headspace

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nail

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This is my first post and know I am entering a new world here, My question is I have a wichester mod.70 post 64 and is 35 whelen and it has 12thou head space measured with shims on several fatory unfired rounds and I get a few misfires with factory rounds but not with reloads and do understand why the brass is taking up the slack headspace.
I have rebarreled a few rifles and do understand what to do. I know the right way to is to set the barrel back and rechamber but I dont want to buy a reamer.
Could I lathe the bolt face deeper and fit a press fit plug in there and re set the headspace that way, any help would be appreciated as to how deep and what type of steel to use if this can be done. Thanks Steve!!:)
 
If you continue to use brass fireformed to that chamber, it should be ok. If you push the shoulders back in sizing, you will have trouble with case separation.
Butch
 
I've worked with the Whelen quite a bit over the years and have run into several rifles that have had excessive headspace due to the fact that it had no SAAMI Specs and was variously chambered since 1922. It won't help you with factory loads of course but you can run you own handloads through it. I run the brass through a .375 expander and then neck size down with a 35 Whelen neck die until I can get the proper headspace with the false shoulder. They fire fine this way and the brass is then good to go for that rifle in the future. I may be telling you something you already do but that's a solution without changing the rifle. If you want to fire factory ammo I'd just set back and rechamber. Nothing worse than pulling the trigger on a buck and hearing a click.
 
Thanks for the replies fellas, I do understand what you are saying and I forgot to mention that it has open sights on it, otherwise I would just take a cut off of the shoulder until I had the right headspase. The problem is my grandson wants to use it and I am thinking of farther down the road when I am not around to handload, I have no problems with hadloads as I just neck size anyway Thanks Steve!!
 
You have not checked the headspace of the rifle. You have only checked the head gap of a factory cartridge.

The headspace of the rifle may be correct. To measure or check it would require steel gauges. Do that before proceeding with any "repair".

If the headspace of the rifle is correct, a new firing pin spring may help firing the lousy factory ammo.
 
Dennis is absolutely right about what he said. Remington has been notorious for having some of it's 35 Whelen ammo with an improper head gap. Some lots gave misfires even with the Remington factory rifles made at the same time. I tried inserting some into a H&R Handi rifle I have in that caliber and you would see some cartridges flush with the breech and others that sat well below the breech....enough to case misfires. Check with a headspace gauge and make sure it's not the lot of ammo you have been using.
 
Thanks for the expert help gentlemen I will try and find sombody with go gauge and check it out, didn,t relies that factory ammo could be that far out. Steve!!
 
nail said:
Thanks for the expert help gentlemen I will try and find sombody with go gauge and check it out, didn,t relies that factory ammo could be that far out. Steve!!
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I'd suggest getting both "go" and "no go" gages. They are not expensive. The same gage works for.30-06 Springfield, .25-06 Remington, 270 Winchester, 8mm-06 Springfield, 338-06 A-Square, and 35 Whelen.

See: http://www.midwayusa.com/Search/Default.aspx#.35 Whelen gage___1100_-_1-2-4_8-16-32

For go, no-go, and field gages.

Fitch
 
Field Gauges for non military cartridges?

The 35 Wheelen is based off the 30-06 case and as stated the same Go and NoGo Gauge would be used to determine a SAAMI spec chamber. Field Gauges are used with mlitary chambers. Neither Forester, Manson, Clymer, JGS, or PT&G show a field gauge for use with the 35 Wheelen in their catalogue enventory. There are 7.62 x 63 field gauges for use with a M1 Garand and Springfield 1903 A3.

There also are Go and NoGo gauges for the 35 Wheelen Improved 40 degree shoulder and slightly shorter.

Nat Lambeth
 
If the rifle's headspace checks out ok,,,,,

you could pull factory bullets [partially with a collet puller] and possibly reseat them OUT farther and then crimp them [Lee factory crimp will crimp where there is not even a cannelure on the bullet!] in place so as to hold the sloppy fitting factory round against the bolt face.
Or....you could set the barrel back one turn carefully to correctly align the sights at 12 o'clock again,,,and RENT a reamer. Renting is very affordable especially if you do not intend to barrel a rifle anytime soon again.

If you set the barrel back a turn you might also consider reaming it to Ackley Improved just for the extra shoulder angle. It's not necessary as your fireformed cases in the standard chamber will fit fine because you neck size only.
This was a custom rebarrel at some point in the past, right? I don't remember a post '64 being available from the factory.
 
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