head space
 

I hear a lot of talk about adjusting headspace on muzzleloaders. I know you can do this with other guns, but I didn't know about muzzleloaders. My question is how do you do it? also what is the advantage? I have a cva wolf.

What one can do with CVA rifle is back out the firing pin bushing until the primer is held snugly, or with a slight 'crush', when the action is snapped shut. What i do is measure the primer before i close the action on it, and then afterward. My goal is to see about 0.005" or so crush of the primer. Myself, i use shims under the firing pin bushing until the desired result is achieved.

The advantage is there will be zero blow by. The advantage is all the heat from the primer reaches the powder. The advantage is the bottom of the scope won't be singed.

Trader74, mountaindevil54 has some great info. on this he will be along to help u.You basically take a screwdriver and back the fireing pin bushing out i backed mine out using feeler gauages set at .018 i have no blowback shot primers come out as clean as they went in and the face of the breech stays clean.Thanks md54.I do have the bp from western powders made for blackhorn.

ron i would like to know what kind and size of shims you use and where can i get them.Thanks

What i did was make the shims from shim stock purchased at our local ACE hardware. The piece i used was 0.005" thick. Included in the package were other thicknesses. First step was to make a disc using what we always called a leather punch; then a smaller punch was used to make the shims. For my Accura, i used 4 shim, for a total of 0.020" reduction of head space. This allowed me to use STS primer, which underwent a slight crush when the action was snapped shut. This made for zero blow by, and fired primer that looked new.









Seems to me i read quite some time ago that Russel at MAX Muzzleloader was going to find some one to make them, and then sell them on his site.

Might see if any of these might work..

http://www.mcmaster.com/#round-shims/=elx9nq

Please forgive my ignorance. But what does adjusting your primer have to do with headspace?? I am not even sure how the term "headspace" would even apply to a muzzle loader??

Please explain to the ignorant?? For I do not understand??

I can understand that it is a good idea to adjust your nipple so that the primer fits properly?? But I would assume that should be a factory fit?? Not an aftermarket fit?? Shouldn't the primer fit from the factory?? Before I shimmed a factory rifle I would send it back to the factory and have it fixed properly. It sounds like you are applying a band-aid to a problem that needs stitches.

Sorry but I am trying to figure out how the answers address headspace?? Tom.

Factory has a hard time fitting their rifle to primer, because primer brand have different length. TC normally fit their head space to the longest primer, which is the W209. Hence all other brand will be too short for a perfect 'seal', and there will be blow by. Two of my Omega give a slight 'crush' to W209 primer, when the action is closed. CVA rifles are usually loose for all primer. Adjusting the firing pin bushing out is not really a band -aid, but rather a permanent fix, if done correctly.

Another way i have fit primer to my rifle is by making a breech plug to fit my rifle, and my primer choice. This works good. I have also modified OEM breech plug so they can only be used with one primer length, the one i choose.

So by headspace you are referring to the headspace of the nipple, not the rifle. I think I understand what you mean know. You are trying to get the primer to headspace properly in the nipple?? Or whatever you want to call it. Tom.