Gunsmithing Chambering question

[264shooter]

Hello,
I just picked up my Surgeon 591 from the gunsmith, he put the fourth barrel on it and it's a 6.5 Creedmoor.
I was looking things over in his shop and when I was checking out the bolt it appeared that the ejector had not been removed.
He said he doesn't take it out when he cuts the chamber
When chambering and checking for proper head space. I thought is was common procedure to remove the ejector plunger.
Can it be done with out removing the ejector?

Thanks
Chuck

 

[E. Bryant]

Leaving in the ejector affects the "feel" of checking the headspace, but I doubt that it would substantially alter the measurement if the smith is accustomed to performing the task in this manner.

 

[bohem]

Is there an issue other than the fact that his procedure is not the "norm" talked about on the internet?

If the headspace is right, then it's right and the ejector will not affect that.

 

[ugsly]

I check head space with out it then toss it in to make sure I have the clearance for the extractor to slip over the case. I have never noticed a difference in head space with it or without it.

Kc

 

[MikeeBooshay]

If he did the first three barrels, he consulted his "book" and cut the shoulder, chambered it and spun the action on, before he ever "checked" the headspace. No issues with doing that, the presence of an ejector does not matter if the chambering is done on a pure dimensional basis. Ie... measure the drop from bolt face to action face, subtract nose clearance - there's your shoulder dimension, same technique for headspace gauge. If you measure consistently, you still get a snug drop of the bolt, with the go gauge in and the bolt in battery. The ejector only changes the feel of it, not the actual dimension, as Mr Bryant alluded to above.

I keep a sheet on every action and barrel, and use it frequently, when doing a benchrest rifle, as they are glued in actions, and don't lend themselves easy to measuring headspace the same as a "new" rifle. I did take an otherwise good depth mike, and cut one leg off, to make it easier to check drop from shoulder to bolt face. A lot of guys have small shortcuts that add up like that.