I have a 700 XCR in 300wsm that I sent back to Remington last year b/c the rifle wouldn't eject the spent casings. It was also hard to close the bolt on a new round and hard to open after firing a round.

What does it mean if the bolt is hard to open or close when there is a cartridge in the chamber (fired or unfired)?

Should it typically be easy to open or close with a round in the chamber (fired or unfired)?

Will it affect accuracy?

I have not gotten a chance to shoot it since it's gotten back from the factory...
Thanks in advance for the feedback.

Sorry to hear about your rifle. I have a Rem 700 XCR in .30-06 that I purchased last year. When it was new the first 10 rounds through itwere a little tight, but after that everything was fine. Very accurate rifle, shoots clover leaves at 100 yards.

What did the factory say the problem was?

The bolt of a properly headspaced rifle should close EASILY on an unfiredround of factory ammunition, IF THE AMMO IS MADE to the correct dimensions.

IF it is HARD to open the bolt after firing a round, but was not difficult to close before firing, this tends to indicate that the load is too hot for that particular rifle. This should never happen with factory ammo, BUT IT DOES HAPPEN sometimes. If you encounter this kind of problem, stop using that batch of ammo, and change ammunition!

A bolt that is difficult to close will not have an adverse effect on your rifle's accuracy. In fact, it may actually IMPROVE accuracy, if anything.

However, having ammo that chambers with difficulty iscertainly NOT a good condition when you are hunting-andif a round gets stuck in the chamber, live or fired, when you are out in the field, it can be a real PITA!! Most people don't carry ramrods with them in the field, but I have a brass rod that is made in 6" sections contained in a little canvas bag that fits in a field jacket pocket which I carry when on a hunting trip. Not always for just a day's hunt, but when in the mountains!

I think I wouldhave sent it back toRemington too to check it to see if the headspace is correct for that rifle especially since you say the bolt is hard to close on even unshot cartridges. What did Remington say or do and is it still hard to close?

Remington didn't actually say what the problem was when they sent it back. It was pretty much fixed (I cycled a few rounds through it to make sure it would extract & eject properly), but I have not yet got a chance to fire it yet since receiving it back. It did still feel a little "tight" when working the bolt, but a big change from original....

sellme69-What ammo are you shootin? I had a 700 XCR in 300 WSM that was putting a circle indent on the back of the shell and a gouge mark on the side of the back of shell when fired and ejected of the shell I took it back where I got it andswaped it for another one and have no problems with this one I'm shootin federal 180 grain nosler partitions with great groups