Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing 1917 Enfield headspace question

So I picked up a 1917 Enfield in 308 Norma mag for super cheap. They said it had bad headspace and I checked with my no go gauge and the bolt will close on this gauge but barely. Question is where do I go from here? Get rid of this barrel and pick up a 30-06 new in the white barrel from numrich and rechamber to 300 win mag? I say that because I could borrow a reamer from a friend to go that route. You guys are always helpful and full of advice. I appreciate it!

For what it's worth, my understanding is that the angled locking lug faces on the 1917s provide so much camming force that when using headspace gauges you should use a very light touch closing the bolt for an accurate reading.

Editing to clarify these 1917 checks should also be done with stripped bolt.

Are you using the short "one size fits all" gauge? If so , there's an easy remedy. You are probably going reload for the Norma, so set the headspace with the ammo. the Norma chambers are not very consistent on conversion rifles. Use the sizing die setting to match the chamber shoulder and ignore belted reading. My O3A3 has the same reading as yours and shoots superbly. Dont go looking for work....

I was actually going to just rechamber to 300 win mag as I have an easier time getting that ammo. I also purchased a Forster no go gauge for the 300 win mag. Figured it would work because like you stated it was a one size fits all gauge.

If the no-go barely closes, the headspace is probably within spec. I would have to feel it to know for sure. If you are uncertain, set the barrel back a turn. There are ways to take care of the issue without the set-back but they are slightly unorthodox. GD