Headspacing FAL

birddog424 · June 19, 2005, 16:49

If I set may FAL HS to 1.632 +/- .0005, as Gunplumber suggest, then is it best & safer to use 7.62 NATO or .308 ammo?

win308 · June 19, 2005, 20:49

Depends if you reload your brass. The tighter the chamber and headspace, the more reloads you can get from a single piece of brass before it fails. BUT... the tighter the chamber and headspace, the more likely you will have function problems. So you don't want to get too tight. Military chambers are "generous" because 100% reliable function is more important than saving the brass for extended reloads...especially since the military doesn't reload their brass.

Match chambers...ie minimum SAMMI chambers, with minimum headspace, give longer life to brass that is reused.

Brand new commercial .308 ammo, or brand new 7.62 NATO ammo will work in either chamber, so long as the gun is in sound working condition.

birddog424 · July 02, 2005, 20:34

I wanna use surplus ammo so I believe that a 1.632 HS will allow me to
do this w/o function problems,but still fire an occasional .308 Win. w/o causing case rupture. So far firing .308 Win. hasn't shown any signs of case stress
to any dangerous levels. I don't plan on any reloading since surplus ammo is so cheap.

Birddog424

**Hebrew Battle Rifle** · July 03, 2005, 01:33

I set the head space on all of my F A Ls to 1.630. I have yet to have a function problem related to head space while shooting commercial or surplus ammo. The advantage to tighter head space is abit more accuracy and the afore mentioned case life extension.

shootist87122 · July 03, 2005, 07:47

Since US commercial brass is on the thin side, you want to stay below ~1.634" (SAAMI .308 NOGO). Other than that, it's a personal preference issue.

SafetyAgentMan · July 04, 2005, 15:42

The headspace on the STG58 I built measures 1.634 with Brownells .308 match rifle headspace gauges. Took it to the range last week and shot many 5 shot groups just under 1 inch at 100 yards and one 4 shout group measured 0.51 inch with the 5th shot being a flyer. This was all done with surplus ammo. Obviously a tight chamber is not needed to get outstanding accuracy from a FAL.

NOTE: I just checked a new SAR-4800 I have in the safe and it measures 1.634 from the Springfield factory.

armed1 · July 04, 2005, 16:11

I personally don't think headspace has much to do with accuracy. The trick is to match your ammo to your rifle. Good ammo fro one rifle is crap for another. Whats the difference between two identical FALs? Headspace or throat erosion. I personally like the HS a little on the large size to prevent jams, especially with surplus ammo. If you want to work up a load for accuracy, you may have to increase your charge or use a powder which increases pressure.

SafetyAgentMan · July 04, 2005, 16:26

Quote:

Originally posted by armed1
I personally don't think headspace has much to do with accuracy. The trick is to match your ammo to your rifle. Good ammo fro one rifle is crap for another. Whats the difference between two identical FALs? Headspace or throat erosion. I personally like the HS a little on the large size to prevent jams, especially with surplus ammo. If you want to work up a load for accuracy, you may have to increase your charge or use a powder which increases pressure.

Exactly, my point was that a tight chamber was not necessary for good accuracy.

June 19, 2005, 16:49	#1
birddog424 Registered FALaholic #: 16734 Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Layflat, In. Posts: 2	Headspacing FAL If I set may FAL HS to 1.632 +/- .0005, as Gunplumber suggest, then is it best & safer to use 7.62 NATO or .308 ammo? __________________ I'd rather be judged by 12,than carried by 6.

July 02, 2005, 20:34	#3
birddog424 Registered FALaholic #: 16734 Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Layflat, In. Posts: 2	Surplus 7.62 I wanna use surplus ammo so I believe that a 1.632 HS will allow me to do this w/o function problems,but still fire an occasional .308 Win. w/o causing case rupture. So far firing .308 Win. hasn't shown any signs of case stress to any dangerous levels. I don't plan on any reloading since surplus ammo is so cheap. Birddog424 __________________ I'd rather be judged by 12,than carried by 6.

July 03, 2005, 01:33	#4
Hebrew Battle Rifle Horses Ass Bronze Contributor FALaholic #: 5777 Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Arkansas Posts: 6,812	I set the head space on all of my F A Ls to 1.630. I have yet to have a function problem related to head space while shooting commercial or surplus ammo. The advantage to tighter head space is abit more accuracy and the afore mentioned case life extension. __________________ THANK YOU JESUS

July 03, 2005, 07:47	#5
shootist87122 Registered FALaholic #: 7202 Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: NM Posts: 5,126	Since US commercial brass is on the thin side, you want to stay below ~1.634" (SAAMI .308 NOGO). Other than that, it's a personal preference issue. __________________ "So in the Libyan Fable it is told, That once an eagle, stricken with a dart, said, when he saw the fashion of the shaft, it is by our own feathers, not others hands, are we now smitten." -Aeschylus

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June 19, 2005, 20:49	#2
win308 Registered FALaholic #: 10585 Join Date: May 2003 Location: Atlanta Posts: 437	Depends if you reload your brass. The tighter the chamber and headspace, the more reloads you can get from a single piece of brass before it fails. BUT... the tighter the chamber and headspace, the more likely you will have function problems. So you don't want to get too tight. Military chambers are "generous" because 100% reliable function is more important than saving the brass for extended reloads...especially since the military doesn't reload their brass. Match chambers...ie minimum SAMMI chambers, with minimum headspace, give longer life to brass that is reused. Brand new commercial .308 ammo, or brand new 7.62 NATO ammo will work in either chamber, so long as the gun is in sound working condition.

July 04, 2005, 15:42	#6
SafetyAgentMan Registered FALaholic #: 4142 Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 239	The headspace on the STG58 I built measures 1.634 with Brownells .308 match rifle headspace gauges. Took it to the range last week and shot many 5 shot groups just under 1 inch at 100 yards and one 4 shout group measured 0.51 inch with the 5th shot being a flyer. This was all done with surplus ammo. Obviously a tight chamber is not needed to get outstanding accuracy from a FAL. NOTE: I just checked a new SAR-4800 I have in the safe and it measures 1.634 from the Springfield factory.

July 04, 2005, 16:11	#7
armed1 Registered FALaholic #: 9057 Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: USA Posts: 879	I personally don't think headspace has much to do with accuracy. The trick is to match your ammo to your rifle. Good ammo fro one rifle is crap for another. Whats the difference between two identical FALs? Headspace or throat erosion. I personally like the HS a little on the large size to prevent jams, especially with surplus ammo. If you want to work up a load for accuracy, you may have to increase your charge or use a powder which increases pressure.