Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Tweaking the spring/follower

What's the trick to tweaking the spring so the back end of the cartridge doesn't slip under the bolt when you go to cycle a round?


I had a Sako that would miss a cartridge once in awhile and remember it was a pain in the ass bending the spring so that it pushed the cartridges correctly.

Noticed today that my Kimber 84L occasionally misses a round.


Figured there must be a trick to bending the spring without trial and error?

Sam,

Not really. Not only does case shape have an effect, but bullet weight.

JB, just give it a little more 'spring' and pull it apart?


I gave the lug a healthy bed job in order to float the barrel and got to thinking that might have affected how the rifle feeds?

How is that possible?

Might have slightly increased the distance from the bottom of the 'mag box/stock' to the action?


I am far from a gunsmith, just thinking out loud.

Doesn't the ass end need to ride higher, as in opening the lips? My 223AI was like that and I worked some Stick magic.

Start at the F'n Start

If your "healthy bed job" moved the receiver away from the magazine box, that could well be the source of your problem. I've had that happen to me.

I'd be looking into this, the way the magazine box is aligning to the receiver, and the way the follower is sitting on the spring, rather than trying to deform the mag spring.

Thanks for the all the ideas.


I just pulled the rifle apart and tweaked the spring a little.


Traced the original outline on a piece of paper and then just lengthened the distance while keeping the same shape(so to speak).

Seems to work a helluva a lot better.

Coulda used that info awhile back. Tnx

Yup, just go to the Stick site and get it right from the start. Eat the chicken, leave the bones.

yes the back of the cartridge needs to be abit higher. i was having the same issue with my iboltas the spring pops out took a screw driver and pressed it between creaseby last part of spring that leads to cartridge platform,WHALA PROBLEM GONE

bend the spring as you need, then stress relieve at 450°F for 30 minutes. It will help keep the spring from settling back to its original shape.