ammo chambering problems

[chindits]

I have a early 2000 era model 12 bvss action I put a new apache barrel on. I Headspaced it and started shooting with no issues. I have a couple of cases of winchester .308 match lying around, so I did the break in with that. Then I started experimenting with some stouter hunting bullets in case the wife draws a tag this year. I first had troubles feeding trophy bonded tips. The bolt was really difficult to close like my headspace was off. I had to slam the bolt close. Then I tried some nosler partitions and that was worse. I started thinking nickel cases were the problem, but I wasn't sure why. Then I tried some accubonds with brass cases and same issue. I figured my headspace must of slipped some how and I took the gun apart and checked my gauges and my headspace was fine. I even backed the barrel out at one point where with my no go gauge I could close the bolt, but if I inserted a cartridge in the bolt it wouldn't close without palm slamming the bolt.

I only have about 50 rounds through the new barrel. I have been cleaning barrel and bolt face meticulously during break in. I'm getting ready to take the new barrel off and put on my heavy Pacnor to see if I'm still having a feed issue. Any suggestions? Right now the barrel is backed off enough that my no go gauge allows me to get the bolt about half way down and I feel like I could force it if I wanted to. The actual bullets do not let me close the handle more than a few degrees. Even fired cartridges are hard to chamber. However, usually once I force chamber a cartridge then it is easy to repeatedly close the bolt with that cartridge.

By the way, this is all factory ammo.

Probably unrelated, but shell ejection seems unusually weak. If I try to eject a live bullet while the barrel is pointing downward, the bullet will not clear the receiver and I have to manually extract it. Sometimes fired cases will not clear the receiver. With the bolt out of the gun I see no issues with the plunger or the extractor and I can manually engage bullets to the bolt face with no problem and I can feel the plunger spring tension wanting to angle the cartridge out of the bolt face.

What am I missing here that is probably right in my face, but I can't see it??

[Evlshnngns]

Short throat? Sharpie the bullet, look for the lands/rifling.

[mnbogboy2]

Short throat? Sharpie the bullet, look for the lands/rifling.
+1
A sharpie is a good tool for a lot of things.
One thought is to use the sharpie to check to see if the front action screw is interfering with the bolt head.
Mark the bolt head lug with the sharpie and make sure there is no contact with the front action screw. Often no resistance can be felt with no case or an "undersized" case. When you said you felt this with a fired case made me think that a long screw may be the culprit. Especially true being you have had it out of the stock and re-torqued. Simple check with the sharpie and easily corrected with a file or dremel if it is a thread or so long.

Just a thought,
Randy

[chindits]

Nothing on a sharpie black bullet except where it scraped on the side of the receiver prior to ejection. Action screws are almost too short with this wood stock so no impingement. I’m going to take the bolt apart tonight. Something isn’t right.

[jpx2rk]

Are the scope base mounting screws too long????

[Texas10]

If it were me, as a quick check I'd first measure and record the CBTO of two of the hard chambering rounds. Then pull them down, removing powder and primer, and reseat the bullet to the original CBTO, then set the bullet progressively deeper until the bolt will close normally. This might take you all of 10 or 15 minutes and will shed some light on what is causing hard bolt closure. You will also have a new BTOG measurement which will be useful in deciding your next course of action.

Another possibility I can think of is a bolt timing issue. If I interpret your OP correctly, you are not the original purchaser of the subject action/bolt, but rather purchased it recently. Is there room for the possibility that some mis-match in parts is partially to blame?

[chindits]

Okay, so I took the bolt apart with nothing really noted. Took the opportunity to do some cleaning with a q-tip and steel wool buffing. I put it back together again and I have the same issue. I have the issue with the gun not mounted in the stock, so it isn't the action screws. I removed the scope and front scope ring when I double checked my headspaced so it isn't scope ring mounting screws. I did feel an almost burr like feeling where the hole for the front action screw goes up into the receiver. I'm not sure though because I kind of have my finger crinked in there at an angle. So tomorrow I'll take my barrel off and see if it is really an issue, but I did sharpie up the bottom of my bolt head and I don't see any scratches. When I have my barrel off, I'll throw on my heavy Pacnor and see if it still is an issue.

