I was trying to accomplish in a better pedigreed maner. The go-gage isn't here yet, but I'll try that when it arrives next week.

BTW, if these are Savage "nut" type barrels, you'll have to advance the action as well as tighten the nut when you put on a barrel, or as the threads distort a little, the absolute headspace will change. Not enough to hurt anything, but enough to keep you from getting that "perfect" fit. Yeah, I know because we tried it.
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The new barrel will have a shoulder, the rechambered one won't. I see the issue. Thanks for the heads up.

I've learned something from each reply so far.

Thanks
Fitch
 
as your brass gets used , it will spring back more. At some point the cases
that fit perfectly will now chamber with resistance.
 
Bob Kingsbury said:
as your brass gets used , it will spring back more. At some point the cases
that fit perfectly will now chamber with resistance.
Click to expand...

Will that be true if I FL size them each time?

One reason I'm thinking about this issue is to have a FL size approach instead of a neck size only approach that doesn't work the brass very much but which keeps the brass fitting the chamber the same each time.

I know some local competitors, who don't do their own barrels, who had special dies made that would let them FL size each time but not work the brass very much. One of the things I'm after is to be able to do that with my Redding FL sizing die by taking advantage of the fact that I'm chambering my own barrel to set the head space so it works for that.

I liked the go-gage in the die approach a couple of posts earlier because that uses the same root standard for setting both the die and setting the headspace in the chamber. The whole thing is tracable and can be redone on any press as long as I have the go-gage handy.

Thanks
Fitch
 
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