Question on the 22BR

[panhandle]

I am putting together a 22 BR based on a Savage model 12 that didn't shoot as good as I thought it should. I have ordered a Shilen barrel in their Savage configuration, 26" heavy sporter with .248 neck. Just received 400 new Lapua cases and a barrel wrench from Midway. Now, my question. Can I safely set the headspace using the new Lapua bras as a go gage. This brass will no be shared with another rifle and fired brass will be set with a .001 crush fit with Redding dies. Thanks

 

[treeman]

panhandle, I've headspaced several rifles with the brass that i intended to shoot in it i had zero problems. i'm confident that it will work if you find the longest case measured from the shoulder to the case head and use it,as a head space guage)until you barley feel resistance when you close the bolt on it in the chamber. also be shure to remove the ejector plunger so it won't give you false resistance. you can check your headspace by takeing a peice of lead wire and bending it in an L shape sticking it through the flash hole on your "headspace brass" and chambering it with the wire hanging behind the brass and crushing the lead between the bolt face and brass. remove the brass from the chamber and measure the lead wire at it's thinnest place.not where the impresion of the head stamp letters is. some times it will measure only .0002 inch. i've done this many times and it works great. If it was for a hunting rifle I'd use a sammy go gauge. hope i explained it so you can under stand the process. good luck, treeman

 

[panhandle]

Thanks treeman,
Your reply was easy to understand, I even have some of that lead wire that I use for fly fishing. Never heard of it done this way but it sure makes sense. Thanks for your time.

 

[82boy]

For Savage questions have you looked at this site?
http://www.savageshooters.com/

On headspacing I use a few pices of fired and sized brass, I dont know that I would headspace a barrel off of unfired brass.

It's kind of a catch 22.

 

[Ackman]

Headspace it on a piece of brass. To make .22BR you'll be necking 6BR cases down. They'll all have the same casehead to neck/shoulder measurement.

 

[SF340Driver]

Stick a piece of electrical tape to the base of the case and then use it to HS. You won't have a problem with future brass and you can resize the fired brass as you see fit.

 

[tmc338]

I use the Lapua case as my gage on my 22BR. Mine is a Savage 110 blueprinted with a 28" Broughton 5C, shot a best of .187 with 52gr a-max Lapua brass rem7/12 primers and 29grns H-322 I also have the PTG head space gages and the reamer built by PTG is a .245 no-turn neck with 0 freebore I shoot the bullets squared pathed. tim

 

[NorCalMikie]

How I set mine was to neck down a 6 BR Lapua case to 22 BR, full length resize it and use that case for a gauge. My chamber will be tighter than a go/no go "gauge". After the headspace has been set and a couple of rounds have been fired, I measure the brass and I'll snug it up a little till the brass hardly grows. I use a Wilson Case Gauge and my fired brass will drop back into the gauge. All I have to do is neck size with a bushing die and I'am ready to go. My brass lasts a "long" time! Maybe after about 5 or 6 firings I might have to bump the shoulder or use a body die.