When I went out to shoot my New Sharps last week, I had a little problem, First i didn't know it had a safety, and after a shoot it goes back on, I think I was moving it just enought that it was allowing the hammer to go all the way down, the spent cases the primer indent was pushed back flat. So I was told how to check for head space.
I took a new dowel Rod, and a case had my wife hold it in the case lip, and I slowly pushed the rod down the barrel untill I touched the rim of the case with steadty pressure, I took a razor blade, and made a flush cut, then with a empty breech I closed the block and ran the dowel rod untill i couldn't go any further and took the razor and made a flush mark!
Pulled it out and took my calibers and made sure they were on zero, and the measure ment was .99 . so i took a lille machnest pocket ruler and it measured under 3/32 .
is that to much head space??
I would be great full for the help! ACE

Take it to a gunsmith and let him check it for you.

Ace
What your getting is the distance from the dowel contact point inside the case to the breachface. That is a meaningless measurment.

Now, if you do the same thing, but this time hold the case fully into the chamber (hard thumb pressure) while taking the first measurment and the second measurment, with the case still in place, and the breach closed (case head between breach and dowel) your measurment will be of some value.

True headspace (for a rimmed/belted cartridge) is the distance from the rim/belt cut to the breachface. That takes proper gauges to determine.
What you're able to measure (with the above methiod) is the clearance between the case head and the breachface. Also, measure the rim/belt thickness and compare that to the HS spec, as they may have been made thinner than "normal".

quote:

Take it to a gunsmith and let him check it for you.

X2