Does crushed brass create 'headspace' problems

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Does crushed brass create 'headspace' problems

Post by lapp » 20 Jan 2014, 11:00 am

Hi guys,

Piggybacking of this thread on fireforming buckled cases, didn't want to highjack it with my question. Which is...

If you've crushed a case a little and fire it, could it have similar problems to a rifle with head space problems?

It's sort of the same conditions I guess?
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Re: Does crushed brass create 'headspace' problems

Post by Apollo » 20 Jan 2014, 11:33 am

Headspace problems come under two types. This is referring to Rimless Cases.

Case base to shoulder length too long creating difficulty closing the bolt which can also stress/gall the locking lugs of the bolt. Not being able to close the bolt at all.

Case base to shoulder length too short causing overworking of the case body over a period of time leading to case head separation. Unless the rifle has excessive chamber headspace this is generally caused by full length sizing dies set too deep.

Firing a case which is short to the shoulder once will not cause any problems... ie fireforming it to the chamber and frequently done especially with wildcat calibres making a case from one calibre into another size.
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Re: Does crushed brass create 'headspace' problems

Post by sooey » 20 Jan 2014, 3:10 pm

With a case that's shortened a little from bad sizing, would a single firing return this to normal length?
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Re: Does crushed brass create 'headspace' problems

Post by Apollo » 20 Jan 2014, 6:19 pm

Yes, in most circumstances.
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Re: Does crushed brass create 'headspace' problems

Post by Monty » 20 Jan 2014, 8:02 pm

lapp wrote:If you've crushed a case a little and fire it, could it have similar problems to a rifle with head space problems?

It's sort of the same conditions I guess?


Mmm, not so much.

You're right - there is space at the top of the cartridge if it were squashed or if the length was too short. A squashed case will reform to the correct size when fired in a properly spaced chamber though, a rifle with head space problems will always have head space problems.
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Re: Does crushed brass create 'headspace' problems

Post by Apollo » 20 Jan 2014, 8:50 pm

Monty wrote: a rifle with head space problems will always have head space problems.


As far as SAAMI Specs for Rimless Cartridges yes, but for Rimless Cartridge Calibres in general not quite correct.

Headspace for Rimless Cartridge Calibres is just a generally accepted tollerance. If a specific firearm has a short or long headspace measurement it can be corrected by either adjusting the chamber to bolt face dimensions or it can be adjusted by the cartridge case dimensions and sizing die setup. Within reasonable boundaries.
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Re: Does crushed brass create 'headspace' problems

Post by Monty » 20 Jan 2014, 9:16 pm

Apollo wrote:If a specific firearm has a short or long headspace measurement it can be corrected by either adjusting the chamber to bolt face dimensions or it can be adjusted by the cartridge case dimensions and sizing die setup.


Yeah, "always" was the wrong word to use.

I meant that if a case is a little squashed, fireforming it will fix the problem for that case. A rifle with a head space problem will continue to have a problem until it's fixed.

Answering the OP's question, they're not the same situation.
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Re: Does crushed brass create 'headspace' problems

Post by lapp » 11 Feb 2014, 5:36 pm

Thanks for the info Apollo and everyone else.

I understand it now.
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