Incoming Inland ‘43 M1: My first

There is no need to purchase a set of head-space gauges, unless you get into regularly dealing with carbines. It may not be a bad idea to obtain a "field gauge" if you shoot one carbine a lot and want to keep an eye on it. There are three gauges...go, no-go and field. If the bolt will rotate and close on a field gauge when a spec. sized round is chambered, it's unsafe to fire. Field gauges can be had from places like Midway and Brownells, but you're not likely to use it enough to justify the cost. If you chamber a proper round, close the action and can clearly detect the bolt has rotated and locked, your half-way home...that's the "go" test. What you can't detect without a proper gauge or actual measurement....is the total head-space. The no-go gauge is more-or-less a measurement of just how worn the action is. If  I were you, make a few phone calls around and locate a smith/dealer than can stick a field gauge in it and check it. There has to be numerous sources for that around Dallas/Ft. Worth and there may be a fellow forum member that lives close enough to you that can help you out.

You can search for threads here on the forum on a home-spun method. If you have a properly sized case and know what it measures, you can use the case and shim it until the bolt will not rotate and close, make an overall measurement and there is your actual head-space. A field gauge will vary in OAL by manufacturer, but it will usually be 1.301.

I certainly do not want to make this sound simple, but if you have a good general knowledge of how this style of action works...it's not rocket science. I have sent properly sized cases to other forum members to perform this test.

What I would advise is the first tool you should get is a bolt tool. You WILL need one sooner-or-later and they are fairly cheap right now...close to $20 last time I looked at SARCO.

I like to be gentle on these old girls, I rarely load above 14.5 H110.

13.5 1852fps

14.0 1900 fps

14.5 1945fps

I ran across several pounds of H108. It was a carbine specific surplus powder re-designated as H108. I load it a little lighter.

110-grain 12.5 at 1857fps

I really like a little Mauser (.308) 86-grain soft-point loaded with 16.5 grains H110 at 2334fps. It's a certified Armadillo buster.

All these loads seem to print practically in the same POI on a 25-yard target.

You're a reloader....you can size a round to perform a head-space measurement. Just size it, trim it to square the mouth and press an inverted projectile in it flush with the mouth, crimp it and then measure it. Strip your bolt and close it on the case to make sure it rotates and closes. Add shimming material (scotch tape will do) until the bolt will not rotate and close...and measure the oal of the shimmed case. THAT is your actual overall head-space and if it's under 1.30...you're good to go. I rarely find a used carbine under 1.297-1.298.