SMLE No 1 Mk III*

Headspace Gauges


.303 Headspace Gauges
.303 Headspace Gauges

Q: I’ve been given a set of three headspace gauges for the .303 British cartridge for use by our military rifle club, since most members shoot either SMLEs or P-14s. The gauges are marked Central and 064, 0.67 and 0.70. Can you tell me how they work?

Tod Slater

SMLE No 1 Mk III*
SMLE No 1 Mk III*

A: Your set of three headspace gauges are Go, No-Go and Field. The Go gauge (0.64) measures the minimum distance between the face of the breech and the second indexing point. Ideally the gun should lock up or go into full battery on the Go gauge. If it doesn’t, and the bolt won’t fully close and lock, you’ll know that the headspace is below generally accepted military standards. In other words, the chamber is too short. If it does close on the Go, then you insert the No-Go gauge (0.67) which measures the maximum acceptable headspace. The bolt should not lock up on the No-Go gauge. The Field Gauge (0.70)is basically just a bigger No-Go gauge. If the rifle closes on the Field gauge, you have excessive headspace and it should be checked out and corrected by a gunsmith. This is done by merely exchanging bolt heads on an SMLE, but more complicated with a P14.

 

 

 


Like it? Share with your friends!

What's Your Reaction?

super super
19
super
fail fail
12
fail
fun fun
10
fun
bad bad
8
bad
hate hate
6
hate
lol lol
4
lol
love love
2
love
omg omg
18
omg
Nick Harvey

The late Nick Harvey (1931-2024) was one of the world's most experienced and knowledgeable gun writers, a true legend of the business. He wrote about firearms and hunting for about 70 years, published many books and uncounted articles, and travelled the world to hunt and shoot. His reloading manuals are highly sought after, and his knowledge of the subject was unmatched. He was Sporting Shooter's Technical Editor for almost 50 years. His work lives on here as part of his legacy to us all.

0 Comments

Send this to a friend