The bolt won't come out on the Pierce titanium action. Normally after sizing the cases I run them through the action before I load them. While ago I was running the sized cases into the action. I noticed the bolt would not go in on one so I pulled the bolt back and tipped the rifle up. The case slid out. I shoved the bolt closed and it then pulled the case out. The next one went in fine. The next one would not go in again so I tipped the rifle up and the case slid out like before. The bolt lifted just fine after closing it on the sized case, but I could not lift the bolt a full 90 degrees so the bolt could be opened.

Anyone have an idea what to do?

Learn how to size your brass better???? Hint..

bsa1917hunter,



You didn't notice the part where I mentioned pointing the rifle up and the sized case fell out? All were fitting just fine up to the one I mentioned the bolt would not go in so I tipped the rifle up and the sized case came out by gravity.

If you don't have a valuable suggestion, why not not post?

Sounds to me like the case is too long, but not too big around. Or else there is a problem with the extractor going over the rim. Hard to say without being there. miles

What are the chances that the bolt head diameter is on the small side and the case head is not moving freely and affecting the function? Basically the case head not going all the way to the bolt face and then affecting head space? Or case heads being on the large side with the batch of brass you are using, causing the same as above mentioned.

I am not sure how this particular action works, but if the brass were all sized and trimmed in the same way and falling out of the chamber when tipped upwards, I would have a look at the bolt or case head diam.

Guess that does not really help with the stuck bolt though.

Pieter

Does the stuck bolt rotate, or is it just locked in place and will not move at all? More info will help. miles

Sounds like a piece of brass is jammed inside. Clean chamber real good including with a patch over a mop spun tightly to snag leftover bits of gunk, junk, etc.

I'll probably see John Sunday, tell him you f#cked up one of his actions...

Are these empty cases or loaded cases you are running into the action ? If loaded you may have a bullet cramped into the rifling.

Let's see, I can't close the bolt on a size case. I tip the gun up and the case falls out of the chamber so I slam the bolt closed on that same piece of brass. What could possibly go wrong???

Bet he greases the lugs next time...

Might get some better feedback if one elaborates on the specifics. Caliber/cartridge, new/old brass, measurements, etc.

milespatton,

I haven't trimmed the brass yet, so you may be correct.

agazain,

Did that before I started working on the brass.

AJ300MAG

I talked to Jim at Pierce while ago. He doesn't know what could be wrong. He said maybe the cocking piece is broken or the extractor didn't get over the rim.

bea175,

These are resized brass I was checking before I load them.

1minute,

This is a Pierce titanium action, MPI stock with a Weatherby cheek piece, Timney trigger, Christiansen carbon wrapped 26" barrel. The caliber is 6.5 on a 7RUM case with the shoulder pushed back about .100". I fired this rifle 58 times with nary a problem.

I have a Sako AIII action that did something similar. The smith had to remove lthe barrel to get the action into a position to put the ring circling the bolt that hold the spring extractor back onto place on the ring. Understand? The ring had come off of the keeper on the spring extractor. There was an internet series about this at one time and I found it and told the smith about it. I had tried everything including a wooden hammer to try to pound the bolt open Once the barrel was off he could get a tool into the action and slide the extractor back onto the ring holding the extractor into place on the bolt. Perhaps this is your problem.

Rolly,

Thanks. Of all times for the gunsmith to be too busy to take calls! I left a recording of the problem. I sure hope he calls tomorrow.

I'm just an rank amateur, certainly no 'smith but it reminds me of a past experience with a suddenly broken extractor in a Rem 700. I don't know what kind of extractor a Pierce action has but it occurred that a broken extractor would explain or could explain MOST of it. For example not being able to chamber sized brass because it was broken and/or a piece of it was in the bolt face.

You could have gotten lucky on the two cases that somehow were chambered, then "caught" or extracted and unlucky when the broken extractor or a piece of it got into the lug recess and bound it up.

R, that'll be $.02..but it's on the house.

Good luck. Looking forward to hearing the answer.

John uses either Sako or M-16 extractors in his bolts.

I've seen more than one remington extractor shave brass on a .300 Ultramag. The brass gets behind the extractor and eventually won't allow the extractor to snap into the groove on the brass. People will force the bolt closed which jams the bolt. They beat the bolt open which rips the extractor out of the bolt face.

Running higher than normal pressures accelerates the problem.

I've read that but I kept my bolt face clean. It was a 338 WM and at the shot and then failure to extract, I removed the bolt and the extractor lay in pieces in the groove. Of course a piece could have pulled out of the groove and gotten into the lug recess on working the bolt amd seized the bolt.

