Trouble Closing Bolt on new 700

[bluetopper]

Took my brand new model 700, 22-250 Varmint 26" barrel out today for the first time. Bolt was very stiff trying to close on all rounds, about 1 out of 10, the bolt wouldn't close at all. All reloads, all cases were trimmed to1.90" length. Took some unprimed empty brass that was prepped and ready to load and tried those, same thing. Occasionally the bolt wouldn't lock up on one. Bolt stiff on all of them. The ones that the bolt wouldn't close I ran through my RCBS sizer die again and tried them, bolt still wouldn't close.....even on the unprimed empty brass. No, I don't have any factory ammo to try. Should I buy a small base sizer die?

 

[FLIGHT762]

Screw your F/L sizing die in, clockwise, about 1/12th turn and F/L size a case that wouldn't chamber. Odds are you're not bumping the case shoulder back enough. What gauge are you using to measure the distance from the case base to the case shoulder datum?

 

[ontarget]

Did you inspect the chamber for possible rough machine marks? Could be one slipped through without being reamed properly.

 

[Slamfire]

Took my brand new model 700, 22-250 Varmint 26" barrel out today for the first time. Bolt was very stiff trying to close on all rounds, about 1 out of 10, the bolt wouldn't close at all. All reloads, all cases were trimmed to1.90" length. Took some unprimed empty brass that was prepped and ready to load and tried those, same thing. Occasionally the bolt wouldn't lock up on one. Bolt stiff on all of them. The ones that the bolt wouldn't close I ran through my RCBS sizer die again and tried them, bolt still wouldn't close.....even on the unprimed empty brass. No, I don't have any factory ammo to try. Should I buy a small base sizer die?

The first thing I would do is buy a cartridge headspace gage and measure the base to shoulder of your brass. The Wilson gauge, which is on top, will measure base to shoulder distance of a fired case. The gauge is cut large between shoulder and base so fired cases can be dropped in, and then you can tell if the chamber is above SAAMI specs. I have dropped SAAMI chamber headspace gages into both of these gages, and the chamber "Go" corresponds to the gage "Go", and chamber headspace gauge "No Go" corresponds to the guage "No Go"



This gauge was cut with a SAAMI minimum chamber, so a correctly sized round will drop into this gauge.



You will have to have measuring devices to determine if you have an ammunition problem, or a gun problem. It could be the chamber was reamed short. Which I really doubt, given that this is a new rifle. I think the brass you have is too long between base and shoulder. But, you are going to need gauges to really tell. It is very possible that the combination of die body length and shell holder height is not sufficiently sizing your cases to your chamber. I recently commented on a situation similar in this thread:

Problem bumping shoulder
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/problem-bumping-shoulder.845393/#post-11005147

 

[MEHavey]

Screw your F/L sizing die in, clockwise, about [1/10th] turn [past contact] and F/L size a[n empty] case that [previously wouldn't chamber

^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^
(FWIW: If it functions w/ commercial ammunition, it isn't the rifle)

 

[jmorris]

Bolt was very stiff trying to close on all rounds, about 1 out of 10, the bolt wouldn't close at all. All reloads

Get a box of factory ammunition and see how it does.

If it’s fine, the rifle is not the problem.

 

[edwardware]

. . .even on the unprimed empty brass. No, I don't have any factory ammo to try. Should I buy a small base sizer die?

There is a very (very!) small chance you have a bad chamber, and an overwhelming chance that you aren't fully resizing the brass. Set the die (sans brass) to cam-over, lube a case, resize, and check again.

SB sizers might be useful for machine-gun brass, but mostly they're useful for separating fools who don't measure from their money. I doubt your 22-250 brass was run through a machine-gun. . .

 

[MEHavey]

And on that note, where did the brass come from ?

 

[bluetopper]

Thanks guys, that did it! I thought the brass was bottoming out in the die with good pressure, but it wasn't. I don't know why I didn't think to do this myself. It fixed it. I got a 2 pound coffee can full of brass to resize now. That's good though. My problem can be easily fixed.

 

[BigBore44]

THR saves another one...

 

[MEHavey]

I thought the brass was bottoming out in the die

Actually, the die might actually have been bottoming out -- until you appplied pressure.
Then the press itself stretched . . . coupla' thousandths is all it takes.

Good lube [minimizes pressure req'd] and slight cam-over [maximizes contact], and you've got reliable full-length sizing.

 

[bluetopper]

THR saves another one...

Hey, that's what you guys are here for.

 

[Picher]

Glad you found the problem and corrected it so easily. You should isolate those cases to use in that rifle, as they may create excessive case stretching when fired in another rifle with a more generous chamber.

 

[Hookeye]

And this is why you never buy somebody's reloads.

 

[ontarget]

And this is why you never buy somebody's reloads.

One of many reasons.

 

[FL-NC]

Usually this problem is from a scope base screw or action screw.

 

[bluetopper]

And this is why you never buy somebody's reloads.

I didn't and I don't and I never said I did.

 

[Mowgli Terry]

There is a very (very!) small chance you have a bad chamber,

Reloads: Look to the cartridge first! Look to the rifle last! .! Over time I have seen many similar problems happening elsewhere. The cause there was the bullet seating die being set too deep. Case is collapsed by the crimping area in the seating die. The damage is barely visible but enough to jam up the rifle. Point has already been shared. Make sure your dies are correctly set. Keep it simple and avoid reloading voodoo at all cost.

 

[taliv]

My advice is to put witness marks on your sizing die and locking rings. Make sure they don’t loosen and back out a wee bit.

Usually this problem is from a scope base screw or action screw.

What problem?

 

[Mowgli Terry]

I still feel the way to avoid resizing problems is to follow the die makers instructions. It's unlikely that scope base screws caused the hard bolt closing. Such a thing has been known to happen. One of the more common mounts at the time years ago was the culprit. On the 700 if the screw were reversed for the mount it would jam against the bolt. If I want to neck size, if possible, get a neck sizing die. If I want to partial full length resize get the right gear from Redding.

 

[FL-NC]

My advice is to put witness marks on your sizing die and locking rings. Make sure they don’t loosen and back out a wee bit.


What problem?

Not being able to close a bolt on a 700- the screw is too long. On a base, it's usually because the long one from the set is installed in the front. With the forward action screw on the underside, it becomes too long sometimes when the stock is switched to a different one-this happened when I switched from the factory plastic stock to a Boyd's laminated stock- had to shorten the screw.

 

[taliv]

oooh, right. good point. i have experienced that before. for some reason i thought you suggesting the screw was affecting his brass haha. my bad

 

[Mowgli Terry]

i have experienced that before.

How about this one. I have seen ejectors jammed up to the point it was hard or impossible to close the bolt on a round. All this is going the get onto the net along with chronically broken extractors and bolt handles falling off.

Addendum: My SPS has a scar on the right locking lug from some pilgrim trying to close the bolt on a too long front action screw. Trying to figure out way Bubba did this thing will make you crazy.

 

[taliv]

it's pretty easy to do, especially when you're changing something like the stock. or someone forgets to put a washer in, or whatever

 

[Mowgli Terry]

Easily Done?: In this case there was some force involved. When really forcing parts it may be demonic possession by Bubba.