recently a friend gave me a 30-06 with used mauser action he made in gunsmith school 25 yrs ago. i brought it to a gunsmith(friend never actually became a gunsmith) to have it looked at and checked out. today i fired it and it work well except when i went to eject the shell it was dificult to move the bolt. the bolt usually works fine without shooting it, but every time i shot, the bolt would feel very tight, it was hard to lift. after i got the bolt up it would slide back easily. is this something that i should be worried about? or will it losen up in time. the gun was only fired once in a test chamber before i got it. thanks wiggy
action sticking
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paintballdude902
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may want this moved to rifle country or the gunsmithing section
to me it sounds like it may have a tight headspace
to me it sounds like it may have a tight headspace
chevyforlife21
Member
my brand new savage .243 is hard to lift the bolt after firing a round isnt that the hammer being cocked thats why its harder to lift?
Too tight headspace would also cause the bolt to be difficult to close.
It sounds like over loaded cartridges - are they commercial rounds or reloads?
Locking lug faces could be wrong angle or rough if this was someone's first gunsmithing project.
It sounds like over loaded cartridges - are they commercial rounds or reloads?
Locking lug faces could be wrong angle or rough if this was someone's first gunsmithing project.
jimmyraythomason
Member
Your bolt (most likely) is difficult to lift because you are having to over ride the striker spring tension in order to recock it. Chances are your friend installed a higher tension striker spring when he built it. Also check the cam area on the bolt handle as some weren't properly angled/smoothed when the new bolt handle was welded on. Lube the underneath of the extractor retainer ring as well as the bolt lock. All these things can contribute to difficult bolt lift. High chamber pressure is the least likely, though possible(dryfire the rifle and see if it is still hard to cycle).
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Are you using steel-cased or lacquered ammo? Is the case splitting or showing signs of stress?
You might try scrubbing the chamber with a cotton swab for a .410 chucked into a low-speed cordless drill with a dab or two of JB bore paste. That will polish the chamber to a slick mirror finish to help the casings slide out easier.
You might try scrubbing the chamber with a cotton swab for a .410 chucked into a low-speed cordless drill with a dab or two of JB bore paste. That will polish the chamber to a slick mirror finish to help the casings slide out easier.
jimmyraythomason
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Since the bolt is hard to lift but extracts easily,polishing the chamber won't help. It won't hurt either. I'm pretty sure he's going to have to address the bolt itself to cure the problem.
coloradokevin
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This could be a sign of excessive pressure, or it could just be that you are getting used to the way that make/model of gun is operated!
Are you using handloads or factory loads?
Also, many of the Mausers I have fired seem to have a tougher bolt lift than other actions in similar calibers. You should also note that the Mauser action cocks as the bolt is opened, not closed, and that many of these rifles seem to have rather strong springs.
So, it is at least somewhat natural for the bolt to be harder to lift after firing than it would be when you are using a gun that cocks as the bolt is closed! Also, you should expect that you'd also notice more resistance as you lift the bolt after releasing the spring than you would when you are just cycling the bolt without first pulling the trigger... Have you tried dry-firing your rifle at all, just to see how the bolt feels when you lift it after the spring has been released? Is it possible that you could just be dealing with this quirk of this action type?
Obviously it is a bit hard to tell without knowing to what degree your action is sticking! If you were already aware of the nuances of this action type, than I apologize for stating the obvious. Not knowing your previous experience with this gun (or any guns), I figured I'd start at square one. I'm also not a gunsmith either, just a guy speaking from my personal experiences!
Are you using handloads or factory loads?
Also, many of the Mausers I have fired seem to have a tougher bolt lift than other actions in similar calibers. You should also note that the Mauser action cocks as the bolt is opened, not closed, and that many of these rifles seem to have rather strong springs.
So, it is at least somewhat natural for the bolt to be harder to lift after firing than it would be when you are using a gun that cocks as the bolt is closed! Also, you should expect that you'd also notice more resistance as you lift the bolt after releasing the spring than you would when you are just cycling the bolt without first pulling the trigger... Have you tried dry-firing your rifle at all, just to see how the bolt feels when you lift it after the spring has been released? Is it possible that you could just be dealing with this quirk of this action type?
