FAL Headspacing Problem

G3

New member
Greetings All,

I am trying to set the headspace on a DSA receiver and Argentine barrel. The problem is there bolt carrier does not close flush with the receiver when the bolt and carrier are in place. I have removed the extractor and the firing pin from the bolt. There is about 1/16" gap between the carrier and the receiver round top cut when fully forward. The bolt appears to contact the chamber face.

When attempting to set the head space, with pin gauge and Go Gauge in place, the bolt and carrier do not fully close. There is a gap of about .210" between the top of the bolt carrier and the top of the receiver. However, when the pin gauge is removed and I pull the bolt and carrier back a little and then push them forward again, the bolt drops slightly and will close closer to the receiver. The gap will again be about 1/16".

I've tried .254-.272" pin gauges, and with and without the GO and No Go gauges. It doesn't seem to affect anything.

The bolt and bolt carrier appear normal, and the receiver doesn't appear damaged.

Any ideas?

Should I try even smaller pin gauges?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
The FALfiles suggestion is good.
Does the carrier go all the way forward if the bolt is removed?
Does the gas piston extend beyond the face of the receiver?
Does the carrier close all the way if the gas piston is removed?
 
Sorry for the delay

Thanks all for the replies. I got the rifle together fine using a .253 locking shoulder. I need to open up the gas port though.
 
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