I picked up a couple M91/30s for cast bullet plinking. Is the purchase of a field or no go headspace gauge a must with these rifles? Is there some home brewed tool or test that can cover the same ground?
I searched and found one fellow who did this: "I have 4 Mosin rifles, all acquired within a year or two in the 2004-05 timeframe. I too was concerned about headspace, given the swapping of bolts 3 of these rifles have seen. Lacking any actual gauges, I substituted the following test. All 4 of my rifles would chamber a dummy round that had one thickness of common duct tape applied to its bottom, but balked at two layers. Since this tape is at most, 2 or 3 thousandths of an inch thick, compressed, I declared all 4 of them to be within specifications. No problems since, after hundreds of reloads."
What say you, Mosin lovers?
Thanks!