Headspacing milsurp rifles

[campergeek]

I've got 4 rifles on which I want to get the headspace checked before I fire them: 2 Mosins, 1 Enfield and 1 K98. I called one shop which is listed in the yellow pages as a Gunsmith and which I know deals in milsurp rifles. The conversation was short, and something like this:

Him: (unintelligible, sounded annoyed)
Me: Is this XXXX sporting goods?
Him: Yeah. (with a tone that said "I don't have time for you")
Me: Do you still do gunsmithing?
Him: Yeah.
Me: I've got 4 old rifles that I need to have the headspace checked. Can I bring those by any time?
Him: We don't have any headspace gauges.
Me: Okay. Thanks anyway.

I am absolutely NOT a gunsmith, but I thought that headspacing was a pretty basic requirement for making sure a gun was safe to fire - and I thought that gauges would be a basic item in a gunsmith's tool kit. Perhaps I'm just ignorant.

In any case, Brownells lists go/no-go gauges for $30 each. I need gauges in 7.62 X 54R, .303 British and 8 mm, so to get a full set would be $180. I'm a collector, but I'm not sure I'd use the gauges enough to make it worth the cost - and I'd much rather put that money toward more guns.

So I need the following advice:

Can anybody in the St. Louis area recommend a good gunsmith who would have the appropriate gauges for these rifles - and whom won't act like a real jerk on the phone?

Alternately, does anyone live in the area, have a set of gauges, and be willing to meet up somewhere to help me check headspace?

Third option: can anyone recommend a "poor man's" method of checking headspace on these rifles without using the commercial gauges?

 

[jefnvk]

I can't be sure on this advice, but when I was considering buying gauges, I was told to skip on a GO gauge. Seems a loaded cartridge fits that bill. Like I said, take it for what it is worth.

Be sure to get an actual gunsmith, too. Someone should be able to recommend a good one in your area, but after taking it to a few gunshop owners/'I bought a gunsmithing book off TV and now fix rifles' type people, I jsut drove the 50 minuets to a real. well known gunsmith, and he told me what was good and bad about each rifle. Then he gave me a history lesson on each one After that, he noticed my Enfield didn't have a sight, found one in one of his bins, installed it for free. After that, he noticed that I didn't have ammo, so he dug around for a while and found some surplus he let me have cheap

 

[Gordon]

Field guages from midway are 18.00. I have one in 8mm mauser, and 30-06. I have the whole 'match' set for .308win. I think the headspace is fairly important on rimless cases, but on a rimmed case I would say it's unlikely to have a dangerous problem (same for belted mags).

 

[rbernie]

on a rimmed case I would say it's unlikely to have a dangerous problem (same for belted mags).

Too little headspace will not allow you to chamber a round, but too much will allow the case above the head to be unsupported. That would seem to be true regardless of HOW the casing headspaces in the chamber - shoulder, neck, belt, or rim.