When I have a case not chambering the bolt will stop at just a few degrees of turn. This is with a lot of forward pressure on the bolt handle too. I've even slammed the bolt forward repeatedly a few times and that doesn't alleviate it. When I finally force the bolt handle down, then I can repeatedly raise and lower the bolt handle with no issue. I can take that round out and rotate it and sometimes I will have the issue and sometimes it will be just a little difficult.

I know eventually someone is going to ask, the match ammo that is chambering with no issue is mid 2000 era Winchester Supreme 168 hollow point boat tail. Not the first bullet I would tell my wife to shoot an elk with.

I don't have a way of measuring the difference in ogive between the bullets, but I would think the sharpie test would of shown if I was meeting lands. I also sharpied the case shoulder with nothing observed.

That's all for now.

[chindits]

I purchased the action many years ago I think from Northland. I had the impression that he buys new rifles and parts them out, but I could be wrong. I ran a Pacnor barrel and a Mcmillian stock for some time. No real issues just shot a couple cases of Winchester and less than that of reloads. I shoot lefty or righty, but my wife is a lefty only. So this being my only lefty action, it was repurposed for a lighter low recoil gun for the wife.

I don't have time for reloading anymore, hence the factory ammo. She will never shoot much, but I don't intend to set her up with a problem gun. I don't think 3 different types of hunting rounds in a row should be having these issues.

[Robinhood]

Headspace so the desired case datum to base is correct for the size cases you are going to shoot. the older ammo is probably correct. The new ammo is either sized differently or the bullet is bumping the lands. Since you say the bullet is not getting scraped, I question the gauge the ammo or the savagesmith. Keeping it real.

[Evlshnngns]

http://www.saami.org/PubResources/_CC_Drawings/Rifle/308%20Winchester.pdf

look for the circle with an x through it. It notes a headspace range of 10 thou. Most head space gauges I have read about are .004 apart.

[Robinhood]

To add to Evls post the ammo should be a max of 1.634 from the .400" datum to the base.

[sharpshooter]

Sharpie up the bottom of the case, from the headstamp to 1/2" above the rim and see what that tells you.

[Scott Evans]

I'm going to guess a case was used for barrel swap and not a go gauge, thus the short chamber.

Also check for hard carbon ring at neck to freebore junction, and cases that are longer OAL.

Chunklet of trash in chamber.

[243LPR]

Try pulling a bullet and just chambering the offending brass.

[williamjwolfjr]

Okay, so I took the bolt apart with nothing really noted. Took the opportunity to do some cleaning with a q-tip and steel wool buffing. I put it back together again and I have the same issue. I have the issue with the gun not mounted in the stock, so it isn't the action screws. I removed the scope and front scope ring when I double checked my headspaced so it isn't scope ring mounting screws. I did feel an almost burr like feeling where the hole for the front action screw goes up into the receiver. I'm not sure though because I kind of have my finger crinked in there at an angle. So tomorrow I'll take my barrel off and see if it is really an issue, but I did sharpie up the bottom of my bolt head and I don't see any scratches. When I have my barrel off, I'll throw on my heavy Pacnor and see if it still is an issue.

When I have a case not chambering the bolt will stop at just a few degrees of turn. This is with a lot of forward pressure on the bolt handle too. I've even slammed the bolt forward repeatedly a few times and that doesn't alleviate it. When I finally force the bolt handle down, then I can repeatedly raise and lower the bolt handle with no issue. I can take that round out and rotate it and sometimes I will have the issue and sometimes it will be just a little difficult.

I know eventually someone is going to ask, the match ammo that is chambering with no issue is mid 2000 era Winchester Supreme 168 hollow point boat tail. Not the first bullet I would tell my wife to shoot an elk with.

I don't have a way of measuring the difference in ogive between the bullets, but I would think the sharpie test would of shown if I was meeting lands. I also sharpied the case shoulder with nothing observed.

That's all for now.

I have had that problem recently with my reloads and I had not problem closing bolt on empty case. I turns out that the rim before neck was flared out. W/O bullet and powder I guess the case could flex enough to shut but loaded it could not


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