Mauser 98 Jamming problems....(help please)

[Mr. Populationcontrol]

I know it sounds crazy but I have an empty shell jammed in my Yugoslavian 8mm Mauser model 98 carbine. I shot it probly 20-30 times just fine with brass-cased ammo. Then I used some steel-cassed ammo and the first two or three worked, but it was hard to open the bolt and eject them. Then on the 4th steel-cased shell, It fired just fine but It jammed my bolt closed. I can rotate it 30 degrees but not the full 90 which is required to open the bolt.... Can somebody tell me whats wrong? I oiled it, yanked it, fiddled with the claw extractor, actually tried holding the rifle and kicking the bolt open, but it just wont move past about thirty degrees. I even tried pulling the bolt as my brother pushed on the case with an aluminum ram rod. It just wont open.

 

[WyrTwister]

Jam

Get a wooden mallet . Or plastic , rubber , brass , rawhide or lead .

God bless
Wyr

 

[Houndawg]

You didn't happen to push the safety all the way over to the right, did you?

 

[Mr. Populationcontrol]

No I didnt.....

But good thinking.... I jumped up to check and see if I did just incase.... but to no avail.

 

[Bainx]

Once you get the casing out, inspect the chamber for any crud.
Just a small dab in there will freeze a casing into place, it seems.
This happened with one of my Mosins.

 

[dfariswheel]

You can try the rubber or dead-blow hammer. It'll either come open, or the extractor will break.
The extractor should break at the hook, which will allow you to get the bolt open and hopefully use a stuck case extractor on it or a bore sized rod to drive it out.

In your case, I think I'd take it to a gunsmith.

The more I hear about steel cased ammo, the less I like it.
One problem with this stuff, is the tendency for the lacquer coating to melt off on to the chamber walls and cause these types of extraction problems.

I'm coming to the conclusion that the steel cased ammo, especially the Russian stuff is for AK and SKS rifles ONLY.

These rifles were built specifically for steel cases. Most firearms were built for brass cases, and it's looking like they just don't handle it well.

If you're shooting steel and not having any problems well and good, but it's starting to sound like a crap shoot with jammed bolts for the looser.

 

[No4Mk1*]

What if you cool the rifle down as much as possible? The barrel and the shell probably expand due to heat at slightly differing ratios. If you are lucky the shell will shrink more than the chamber if you cool the rifle down. Try putting it in the freezer or outside for a while.