sticking bolt

stevep1018

Anybody any idea why my bolt doesn't pull back to eject casing after I fire unless given a rite thump.thanks

Cass

What make and model of gun, and caliber.

Also ammo it's happening with.

stevep1018

Hi Cass.Steyr pro hunter mk2.308.federal 180 grain rounds.have fired loads of these rounds.problem is recent

Cass

Only recent? Signifies something simple.

What is your cleaning regime like? How often? Have you done it recently?

Vegeta

It could be many things but if I had to guess, dirty chamber. Brother had the very same issue in a Steyr in .308 before.

He used to shoot a lot and clean infrequently, lead to a very dirty chamber which took some cleaning in the end

stevep1018

I cleaned it well with hops.took it all apart but still same problem.don't know where to go next

It wasn't me!

Clean the bolt itself. Strip it down, grease the camming surfaces, then really scrub the locking lugs and get in the action and clean the locking lug recesses. When you clean the rifle, do you scrub the chamber as well as the barrel itself? It's easy to get a build up if you don't make a specific effort to clean the chamber as part of the regime.

stevep1018

I haven't been as precise as you have mentioned so I will give that a go.thanks for the help

Tackleberry.

My 308 chamber cleaning process..
This is just for the chamber you will need a 20bore bronze brush bristle type also
a mop 12/20gauge is okay but you can buy 308 mops which are best. Now spray carbon solvent into your chamber I let it sit a min or so then spray a little more and start working the chamber with the bronze brush in both directions in and out also.. Do this for a bit then i spray the chamber again just to move on any crud into the bore, now wipe out your chamber with your mop.. Hopefully its clean now clean your bore where all the crud is now sitting... Hopefully this works..

Vegeta

stevep1018 wrote: »

I cleaned it well with hops.took it all apart but still same problem.don't know where to go next

By dirty, I mean carbon and what looked like surface corrosion. If it's really bad Hoppes won't be enough to deal with that sort of contamination. Take bolt out and clean it as described by It wasn't me!. Then using a torch look down into the chamber and see if there is any nasty stuff in there.

We ended up doing something similar to what Tackleberry describes above but also used a battery powered screwdriver to spin the cleaning rods. A bit of very fine wire wool rapped around the mop was what worked best for us. Just make sure to get it all out.

You're probably aware but a stiff bolt lift is a classic sign of your ammo having reached high pressure when you fired. Basically it could be ammo or your gun. As it's factory ammo I'll rule it out, mind you it could still be the cause, I've seen Fiocchi centerfire ammo which are tough to chamber/cause clicks instead of bangs in Blaser rifles.

If we are ruling out ammo for the sake of argument, then it's your rifle. Specifically the relationship between your bolt and chamber. If your bolt is truly spotless, face of bolt and lugs, then I guess it's the chamber or action where the lugs lock into place. A thorough inspection and intense clean will usually sort this out though.

Having the right tools for the job really helps, so if you are struggling then I would take it to one of the gunsmiths here who will sort it out in a flash. Sure you might lose a half day driving too and from them but they wouldn't charge you an arm and a leg and it'll be sorted.

All the same, I'd not fire any more rounds before you have it sorted.

Cass

As the lads have described there is a difference between the bore being clean and the chamber. A way to check is to see if the case is really dirty when you eject it. Also try insert an empty or fired case and see if it cycles. After cleaning of course.

The chamber is a bit of a bitch to clean. Everyone has their own way of doing it and Tackleberry's way is as good as any. The problem with the chamber is it can accumulate tiny particles of brass from the cases as well as fouling. It's why i use carbon remover, then copper remover, and spray very liberally with gun oil to wash out any fouling. I do this while point the gun muzzle down so it all washes out the muzzle and not back into the action.

As Vegeta touched on stiff bolt lifts are usually a sign of excessive pressure. This is uncommon in factory ammo, but not unheard off. However the only ammo i've seen to do this is the really cheap steel case stuff and Hornady Superformance. The Hornady is seriously hot, even for a factory round, and as such i've had stiff bolt lifts on any gun i've used it in.

