What makes you think you have a headspace problem - it is not unknown, but rarely seen outside of the USA.

Do you mean a SMLE (No1) or a No4 ? (many people just call all Enfield's SMLE)

Headspace is adjusted by changing out the bolt head to a larger one.
If you haven't got a gauge how do you know your headspace is outside the limits ?
Several suppliers of CHS Gauges online - make sure you get a British dimensioned one (0.074") and not the US SAAMI one at 0.070". Many good Enfield's have been scrapped by using the incorrect gauges.

Have a read of this which may give a bit more information

https://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?318777-No4-Bolt-Head-Survey-and-Instructions

There is a lot more to changing a bolt head than just headspace as many other criteria are affected so it is not something that should be undertaken lightly. You may end up buying 'loads' of bolt heads to get one that not only sorts out your headspace problem but does not introduce other problems such as Striker protrusion, overturn etc.

 

A very basic question, how is headspace adjusted on an SMLE?By changing the bolt head for one that brings the headspace into tolerance.

Can headspace be adjusted without a gauge? Nope & it can't be adjusted with a gauge either, the gauge just measures.

Does anyone know where I can get a headspace gauge? There are 2 styles & 2 standards. "Case shaped", or "disk" type. I prefer disk, & there used to be a company "OKIE" who made them but the guy passed, you may still see the site advertised though. You need just one gauge, call it what you will an 0.074". There is a guy advertises on E-bay periodically for coin gauges.

 

Alan L,

If you are a handloader, you can very easily adjust your .303 British headspace by adjusting your resizing die. The .303 headspaces on the RIM and the case shoulder hangs out in space (especially on generously chambered WWII rifles) until your fire the round, then the case fits the chamber. When you reload, back off your resizing die a full turn, lube, resize and try to chamber it in your rifle. If it is too tight, come down a quarter turn on the resizer die and try again until your get a slight "crunch" fit. Record the data, put in your die box for that specific SMLE.

I have many SMLEs and some like a backoff of the resizer a quarter turn while an accurate MkIII likes a backoff of 1.5 turns. Yes, she is "Long in the Tooth" so I label each box of SMLE reloads custom loaded for each INDIVIDUAL rifle.

Any gauge will merely tell you how much to BACKOFF the resizing die. I hope this helps.

Webley

 

If you neck-size the case only, your once-fired case will 'headspace' on the shoulder of the case, making the clearance at the rim irrelevant.

You can often do this by backing off your .303 die by a turn or so, but some cases fired in rifles with the largest chambers and shoulders could still be 'touched up' a bit by the die.

Cases fired in those unusually large chambered rifles can be resized using a 7.62X54R die, if you back the die off far enough that you can stack two nickels between the shellholder and the bottom of the die.

After neck-sizing mark the ammunition box with the serial number of the rifle the rounds were fired in, and use that brass exclusively in that rifle thereafter.

Problem solved.