I was just thinking that it seems like a bad idea to chamber rimmed cartridges in anything besides a revolver/rolling block/etc. However, two of the most prolific bolt action rifles (Mosins and Enfields) are chambered just so. So my question: how common was it to experience rim lock in bolt actions, particularly the Enfield and Mosin? Was there any training pertaining to avoiding rimlock for the soldiers who used these rifles? Have you yourself had/seen rim lock in a bolt rifle?
How Common is Rim Lock in Bolt Actions?
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LJ-MosinFreak-Buck
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The Mosin Nagant has a part in it called the interruptor that also acts as the ejector, and it holds the rounds down in the magazine until they are ready. In my M44, this part is in need of replacement, and therefore, if I don't stair-step them in the clip (making them look like a wing) they will begin to rim-lock. I have no idea about the Enfield, but this is how the Mosin prevents that.
NoobCannon
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I've only had rimlock happen in my Enfield when I had a brainfart and loaded the stripper clip in upside down.
The interrupter in my Nagant works perfectly, and i cant seem to make it rim lock. I havnt ever tried stripper clips, so i might have to try get some to play with. A friend of mine has a savage 840? in .30-30 and hes been talking and loading his mag and gotten the rims mixed up. Thats the only other bolt ive seen of this type tho.
I have had rim lock in the Mosin. One type of ammunition had slightly wider rims and I would get rim lock.
I also had rim lock in my 375 H&H Magnum. The belt of the top round would occasionally catch on the rim of the round below it. I would have to retract the bolt, push on the stack with my thumb to clear the jam.
This convinced me that the belted magnum design is a poor cartridge design. Maybe fine for single shot rifles, not so good for magazine fed actions.
Very certain I have had rim lock with a bolt action .22LR.
I also had rim lock in my 375 H&H Magnum. The belt of the top round would occasionally catch on the rim of the round below it. I would have to retract the bolt, push on the stack with my thumb to clear the jam.
This convinced me that the belted magnum design is a poor cartridge design. Maybe fine for single shot rifles, not so good for magazine fed actions.
Very certain I have had rim lock with a bolt action .22LR.
LJ-MosinFreak-Buck
Member
I haven't. But I accredit that to my Marlin Model 80's magazine design. It pretty much makes it impossible to rim-lock a round (of .22lr) due to the tight tolerances of the magazine.
bigedp51
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The British and French both had rimmed cartridges during WWI and they won the war.
The British kept the .303 and they won another war with a rimmed cartridge.
I wonder if the engineers who designed rifles with rimmed cartridges thought it was a bad idea.
How to load a Enfield charger clip.
The only problem I have with my Enfields is the barrel overheating when I fire long sustained bursts.
I might have had a vapor lock on a beer bottle once but I just smashed the neck of the beer bottle with my Enfield, then drank the beer and spit out the glass fragments.
And someone took your question the wrong way about British engineering and she is looking for you right now.
WardenWolf
member
In a properly designed, perfectly-functioning firearm, rim lock is not a major issue. However, we all know that things rarely go perfectly on the battlefield. There's a reason why almost all successful rifle cartridges designed post-1900 have been rimless designs. And every single time there's been a run-off between rimless and rimmed equivalent cartridges, the rimless version has always won out (which is why .223 Remington succeeded and .225 Winchester failed, despite both being developed the same year and the .225 having a slight edge in power). Why? Rimless cartridges play nicer with actions, especially semi-autos. The rimless design is just more attractive for firearms manufacturers, so they're going to jump onboard with the cartridge that works best in their guns without a major action redesign.
.225 Winchester doesn't compete against the .223. The .225 Winchester competed with and lost to the .22-250. It was meant as a replacement for the .220 Swift.
My guess is that if the .22-250 didn't exist, the .225 would still be chambered for Varmint rifles.
My guess is that if the .22-250 didn't exist, the .225 would still be chambered for Varmint rifles.
WardenWolf
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Not really. The .225 pushed the exact same 55-grain bullet only about 400 FPS faster than the .223, but that's about it. Not enough to make any significant difference in performance. The military adopting a variation of the .223 as the 5.56 round sealed the deal. There were a lot of competing cartridges that were developed in that time period that fell by the wayside.
Rim lock is a problem that's never going to go away for rimmed cartridges, and has presented various challenges for action manufacturers ever since stacked magazines came into play. I've had to deal with it a few times with 7.62x54R, and while it's not a big deal in the Mosin Nagant, it's definitely an issue for the PSL. That's one sure-fire way to jam up a rifle that's otherwise 100%.
Rim lock is a problem that's never going to go away for rimmed cartridges, and has presented various challenges for action manufacturers ever since stacked magazines came into play. I've had to deal with it a few times with 7.62x54R, and while it's not a big deal in the Mosin Nagant, it's definitely an issue for the PSL. That's one sure-fire way to jam up a rifle that's otherwise 100%.
Well then the .22-250 could have died by the same argument because the .225 Winchester's performance is much closer to that of the .22-250 than the .223. Although it was a wildcat for years, the .22-250 was only adopted commercially a year later than the .223 and .225 Winchester.
The .225 was never meant to be used in Auto-loaders
The .225 was never meant to be used in Auto-loaders
bigedp51
member
Rim Lock my gluteus maximus 
The only rifle that beats the Enfield rifle for speed is a semiauto
Lee Ermey and his 03 Springfield rifle get his behind kicked by the "rimmed" British Enfield No.1 Mk.3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsDLjfA1Ylw&feature=related
Age, beauty, accuracy and speed
The Enfield rifle and its "rimmed" .303 cartridge was designed for shooting round holes in square heads.
The only rifle that beats the Enfield rifle for speed is a semiauto
Lee Ermey and his 03 Springfield rifle get his behind kicked by the "rimmed" British Enfield No.1 Mk.3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsDLjfA1Ylw&feature=related
Age, beauty, accuracy and speed
The Enfield rifle and its "rimmed" .303 cartridge was designed for shooting round holes in square heads.
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Murphy4570
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Well that video is interesting. Ermey is shooting at pie plates about 75-100 yards away, and he's using the battle sights on that '03. Those are calibrated for 500 yards. He must be using a helluva lot of Kentucky windage to hit those plates!
A Historian
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I have seen rim-lock happen on Mosins before. Despite the before-mentioned interrupter, sometimes they just do not work right. I have heard of it happening on an Enfield, but have never experienced it yet (even with loading cartridges to do so.)
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