campergeek
Member
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?
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?