Bolt Problem with Remington 700 BDL
 

Hey Guys,

Last week I bought a used very clean 700 BDL 7 mag. I went to the range today and was having a problem with the bolt. It was taking quite a bit of force to open but only after taking a shot. I really had a hard time opening the bolt to eject the just fired round.

I than chambered a bullet and ejected without firing and it worked just fine. I also chambered a empty case and it also opened and ejected with no issues.


any thoughts on what the problem may be?

Where'd the ammo come from. I would suspect the ammo before I would the rifle.

Handloads? Sounds like too much pressure...

No, I don't use handloads. I was shooting winchester silver balistic tips 150 grain. (Good ammo). I don't see this ammo being a problem in this gun. I had another 700 BDL years ago and always shot this ammo with no issues like I've described.

i agree with Jeepkid: It could be a sign of high pressure. A rusty chamber could also cause that problem.

Try backing the front action screw out a quarter turn. mines hard to turn if its too tight.

I guess I dont understand the high pressure theory you guys are saying??? If its a pressure issue whats causing it??? I shot 20 rounds out of the gun. High Quality ammo and I had issues with every single one. I could see having a bad round out of a 20 round box of ammo but not the whole box. The chamber and bore were both cleaned throughly by myself the day I bought the gun so I dont believe its dirt related. No rust what so ever! This gun is clean guys. like new condition. The bore and Chamber look excellent.

DeerandbearhoG - Im not sure what screw your referin to as I dont see any screws that I would have access to turn

I just went out and cleaned the gun from todays shooting. when I got done I loaded a empty case and its doing it without firing as well.

......That's a sign of a warped action. Bedding problems could be a big concern...

Could even be a headspace issue...

The gun is going to the gunsmith for sure. I have never had a bolt action do this before. I found some gunsmith info about Remingtons. Maybe the extractor ring is causing this.

Bolt Binds
The Model 700 bolt is jeweled for smoothness. When the bolt does not operate smooth-ly, dirt is often the only problem. Remove and check the bolt and mating surfaces on the action for powder residue and dirt. Clean as necessary using powder solvent and a toothbrush. Dry the parts using a clean patch wrapped around a flat piece of brass or wood. Don’t use a screwdriver, as it could scratch and burr the metal of the receiver. When dry, oil lightly.
If the action is clean, check the mating surfaces for burrs. Also check for burrs on the ejector hole on the bolt, and check for sharp corners on the bolt lugs. If burrs or sharp corners are found, a small amount of filing, followed by honing and polishing with crocus cloth will remove them.
The extractor ring may be high, causing the bolt to be tight, or the extractor rivet may be loose. To correct this, remove the extractor ring and eliminate any high
American Gunsmith, Gunsmithing the Rifle
Above Right: For best accuracy, the muzzle of a Model 700 should be crowned. Any damage to the muzzle will adversely affect accuracy.


spots in the ring channel. Refit the ring and tighten the rivet, checking for smoothness. If this doesn’t solve the problem, replace the ring, using a new rivet.


Failures to Extract
Assuming the rifle is clean, check for a tight or rough chamber, using an unloaded, sized case. This should slide in and out of the chamber with little resistance. If the chamber is tight or rough, ream and repolish. If there is no problem in the chamber, fit a new extractor to the bolt.


http://www.gunreports.com/special_re...ion1777-1.html

Since your chamber is clean, and extraction is only a problem on a fired case, there's not much else to look at but high pressure. Your chamber is probably a little tighter than your other Remington, and the Winchester ammo's pressure is expanding the brass too much for your chamber. Try using a different ammo and see if that cures the problem.

Hey Ridge, could it be something with the headspacing being off? I'm not sure what incorrect headspace could cause?

When i built my last 700 from a tupperware ADL to a Ti takeoff the bolt would stick down because the front action screw was too long, after filing it the problem went away, could be too tight.

I have ran into a few 700's that needed some reeming then polishing of the chamber and/or the bolt. In all cases fired brass exhibited the heavy bolt lift, unfired it cycled normally. You should notice markings on the fired brass if a burr in the chamber is present.

It is possible pressure is the culprit like mentioned. Easy test try different brand/style of ammo.

The action screws are what holds your stock and action together. one is foward (front) ,and one is rear of the trigger guard. Like podunk also said, sometimes the action screws are a thread too long, and if the front one is too tight ,it will make the bolt hard to turn. back it out 1/4-1/2 turn and see if that helps.

PA wildman- I could be wrong, but I dont believe my action is warped. Its only 2 years old ,and I just shot it yesterday and it gave me its usually 3/4" group. I love my MTLSS 7-08!!!!!:s2:

There really are only two reasons for your problem.

#1. The rifles chamber likely isn't polished properly. This is a very easy and quick fix for a gunsmith. If this is the problem your fired brass will be "frosted". It will look like shiny spots on the fired brass.

#2. It could be the ammo. It isn't all that rare to have factory ammo loaded a little hot.

If the action screw was too long it would likely be difficult to operate the bolt regardless if you had ammo in the chamber or not. You would also see a wear mark on the side of the recoil lug of the bolt.

I concede to men whom are properly trained on such matters, bigbulls you are the gunsmith... Im just a tinker

I have a 7mm 700 I bought a few years ago it had the same problem. It turned out to be some crude in the chamber.

Hey Guys,

I went to the range again today with a different brand of ammo and a very clean rifle. I shot about 10 rounds total. The first couple shots I didnt have any issues than the same problem started to happen. I took my time and the barrell never got beyond warm to the touch. By the 10 shot it was so bad I wasnt sure Id even beable to open the bolt. maybe thats a little extreme but I sure had to use some muscle to open and extract the final round.

I packed up and went right to the gunsmith. He took a look at the empty brass under a microscope and didnt see anything. He than fired it a couple times into test tank and said it worked just fine for him. Just a quick look at the firearm, he said chamber and everything looked good. He than decided to fire it 3 more times and said the last one had the same issue I described. I left the gun with him to try and id the problem but I think it safe to say its not ammo related. He thinks he will find the problem and most likely it will be covered by Remington

20 years ago or so I had a similar problem with a 308. It turned out that the hole for the ejector had a tiny ridge around it. Everytime you would fire the gun it almost took a wooden mallet to get it to open. A ceramic stick and 2 or 3 hours of rubbing the area and it never gave us an issue again

I have a remington 7mm-08 that I can't fire most factory ammo out of because the neck is so tight. but its the most accurate gun I got with handloads. I am not exactly sure hot it left the factory. It was made in 1982.

it shoots so good, I wouldn't touch that chamber.

Hey guys,

update on my gun... Gunsmith called today and said it was done. He said chamber was a little tight from the factory and also found a few small burrs. Gave it a ream and repolish and fired 10 rounds without any issues. I also had him remove the Simmons scope the previous owner had on it and replaced with a Nikon Prostaff and boresighted. I was charged $70

He said the bore/rifling/crown all looked great and it should be a very nice shooter for years to come.

Great News sir,
Very interesting read guys..{ -;
C7

I have a 30-30 Marlin lever action doing the same thing..but mine was a lose screw..One of my friends is a gunsmith..took him about 5 minutes to figure out,,