Headspacing near Winnipeg

[mrbeil]

I'm working on a garand project and I don't have the tools to do it and the only gunsmith around Winnipeg (that I know of) says he doesn't do headspacing. Is there anyone around Winnipeg with the required gauges and reamer that would do it for me (and how much would you charge)?

Also: I know that the way I typed this out is very poorly written

 

[quentin wipf]

Hi pro precision in brandon will do it for you........excellent gunsmith/competition shooter!

 

[leojlafrog]

Lyle Linkaitis (Selkirk), Jim Schellenberg (Mitchell) or RDP (Dugald). Good luck!

 

[mrbeil]

Lyle Linkaitis (Selkirk), Jim Schellenberg (Mitchell) or RDP (Dugald). Good luck!

Thanks! I originally called Rob Payette (RDP) but he said he doesn't touch headspacing at all

 

[purple]

You will need a proper fitting action wrench and a set of barrel blocks or a vise to install the barrel correctly at top dead center. If it is a used barrel you can usually trial fit several bolts to find one that will headspace correctly with your headspace gauges. NOS GI and commercial Garand barrels are short chambered and will require finish reaming in order to establish proper headspace with a particular bolt. A hand driven pull through finishing reamer works best for this. Be careful with barrel installation. Top dead center is established by comparing the flat surface behind the front sight lug on the gas cylinder and the flat surface between the rear sight "ears" on the receiver to establish parallelism.

Folks who are buying the "bargain" Garand receivers for a DIY project are finding out that the combined costs of a servicable parts set as well as tooling and gauges or gunsmith services will be the same or greater than the cost of a complete rifle.

 

[mrbeil]

I bought a used 308 barrel that only had about 50 rounds through it. But purple, it's not so much about saving money. It's more about building a rifle with your own 2 hands: it's yours and while there are lots out there like it, it will be yours.. so on and so forth

 

[purple]

Once the used barrel is installed chances are that it will headspace OK on the gauges. You may need to try several bolts to get one that headspaces OK. With a Garand it is equally important that the rifle is OK on the "go" gauge as well as the "no-go".

Putting these together is a nice hobby and it is hard to stop with one, especially after you have invested in the tooling and gauges. I would recommend that any aspiring Garand plumber get a copy of Kuhnhausen's Shop manual on the Garand and M14. It is the best technical reference there is. The M1 Garand Complete Assembly Guide by Kulek is useful as well.