Where is Yankee Engineering and their coin-type headspace gauges?

If you are at a gunshow, its hard to use conventional headspace gauges because you need to remove the extractor and firing pin from the bolt. So Yankee Engineering started making their coin-type headspace gauges.

Now I can’t find them anymore. And why did they not make these for 7mm and 8mm Mausers?

Why would you need to remove the extractor and firing pin when using a conventional headspace gauge?

Setting headspace

I hope I got some bad info from the above site.

Is it possible to make easy headspace measurements at a gunshow?

Depends on the gun, but yes it is relatively easy. If the gun you are checking has a bolt nose ejector, then simply place the No-Go gauge in the chamber, and without using force, attempt to close the bolt. The bolt should not completely close on the gauge. You may feel slight resistance as you push the bolt forward due to the ejector spring, but that is normal.

On some guns such as Mausers, you may need to slip the gauge under the extractor and guide it into the chamber to get a reading. Again, don't force the bolt closed.

Firing pins, strikers and springs won't prevent you from getting the basic information you need to determine if the headspace of the rifle is within spec or not.

Setting headspace and checking hedspace are two different things.

Thanks, Westpac. I'll try to find a local gunsmith with 7mm Mauser headspace gauges to guide me through it the first time.

Then, if my eyes allow, I'll spend a total of about $40.00 at midway to buy my own go- and nogo gauges.

I'm in Panama City, Florida, if anyone can suggest a gunsmith nearby.

quote:

Originally posted by Henry22LR:
Thanks, Westpac. I'll try to find a local gunsmith with 7mm Mauser headspace gauges to guide me through it the first time.

Then, if my eyes allow, I'll spend a total of about $40.00 at midway to buy my own go- and nogo gauges.

I'm in Panama City, Florida, if anyone can suggest a gunsmith nearby.

Unless you are rebarreling and doing chamber work, and even then it isn't necessary, you won't need "go" gauges.

For almost all rifles, as described above, just slip the gauge under the extractor and gently close the bolt, stopping when resistance is felt with gentle finger only pressure - making sure that the rifle IS chambered in the calibre the vendor says - one gauge for all the .308 family will do. The point to remember is that headspace is very easily and usually cheaply corrected on rimless cases by any competent gunsmith - unless you are keen to retain the factory iron sights - in other words, don't reject a rifle because your gauge fails it - look sad and offer a lower price.

The only rifle recommended to strip the firing mechanism from is the P14 and M1917 actions which have a camming action that closes on the gauge with some force.