Anyhow that's as far as my speculations can go.

No one at the 'fire runs "higher than normal pressures". The guys at Long Range Hunting do that sort of thing.

Next time you talk to John ask him how long the Lapua brass that he loads with 215gr Bergers lasts...

So is your bolt stuck in the gun right now with a re-sized but unloaded piece of brass??

dennisinaz,



Yes.

Stuck in the rifle, what does that have to do with the extractor? I bet it ain't stuck with the bolt all the way back.
Is the bolt handle either up or down?

I never did get an answer. Will the bolt rotate and not pull back or not move at all? miles

milespatton,



Sorry I didn't answer. I sure want to solve this problem. The bolt rotates about 70 degrees and stops solidly. It moves quite normally up and down.

You need to pull the barrel before you do more damage- sounds like something is caught in there. Might be a broken extractor that dropped to the locking area.

Dennis, I think that you are correct. If it would not rotate, I thought it might just be brass that was too long and jammed/binding in the neck. miles

Using a rifle to check your cases is just about as smart as using you computer as a CD Player. There are plenty of cheaper ways to do both.

CAFR,



I've made no bones about it on this site. My strong suite in life is ignorance. I am very curious how to check the cases for fit in the rifle without using the rifle. As far as computers I know less about them than I do about checking cases in the rifle. Seriously, please inform me how to check the cases. Thank you in advance.

I always cycle cartridges before going hunting. Don't want be hunting and the brass not chamber. Yes, you can measure your brass several ways.

Over the years, I have drifted back to the way that I did things when I first started reloading. I full-length resize all my brass. When seating bullets, I measure the COAL of a few out of the first twenty or so that I load to make sure that the seating die is still set where I want it. Then, like Butch, I run all of the loaded rounds through the magazine and into and out of the chamber of the rifle(s) in which I intend to shoot them.

I have a couple of rifles chambered for AI cartridges. With these, I may or may not neck size only, depending on how much I plan to shoot them in the near future. Even with those, every loaded round goes through the magazine and into and out of the chamber before they go in the cartridge boxes.

Every round that I intend to use on big game is full-length resized. YMMV.

Ringman, see my previous post. My Sako AIII did exactly what your action is doing. The bolt handle would rotate but would not pull back from the face of the chamber.

Gentlemen,

I am embarrassed to tell you what I think it is. Normally I check the sized brass before I go any further. These were fired brass when I purchased them. I have fired them a couple times. When I glanced at the loading block where the cases are standing with the heads up I noticed they are primed. About a dozen went through the action trouble free. But if the one stuck in the chamber is number fifteen number thirteen in the loading block has no primer! That means the primer from number thirteen came out and somehow got in the locking lug area.

A simple pulling of the barrel will allow the 'smith to get the offending culprit out and I can carry on with my playing. That's if I am correct where the primer is.

Let us know.

A case gauge is the safest way to check size and length. A full length resizing die and a set of calipers or a case length gauge will tell you if the cartridges will fit any spec chamber. Sticking a case in a case gauge is much easier to deal with than in your rifle chamber.

As for the computer, why risk damaging a computer by using it to play music when a CD player can be had for much less money?

I'm not trying to be a smart ass here, just trying to encourage common sense and sharing the wisdom of a lifetime of triumphs and tragedies.

You are probably correct, but I think that I will still run mine through the rifle before going hunting. miles

Well, I agree. When I go on a hunt with a center fire rifle, it is with hand loads and away from home so a good deal of time and somtimes money is invested. Call me old fashioned but I run every cartridge through the rifle before I leave.

How is is "safer" than the rifle?



This certainly has not worked in my experience. That's why I check them in the rifle.

By the way, you posted there are cheaper ways to check. How are the things you mentioned cheaper?

You guys do whatever you want. Gunsmiths gotta eat, too. My reloads always fit. If you have to run the chance of getting a live round stuck in your rifle by chamber checking all your reloads, then maybe you should quit reloading. On second though, maybe you guys should just stick to factory ammo, because they have a dude sitting there chamber checking every round with his own rifle so you dont have to. Just sayin

jus sayin? CAFR, you aren't completely correct. The items that you mentioned will not give you a 100% guarantee that it will chamber. Remember he is loading a round into his or his buddy's rifle with the brass from the other rifle. They were chambered by the same smith and same reamer. Go on the second page on the campfire forum and look for the post on this.
jus sayin

Most of my reloads are neck sized, even the hunting ones. When hunting, I don't want one hard to chamber because the shoulder needed set back a little. If I am going target shooting, I omit this step. I try to take all of the things that can go bad out of the equation. If you don't want to do this step, then don't do it. I don't care, but I will continue, as it makes me comfortable. miles

Butch, boobie, I am completely correct.... Unless the chamber is wrong, a full length resize and case length gauge WILL make ammo that fits a spec chamber. That's how the factory does it. Why would you debate a common sense statement? I can't break it down any further because I used up all my crayons explaining to another reloading expert why he shouldn't look down the bore of a loaded gun. Jeeze.