The Federal 180 gr is a good round. I have and occasionally still use it. It's "lawyer friendly", meaning the charge is not near excessive.

Go at the chamber and see how you get on, remembering to use a cleaned and fired piece of brass when done to check the bolt cycling.

dodderangler

Was in same situation recently mate and sent my gun off for repairs. Inside the bolt was were the problem was. The spring inside it has a small ball on top of it. If that has popped out or moved position it'll cause the problem your having which is what I had on my .223. Had to give it a good smack to eject it

FISMA.

stevep1018 wrote: »

Anybody any idea why my bolt doesn't pull back to eject casing after I fire unless given a rite thump.thanks

SteveP1018 - is it difficult to: just rotate the bolt upward, just pull the bolt back once the handle has been rotated, or both? How about closing the bolt on a new round?

Have you been inspecting your brass? Are there any signs of problems?

Has it only been happening with this brand or box of ammo? Have you tried another brand?

Factory ammo is usually built to "sloppy standards" as we say. American ammo is often under-powdered according to reload charts and bullets are seated deep, almost as if they were all going to go in a magazine.

Usually, my concern would be headspacing. If using only factory ammo, that should not be a concern. However, I have seen brand new rifles with the problem.

Inspect your brass to see if there is any: bulging towards the case head, deep scratches, or anything else unusual. Post some images if you would like the board to give them the once over.

Have you been using varnish coated ammo?

garv123

This start happening before or after you dropped the gun and broke the stock?

Cass

Thats a good catch garv. Never thought of that, even with the OP's other thread.

stevep1018

Ok lads.after all the good advice I bought a bottle of stuff for gun cleaning and you wana see the carbon that came off.its my first rifle so asked older friend to show me how to clean it well.fired 3 shots this morning and no problem 😊.so if the rain stops,its deer hunting this evening

stevep1018

I should have mentioned that garv123.I used the gun with no problem after I dropped it.problem only happened last week.turns out to be my own fault for not cleaning thoroughly

Cass

Glad you got sorted.

Usually when something like this happens, and happens immediately it's something simple as said above:

Cass wrote: »

Only recent? Signifies something simple.

You just need to establish a good and most importantly regular cleaning regime.

Tackleberry.

Some rounds of ammo are dirtier than others, but your clued in now and know a little more about your rifle, as your using it for hunting I'd consider it now cleaned for the deer hunting season, if your target shooting some time during the deer season I'd consider cleaning it again, it's all about knowing your rifle,,,
Some rifles when cleaned loose there zero then come back to zero after a few rounds, you might have this type of rifle so having it cleaned after you zeroed it might make for a bad shot on a deer.. So as you shot it a little more and clean it and then zero it you'll learn what kinda rifle you have.
But with that said a stored rifle should be cleaned so give it a clean at the end of season👍.
Glad that the cleaning of the chamber worked out..

stevep1018

Thanks tackleberry.how often I should clean it was my next question.very helpful bunch of lads on boards.gun is working brilliantly since.freezer almost full already

Cass

Have a read of posts 3 & 4 in this thread.

As for frequency, it depends on usage. Break it down like this.

Hunting - If i'm only using the rifle for hunting then my shooting is not as much as if i were target shooting. So round count is lower. I'll usually clean once a month or is shooting more in the month i'll clean if i notice a loss in accuracy.

Targets - Some do target shooting as well as or solely and as such their round count is much higher. I'll clean after every shoot as my average round count can be in excess of 40 rounds. If it's below this then i'll clean twice a month.

Lastly if you're putting the gun away for a few months (say you're not using the rifle and only going decoying) then regardless of amount of rounds fired i'll clean and store it away.

The key point no matter how often you clean is NEVER store the rifle with the suppressor on. Always remove the suppressor and buy yourself a tube of copper grease for the threads of the rifle. Helps keep it clean when being stored, prevents the suppressor from seizing on the rifle, and should be wiped off after every use of the rifles and a new coating applied before fitting the suppressor for your next outing.

Cass

Any problems with sticking since?

stevep1018

No Cass.gun working great.finally found my rhythm with it.very accurate gun.happy I got it.