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c/gunsmiths•the_jennythe_jenny•16d ago

Shoutout to the guy who showed me the right way to check headspace on a Mauser action

I was helping a friend with his sporterized 98k last weekend and he kept insisting the bolt was just stiff. I pulled out my Forster gauges and found it wouldn't close on a 'go', but he'd already fired it a bunch. Turns out he was checking it with the extractor on, which was masking the real issue. How many of you have run into folks skipping that basic step? I mean, it seems obvious once you know, but it's a real safety thing.
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3 Comments
james533
james53315d agoMost Upvoted
Yeah, the "shoots safely" part is what gets me. My uncle's old deer rifle had a bolt that closed on a live round but the headspace was way off.
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kevin_hernandez83
Honestly, I've always checked with the extractor on and never had a problem. Tbh, if it chambers a factory round and fires fine, that's the real test for me. All those gauges just overcomplicate a simple process. My granddad taught me on his old Mauser and we never used a single go-no go gauge. As long as there's no visible issues and it shoots safely, you're good. Different ways of doing things I guess.
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thomas.mark
So your granddad's Mauser never once had a sticky bolt close?
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