I appears you lack experience. Lots of the folks here use custom guns and wildcats. We hope the die maker made the die to match the chamber. They don't always. We hope the 'smith chambers all the same. They don't always. Recently I had two chambers cut for the 6.5RUMLR. One in a Lilja on a Savage action for my son-in-law and one in a Christensen barrel. There is about .005" difference in the two. If I full length size a case to nicely fit mine, it will NOT go into his.

Perhaps there is a difference in the steel. Or the guy does sloppy work. I don'tknow. I do know things in the real world sadly don't alway work they way they do in theory.

My first thought was to tell you to buy yourself an an action wrench and a barrel vise.

After more thinking your best bet is that you should take up golf. Your ignorance and lack of paying attention to detail is going to get someone seriously hurt.

You are willing to have a custom rifle built with a sub standard chamber..... and then say that I lack experience? I just don't know how to respond to that. Do you walk to work, or take your lunch?

I stated that properly reloaded ammo will fit a spec chamber. I stand by that statement. I build custom guns and wildcats. I would never allow a rifle to leave my shop that doesn't chamber properly made ammo.

CAFR,



You and are exactly alike. I also "build customs and wildcats" by paying the 'smith. Apparently you do it yourself. I also make properly make ammo to fit each rifle before it goes to the range or hunting fields. By checking the brass before I load it.

OK, I just gotta ask - exactly what is your definition of a "spec" chamber??? So do I..and I can't wait to read your answer..

A mentor of mine used to make his own reamers and chambered rifles in the RFT (really freakin' tight)version of the cartridge. So it was that most dies wouldn't be able to reduce cases, which had been fired in a SAAMI chamber, to fit.
My own rifles all have what I take to be "spec" chambers (they take 'go' gauge)but I still check sized brass in the rifle.
CAFR states, "I would never allow a rifle to leave my shop that doesn't chamber properly made ammo". Given the comments made previously, I have to ask; How do you ascertain that this is so? Do you, by chance, check a sample of the ammo in the rifle? GD

I am a Professional Gunsmith. I do this for a living. I chamber rifles to SAAMI "GO" for a spec chamber. I also test fire each new chamber, rifle, barrel, etc that I install. I didn't get on this thread to start a giant debate with a bunch of forum experts. I stand by my statements. I can't wait to get out of here.

CARF,



You may be sharp as a tack in the machine shop, but here you lack something. The way to "get out of here" is very simple. Don't open the thread. If you do open the thread, don't respond to us less informed and less experienced. Glad I could help.

The forum experts here were in this business when you were still [bleep] yellow. They don't make a living splatter painting ARs. Probably more money in it than real gunsmith work though.
Boobie, borrowing your expression, Ima jus sayin!

Who doesn't? But there are exceptions. Care to contribute? You mean, like you?? Then you should have been gone by 6:36 pm ..

Just sayin', boobie...

You can chamber a rifle so the "go gage" barely closes and then use brass fired in a rifle with a "generous" chamber. In many cases I have found that a standard resizing die will not reshape the brass enough to have it chamber easily.

Every rifle I have ever chambered will allow a go gage to chamber but I do encounter used brass that doesn't want to go in.

On several of my rifles, I cut enough barrel off that I was able chamber the cut off piece to use as a loaded round checker.

I haven't read all the rest of the answers, but ... this sounds a little bit like the front action screw could be too long. Have you tried pulling the barreled action out of the stock, then see if the bolt will turn? If that works, probably you need to shorten the front bolt a smidge.

Tom

T_O_M,



I took the stock off. Still no better.

TOM
Remember your 6 Rem AI?
I'm about 95% sure he is chasing the same problem.
But it may be up front binding things up at the extractor instead of at the back like yours.

Exactly..

Kinda what I was tryin' to get out of the curmudgeon above..

Yep, I remember.

I'd say if it's not the front screw interfering, it's time to take it to the gunsmith and have him take things apart.

No point tearing the bolt handle off the bolt like I did.

Dropped it off today.

Cool. I'd like to know what he determines the problem was.

Tom

Short between the headsets...

We all would.