So i managed to jam a Howa

If it's an empty case, push it out the breech by sliding a cleaning rod down the muzzle. If the brass was fired in another gun and it wasn't resized with a resizing die before trying to load it into your gun, your gun probably has tighter tolerances than the gun it was shot in.

Using .223 on a bear is just going to make it upset with you! It's not even recommended for using on thin-skinned big game.

Carry a can of bear spray?

I hope that it doesn't have a front sight. It would really hurt when that bear shoves it up your butt.

Bird hunting with a .223? I take it you mean stationary birds, but then that .22 would be more than enough. Idk, carry Bear spray and a .357 or .44.

As to the sticky casing. Fired brass is already expanded and doesn't chamber well until it's been prepped. You're not going to be feeding a fired case in the field so as long as the rifle is fine with fresh/prepped ammo I don't know why you are worried.

You're hunting birds with a .223 boltgun?

Try ejecting it a little faster. Sometings when I'm messing around with an empty case they dont eject the best either. Try filling the magazine and working the bolt. I bet it works better.

...Try chambering some loaded ammunition instead of empty cases.

I bet it works fine.

Also, hunting birds with a scoped 223 bolt gun is about as silly as using it for bear protection...

Sapmi huh? so do you get kodiaks over there, or are they further east? If so I would not be trusting a .223. North American black bear with a .223, not my first choice, but fine. Kodiaks or Grizzlys? not a chance.

Last week on Yukon Men, the boy dropped a griz with a .223 with one shot in the dark.

Your video looks perfectly fine...

Try some ammo and see what happens, not spent casings.

Why was it hard for you to close the bolt? What rifles were these cases fired in?

I have about a dozen howa actions (vanguards) including some 223s. They are very high quality with a good solid design and never, ever jam.

I'm sure it will work fine with some loaded ammo.

Don't put fired brass in your gun..

Also, whatever that red dot site is, is a bit goofy on that rifle, get a 2-9 or something.. That site doesn't belong on a rifle like that.

I can't see there being anything wrong here...aside from the idea that birds and/or bears being shot with a .223 You say its your only option, as bear mace isn't sold there. It is available readily on-line, and would be a far smarter choice of companion for bear defense than any bolt-action (or otherwise) .223. Switching guns for a lighter model isn't the solution here. Its not uncommon for guns to hiccup cycling fired brass that may have "fire-formed" to another guns's chamber or simply needs to be resized.. If It doesn't do it with live ammo, you have no issues to worry about.....you can't determine whether or not a gun functions right by cycling fired cases through it. No offense, but I think you have a bit to learn about the sports of shooting and hunting. You seem adament about using a gun more suitable for prairie dogs and coyotes as "bear defense". You imply shooting birds with a .223 rifle, which is an incredibly foolish idea under almost any circumstances, and you don't seem to even understand the basic functions of your rifle. Theres a reason it isn't feeding fired cases....it was never designed to do so, and fired cases aren't necessarily still "in spec". Can you give me one example of how a gun's ability to cycle fired cases would be necessary in any real-world scenario? If it fires loaded ammo, you're good to go and worrying about absolutely nothing. Get the proper equipment for your intended purposes though.....it will save you much frustration over trying to make a gun unsuitable for a given task "work" as you want it to

my push feed anshutz won't feed an empty shell, because it relies on the form of the bullet tip to guide the bullet into the chamber,
further, if you push an empty case into the chamber, chances are, the extractor won't hook nicely around the casings rim.

This kind of exercise is better done with a buffer cartridge.

greetz

Peter

dataDyne said:

Why not?

Click to expand...

The first reason is that for some calibers, the bullet is used to guide the round into the chamber properly.

The second reason is that fired cases have expanded to fit the chamber of the gun that they have been fired in. If those rounds were not fired from your Howa they could be oversize for your chamber. This is even more likely with .223 rounds which are much more popular in semi autos which deform the brass even more on firing. The worst case is that the brass feeds into the chamber and you can close the bolt, but not open it up again.

There are dummy rounds available specifically for testing feeding and ejection and practicing dry firing - Snap Caps is one popular brand.

6. Care to tell me why it is ''incredibly foolish'' to hunt these birds with a 223 Rem:

Click to expand...

You could kill somebody a mile or two away.

Theres aboslutely nothing wrong with your gun, but if you insist that a weapon be able to feed fired cases....for whatever reason, I guess its not the gun for you. However, I have yet to see a "real-world" scenario where feeding a fired case is the recommended course of action. If it will feed loaded ammo (WILL IT?) quit worrying about it. Theres nothing wrong with the gun's functioning. If it doesn't feed live ammo, then I agree there certainly is a problem.....but a gun refusing to chamber a fired case would be far from the top of my concerns. I don't cycle fired cases target shooting...I don't cycle fired cases hunting....I dont feed fired cases plinking.....I don't feed fired cases as function checks......Why is it you INSIST this gun feed fired rounds? If it cycles live ammo, your gun is fine.

And, if you need an explanation as to why shooting birds out of tree tops with a centerfire rifle is a bad idea.....considering a rifle round can travel several miles and you'll have absolutely no clue where the round will end up if it doesn't hit...and stay in...your target......well, someone failed to teach you basic gun safety. Never fire a shot unless you know what is going to stop your bullet. Shooting at a bird in the top of a tree, you have absolutely NO way of judging the trajectory accurately enough to ensure its a safe shot each and every time

I thought you meant normal birds on a fence post or something. Like shooting crows and woodpeckers on my friends property with a rimfire.

I agree with the other posters, its a bad idea to be using a centerfire shooting at those angles. The bullet can travel a long ways.

Wth is that bird?!

Aren't woodpeckers considered a protected species? AS in, covered by the Migratory bird Act. I read that it takes a special federal kill permit to gain permission to kill one, and that the process takes several months

http://allstateanimalcontrol.com/animals/woodpeckers/woodpecker_faq.php