Quote:
Originally Posted by Okotokian
My mother-in-law gave me an old .303 that belonged to my now-deceased father-in-law. It's an old No. 1 Mk III built by Cogswell & Harrison that has been more recently sporterized. I'm told the gun is WW I vintage and that C&H are high quality manufacturers.
Anyway, I wasn't sure about the condition of the rifle and whether I should shoot it or not so took it down to Pro Line Shooters to have it checked out. The gunsmith wasn't there but one of the fellows behind the counter took a look at it. He was very kind and spent a fair amount of time on it, gratis. He said the headspace was marginal. He could get the bolt closed but just barely when he put in that "thingie" (my words, not his) in the chamber to check space. He thought it would be OK to put a few rounds through if I wanted, but advised against shooting it a lot. He did mention that the inside of the barrel looked in great shape. I do think the safety may need a bit of work.
So now what? How can one fix headspace? I do not want to spend a lot on the repair of a gun I'm probably not going to use much. $100? fine. $500 or more? No way. Sell it? Who would want it? Give it away? If it's unsafe perhaps I should dispose of it. Advice?
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I would double check with the gunsmith. It all depends on whether the "thingie" was a go or a no go gauge. I assume it was the no go but it's just an assumption. The most likely cause in this particular rifle of excessive head space would be lug set back due to an improperly hardened receiver. To properly remedy the problem the headspace needs to be corrected and the action properly heat treated. Not worth it. If on the other hand the action is fine I would guess under a hundred bucks should get you in business.