Remington Model Seven Problem

[nh10ring]

I recently purchased a new Remington Model Seven Youth Rifle 7mm-08 from Walmart. After cleaning it up nicely and seeing that everything was in good working order, I fired the first round. It shot great, but when I went to jack the cartridge out, I found the bolt to be very hard to open. I was able to open it, but with much resistance. I fired the second round and final round of the day and the bolt was easier to open, almost normal. My initial thought was it just needed to be broken in....

Then on day two, I ran into the same problem. The bolt opens hard after the first shot, but is easier to open after the second shot. What in the word could be causing this??? and how do I get it fixed before youth weekend opens 5 weeks from now??? I now regret buying from Walmart.

p.s. I am shooting Remington Core Lokt's 140 grain

 

[ID_shooting]

Don't blame WalMart, this has nothing to do with them.

Try a differnt brand of ammo is my first reccomendation, after that, take a bore and chamber brush with some good bore cleaner and scrub the beans out of the chamber and the lug locks.

If it is still sticky, take a light and inspect the chamber area for a burr.

Are there any rub marks or gouges on the brass?

Any rub marks on the bolt?

Is there a scope? if so, remove the mounts and shoot it again. You may have a screw too long and it is dragging on the bolt. The rear stock screw can also get in the way.

 

[nh10ring]

Thanks ID,

After getting home, I fired 3 rounds. Before each round, I carefully inspected them and found the casing to be clean and unmarked. Each live round loaded and ejected without difficulty. Also, each live round fell from the chamber with gravity if with the barrel up and the bolt open. However, when I fired each round, the bolt stuck (sometimes more than others). The empty casings had no noticeable markings or scuffs. Also the empty casings, when placed back into the chamber, went in hard and would not fall out with gravity like a live round does. Lastly, with the spent casing placed back in, the bolt was very difficult to open and close.

It appears to be a problem with the expansion of each round after they are fired. Is this a common problem? I have never had a problem using core lokts in other calibers. I plan to try Federals or Winchesters tomorrow. Is there still a chance there is a problem with the gun??

 

[ID_shooting]

There maybe, but I would think it very unlikely. How is the accuracy?

 

[nh10ring]

The accuracy is outstanding. Right out of the box I am connecting holes in the bulls eye shooting freehand. Granted, I am only shooting 20 yards, but I wouldn't hesitate to say its one of the most accurate rifles I have ever shot.

 

[Jim K]

You could have a slightly oversize chamber, but I would try some other ammo before panicking. Go to a different brand first, but it might just be that lot of Remington ammo. If you continue to have problems with other brands, return it to the store and have them send it back to Remington. Since it shoots well, I would hesitate to swap it for another gun, but that is also an option they may offer you.

Jim

 

[nh10ring]

Oh boy, it is going to be a long day. I am stuck at work and I just want to get to the bottom of this problem. I am looking forward to trying a different ammo, but I have a feeling that you may be right about the oversize chamber. I think this because when putting a spent casing into the chamber, it doesn't encounter resistance until it is almost all the way in. Thus the casing must be expanding the most near the base. From what I am reading elsewhere, this looks like a common problem with oversize chambers. Its frustrating to think that it may not be a quick fix and that my daughter may have to miss her first year of deer season. :banghead:

 

[ID_shooting]

Do you have a set of calipers?

The folowing link is the "spec" measurements for 7mm-08. Sorry they are in metric, I could not find an SAE version.

anyway, measure the case before and after. There should be some growth, but not much.

http://www.municion.org/7-08Rem/7-08Rem.gif

 

[Chawbaccer]

Just a thought- is there any oil or grease in the chamber? If so you would be getting excessive bolt thrust which will make opening the bolt harder.

 

[nh10ring]

Good advice, but unfortunately the chamber is free of excess oil/grease. I have cleaned and cleaned and cleaned it since I noticed the problem on day one. Just one more hour of work left until I can get out of here and go get another box of ammo to try.... Ooooopps now 59 minutes...

By the way, if it is an oversized chamber, does anyone know how that gets fixed? Does the factory replace the barrel altogether? I am assuming an oversized chamber allows the brass to expand more than it is meant to???

 

[nh10ring]

Jim Keenan, I should have taken your advice "to try different ammo before panicking." Well I spent all day panicking, just dreading the worst. Well after work I purchased a box of Winchester shells and they shot fine. The bolt had very little resistance when compared to the Remington's I had been using. Then just for fun, I opened a second box of Remingtons that I purchased with the first box and they worked fantastic!!!! No bolt resistance at all. It makes my head spin trying to figure it out.

Anyway, I want to thank you all for your time and advice. This is a fantastic website and I look forward to visiting it frequently.

One last question.. What do you advise I do with the remaining box of ammo that makes the bolt stick? Is it okay to use for practice? Or will I risk damaging the gun if using it?

 

[Chawbaccer]

One last question.. What do you advise I do with the remaining box of ammo that makes the bolt stick? Is it okay to use for practice? Or will I risk damaging the gun if using it?

Notify Remington. I would think these were loaded a bit hot and they have an obligation to check that batch out.

Glad you got your problem solved.

 

[Bwana John]

One last question.. What do you advise I do with the remaining box of ammo that makes the bolt stick? Is it okay to use for practice? Or will I risk damaging the gun if using it?

Im guessing that lot of ammo had soft brass. I wouldnt use it.

PS fired cases should have a little resistance when trying to rechamber.

 

[6mmbrppc]

7

all this sounds like to me is a hot batch of rounds
have you checked the primers?
are they puddling sticking out past the rim of the case

thats all this sounds like to me to is just a batch of hopped up rounds
im not a fan of remington factory ammo i had 2 boxes of 22 hornets every 3rd shot cases would split and it was 3 factory rounds not even reloaded at all
and bought some 350 mags and had to return them since the necks were split and they were just factory loaded rounds

i to would just try a different brand of ammo

 

[Ridgerunner665]

I know this is an old thread...but I know why the first rounds are doing that.

When he cleaned the rifle...he left oil in the chamber, that causes excessive bolt thrust which will cause brass to flow into the ejector hole in the bolt face...it LOOKS exactly like overpressure...sticky bolt lift, ejector marks and all...but the pressure is actually reduced when that happens.
If you fire a round like that over a chrono it will show drastically reduced velocity.

I know he said he didn't see anything wrong with the brass...but many people don't even know what ejector marks look like.

I learned this the old fashioned way...by not getting all the case lube off some of my reloads...also, CLP is the worlds worst for causing it.

The chamber must be clean and dry...the brass has to "grip" the chamber walls as it expands...otherwise, all the force of firing is directed back onto the boltface...brass ain't meant to take that kind of pressure.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Well shoot...now I see that chewbaccer had already mentioned it...OOPS.

 

[rcmodel]

Might help to put a little dab of grease on the locking lugs and also on the cocking cam.

Bolt actions need a dab of grease in both those places, especially on a brand new rifle that hasn't been hand lapped and polished.

Might have cleaned all the lube off of them with all that cleaning.

rcmodel

 

[Butler Ford]

Been there, done that, youngster learning to clean his own rifle over tightened the pillar screw, and applys direct contact pressure on the bottom of the bolt causing it to bind.