Obviously it is a bit hard to tell without knowing to what degree your action is sticking! If you were already aware of the nuances of this action type, than I apologize for stating the obvious. Not knowing your previous experience with this gun (or any guns), I figured I'd start at square one. I'm also not a gunsmith either, just a guy speaking from my personal experiences!
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jimmyraythomason
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FYI Model 98 Mausers cock on opening, all previous models cock on closing. I am assuming this is a model 98 action.
paintballdude902
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rogers not totally, if the head spacing was lust a little tight it would cause problems on opening but not closing because when the cartridge gets fired it expands and all that jazz
I don't know about that. I have a M/N M44 that has a similar issue. Tough to lift the bolt after firing. It's due to the lacquered steel cases on the cheap surplus ammo I buy splitting and sticking in the chamber. Lifting the bolt breaks them loose and then they extract just fine.
Polishing the chamber made it a lot easier.
jimmyraythomason
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Never mind.
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thanks guys for all your responses, the bolt is quite tough to lift, sometimes even requiring a hit with the heal of my hand. the ammo is rem. express core-lokt 165gr. your basic cheap ammo. i can see micro scratches on the spent cartidges that are not on the unfired rounds. actually, i can feel and see the scratches, it feels very rough. i guess i will try polishing the chamber first since that sounds like the easiest and most obvious fix to try. thanks again wiggy
jimmyraythomason
Member
Wiggy,have you dry fired it to see if it is still hard to lift without a case in the chamber? I guessing it is.
sorry i didnt answer you before, yes i have dry fired it. i can feel the spring being loaded but it feels smooth and operate pretty easily. i feel like its probably the roughness of the chamber that is being transfered to the casing. i'll give that a try.
Float Pilot
Member
A.
Does unfired ammo get hung up?
B.
Does any other ammo type, spitzer bullets or shorter bullets, get hung up as well?
c.
How does the chamber look?
I recently had a local guy drop off an old FN made Browning that was having the same problems. It had been sitting on a fishing boat with a round chambered for a couple years.
Problem 1.The chamber had a line corroded in it that made the casing get stuck. So I buffed the chamber, and cleaned and polished all the internal bolt parts.
Problem 2. It turned out that his rifle would only do this with one box of old ammo he had been using. It worked much better with all other ammo we found.. It turned out his rifling started sooner than average and the case mouth was a touch long with the ammo he had. So I free bored the barrel slightly and now she works with anything. As long as he does not let it sit around salt water for another two years without cleaning....
Does unfired ammo get hung up?
B.
Does any other ammo type, spitzer bullets or shorter bullets, get hung up as well?
c.
How does the chamber look?
I recently had a local guy drop off an old FN made Browning that was having the same problems. It had been sitting on a fishing boat with a round chambered for a couple years.
Problem 1.The chamber had a line corroded in it that made the casing get stuck. So I buffed the chamber, and cleaned and polished all the internal bolt parts.
Problem 2. It turned out that his rifle would only do this with one box of old ammo he had been using. It worked much better with all other ammo we found.. It turned out his rifling started sooner than average and the case mouth was a touch long with the ammo he had. So I free bored the barrel slightly and now she works with anything. As long as he does not let it sit around salt water for another two years without cleaning....
AKElroy
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If it's factory ammo, +1 to getting the headspace checked.
jimmyraythomason
Member
I suppose I am skeptical about it being the chamber because of all the difficult bolts I've dealt with(that number is considerable BTW) They have ALL been bolt related. I have had EXTRACTION problems that were chamber related. The VAST majority of Mauser bolt problems (in my own experience) were cured by smoothing up contact points and lubing the bolt components. I would be very interested to know what you find and how you fix the problem.
paintballdude902
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it take it to a smith and have the chamber checked both headspace and for any burrs
i have not fired any other ammo in this gun. i have only fired it during one session. i guess i should try a shorter round. i'll also try cleaning and polishing the contact points in the action, though it was an old used mauser 98 action my friend put in this gun and it seems the action would be fairly smooth and broken in with its age.? ill let you all know what i find. thanks
jimmyraythomason
Member
It would depend on what parts were replaced. Everything about the action changes when it is sporterized unless you leave all the bolt components as is. I have had to "loosen" every action that I have sporterized. Even hot bluing seems to tighten an action requiring relubing where you wouldn't have to in regular maintainance(such as underneath the extractor ring).
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