Romanian .22 LR...

[David4516]

Romainian (spelling?) .22 LR...

I was able to talk my dad out of his romainian .22 bolt action (the ones that SOG was selling for a while). It's pretty good for a free gun, even came with a scope. It shoots fairly well too.

But there are a couple problems...

#1: It won't feed from the mag, I have to use it like a single shot. Has anyone else had this problem with these things?

#2: The action is very rough. It takes alot of work to maniuplate the bolt. Is there any good way to loosen it up a bit, other than shooting it alot to break it in?

 

[Freedomv]

David,
I would suppect the scope mount screws maybe to long and interferring with the proper bolt function. If not I would next check the magazine itself to rule out that it maybe problem.
If that is not the problem it well get a little more involved and require some serious smithing.
Thanks for indulging me.

Vern

 

[Sleeping Dog]

Mine would feed the first round from the mag, but not the remainder. It was because the firing pin was still forward, interfering with the round being picked out of the mag.

The firing pin should be pulled back by friction with the bolt release. I got mine to work by removing the firing pin from the bolt, then stoning off some burrs and generally cleaning and lubing the thing.

It works fine now.

Regards.

 

[Tropical Z]

I brought in two and neither would feed from the mag.They also had the weakest ejection ive ever seen.

 

[Dave R]

I had the same problem with mag feeding from one of my two. The fix Sleeping Dog described will fix the feed problem.

Weak ejection is there to stay, its a function of the the design. Working the bolt smartly is the ony cure.

Dunno about the rough bolt problem.

How's accuracy on yours?

 

[Bainx]

On the "feed" stroke, work the bolt forward as fast as humanly possible.
This is the only way mine will feed the first two rounds. Otherwise, the first two rounds will "nose up" an misfeed.

 

[TABING]

Odd, I have two of them and never had any feed problems at all.

 

[Dave R]

Bainx, I'll lay odds that your Romy has a burr on the firing pin, too. The firing pin is also the extractor.

To check this, bring the bolt back and see the firing pin/extractor protruding. Move the bolt forward, and the firing pin should be brought back in. Every time. If no, there's a burr on the pin that is preventing your bolt retainer/pin securer from pulling the firing pin back. The firing pin rides above the rim of the shell being fed, and holds it nose-up.

To fix this, get a punch of the appropriate size and punch out the pin that holds the firing pin/extractor in place. You should find a burr on the inlet of the firing pin. Maybe in the groove the firing pin moves in, too.

Use fine sandpaper, or dremel, or even an automotive point file to smooth down the burrs and make everything smooth. Clean and lube the channel and the firing pin and re-install. The firing pin should retract normally now, and feeding should be restored.

I believe the appropriate punch is a 1/16? Should cost under $4. Try it, you'll like the results.

One of my Romy's has this problem. The other didn't. The burr is just a sign that the rifle was used, and the bolt was probably worked vigorously, resulting in the burr.

 

[David4516]

Well its good to know I'm not alone.

So how to you take apart the bolt on one of these things?

 

[Harry Tuttle]

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=63990

There is a bar on the left side of the bolt that slides back and forth in a recess. This is a combination firing pin and ejector. A buildup of crud in the recess and possibly a burr or two on the pin is causing it to stick, causing the feeding and ejection problems you have described.

The firing pin/ejector is held in place with a small pin that fits vertically through the bolt. Take a small punch and drive the retaining pin out. Now pull out the firing pin/ejector from the recess. Thoroughly clean everything. Then polish the firing pin/ejector to remove any burrs. I used a dremel for this but you could do just as well with some crokus cloth or another polishing agent.

Lightly lubricate and reassemble. The firing pin should move freely back and forth in it's recess now and you problem should be solved.

see also:
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=64362

 

[Ascot500]

One more possible reason is that the extractor is too stiff and won't let the rim pop into the bolt face.

You may have to clip a coil from the extractor spring.

 

[oldfart]

When I first got mine, the cartridges would flip up before they got to the firing chamber and the bolt would try to shove them in sideways. I worked the bolt very slowly, watching as the cartridge was pushed forward, and noticed that the feed lips on the magazine were too far apart. They kept the rim of the cartridge in the magazine until it had moved forward, past the front of the magazine, but the "barrel" of the cartridge would slip out from between the lips, allowing the cartridge to flip up. Some judicious bending of the feed lips and subsequent stoning to smooth them out, solved the problem.

My biggest problem was with the extractor. It was a bit worn and sometimes wouldn't hook the edge of the cartridge rim. I finally had to take it out and use it for a pattern to make an entirely new one.

 

[Bainx]

Dave R-
I checked that but, no problem. All is working well. Today, I was shooting golf balls at 40 yds. with it, hitting them first shot, with no problem. The young bucks next to me shooting 10/22s were not believing it.

 

[Dave R]

Glad to hear it is shooting so well!

 

[albanian]

Weak ejection is something that must be lived with on this gun. The problems with feeding may simply be due to varnish/shellac on the working parts. Mine had many FTF jams until I did a good cleaning with brass brushes and plenty of solvents. When shooting it, work that action as fast and hard as you can. It may help to cock the rifle at a slight angle when ejecting shells to improve reliability.

My action was rough as well. The trigger was bad and overall it is not a very impressive gun. Not bad if it was free but it is out classed by so many other .22s that it is not even funny. I hear the accuracy is often good on these guns but with the poor sights and a the horrid trigger, I never got anything that I would write home about. It does come up to the shoulder nice and points fast. It would be great with a fast peep sight for close in and fast plinking or hunting. Maybe a good rat gun or Starling gun?