Hi Badger
Sunray might read the post a bit more closely. While he's absolutely correct that handloading cannot change the rifle's headspace, he's missed the point that a handloader can control cartridge end-play ("head clearance") by allowing the cartridge to stop on the shoulder instead of the rim. He should look at what's actually posted:
"If you handload, there's no need to mess with bolt heads - changing the rifle's clearances to yield longer case life. You can control head clearance simply by changing technique.
"After you've fire-formed your new cases they will fill the chamber fully, headspacing on the shoulder just like a rimless cartridge. If you neck size, you'll have zero "headspace". If you have to full length size, adjust the die so the cases chamber with just a bit of resistance in the last few degrees of bolt rotation."
Note that "headspace" is in quotes above, simply because it's not really the right term for the dimension. "Cartridge end-play" is probably the most accurate term, but I used "head clearance" in the illustration accompanying the post, so I stuck with that in the text. Many enthusiasts don't fully grasp the difference between headspace, a measurable dimension on the rifle, and cartridge end-play, a dimension existing only when a cartridge is chambered. We tend to use "headspace" for both - which leads to all sorts of confusion such as we see in Sunray's comments.
I'm not registered for the GunNutz forum, but you're welcome to quote this note there.
Hope that helps.
"Parashooter"
