.45 ACP/Shanxi Type 17 Broomhandle

[Paladinpainter]

In the interest of science, I did a chamber cast of my Type 17. The face of the bolt is recessed .048"; the chamber from where the bolt would rest (see dark line) to the mouth of the cartridge is .860 for a total of .908". The diameter of the chamber immediately forward of the extractor cut is .482" and at the mouth .474-.475".
My Speer #9 manual shows the 45acp cartridge length as .898; the diameter at the mouth of .473" and at the web of .476". So on my gun at least, the chamber is reasonable for a military weapon. I've seen others that would swallow a No-Go gauge and still have a 1/16th inch gap between the bolt and cartridge head.
I put a C96 Wolff spring kit, a new extractor, and a modern, heat treated bolt stop on my Type 17. For the 20 or so rounds I fire per year, the gun seems to be holding up just fine.
John