headspace on turk mauser
I picked up a 1942 Ankara Turkish Mauser. I figured it would be a fun shooter. Before I shoot it I figured it would be good to check it out with a no-go gauge. Are these pretty easy to use? Would there be any doubt if the rifle was shootable after checking it? Thanks, Musky
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Fairly easy to use. #1 Clean chamber well #2 remove extractor #3 insert go guage and close bolt #4 insert no-go guage and close bolt. Bolt should close on the go guage and not the no-go guage. Do not use excessive pressure closing the bolt. If it's a one time deal, your better off having it done by a gunsmith than purchasing the guages to use once. Should be minimal charge for this, if any. A lot of smiths will do this as a costomer service..i.e....free 0 -
Thanks Sealyon, I will give that a shot (pardon the pun), Musky 0 -
I have never had any of my milsurp guns checked for headspace. This isn't the smartest practice, but given the strength of the Mauser action and the fact that I shoot mainly surplus ammo where I can pitch the brass after one shot, I don't bother. However if it gives you peace of mind, it certainly can't hurt.
"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conf0 -
As a field expedient test, take the striker out of the bolt for safety and chamber a factory load. The bolt should close firmly and not have appreciable front to rear movement with the round in the chamber. Remember to clean the bolt and chamber of grease before doing this. When I get in several of the rifles with mismatched bolts, I swap them around to get the best headspace and have no problems.
Mobuck0 -
First off, this is not an example of good gunsmith practice but might be considered a 'field' check. Crude but effective headspace check will tell you if it is excessive. First be sure the bolt, chamber etc are clean as others have said. Then cut two shim discs from a piece of coffee can the exact size of the head of the cartridge. Make sure they are flat. With a bit of grease on the face of the bolt to hold it in place, put one of the discs on the face of the bolt. Carefully chamber a round but use minimum force closing the bolt. If you get resistance, it means (for that round) the headspace is probably within desired limits. If the bolt closes easily on one of your shim discs, try the same with two shims. If it closes on two, the headspace is excessive. You will want to repeat the same checks with several rounds of your ammo because the ammo case length itself can vary a bit from round to round.
Having said all that, what others have said about strength of the Mauser action may affect whether you want to fire the piece if the headspace appears excessive. The above is based on my check of several pieces of so called tin can metal, sheetiron used for food, coffee, etc., that measured around .010" thick. If you have a micrometer, make your own measurements. Aluminum soda pop can material measured around .004" thick and could be stacked to make the desired thickness. For info, my Turk Mauser closed on about .007", when check by this method. I found the Turk ammo varying about .002". Hope this helps.
Reader comments are invited.0 -
RHMC has it right, at least for practical purposes. Remember, insufficient headspace and the bolt won't close....that takes care of that. Slightly excess headpace simply means that you can handle a variety of ammo, perhaps even dirty ammo. Even significantly excess headspace is not really a problem. Actually, by presenting a lot of "freebore" you will be REDUCING pressures! It is possible that accuracy will suffer, but it is not particularly dangerous. With older ammo, excess HS may result in case separation, but the Mauser design will handle it. If you reload, be certain to NECKSIZE only, or your brass will not last.
Hasve fun, be careful,
Morty0 -
Guys, Thanks a ton for the info. I will definitely try the coffee can trick. Musky 0 -
You will definitely want to check the headspace. Although the Mauser is a really strong action and if I had to have a case failure (knock on wood) I would want to have it in a Mauser, the Turk's are milsurp rifles often mismatched from odd parts (see how many serial #'s match). A case failure can be a good way to get hurt, if the action seems loose enough for you to be asking that question it's worth checking out 0
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