I've got a Rem 7600 in 35 Whelen. I operated it for 10 years with a moderate 200 grain load and then retired the rifle from hunting for a few years. I've since had it out a few times for load development.
The latest load was a 180 grain Speer load. I tried it at 35 Whelen-ish velocities (still well off MAX), and then tried it again at 358 WIN levels. This latter load was what I was working with this weekend when the trouble happened. I noticed that the bolt was having a hard time going into battery, and then I was also having trouble ejecting the spent brass. The ejector was holding onto the brass. This happened a couple of times, and then I inspected a round I'd had trouble feeding. Down around the base of the round there were some striations-- it looked like I'd run the round over 200 grit sandpaper.
Odd. I took a jag and a patch and ran it around the chamber to see if I could pick up any of the grit. Nothing.
This morning, I decided to have a bettter look at things. Without anything, the rifle cycled fine. I sprayed a little this-and-that in and wiped it clean-- no real dirt accumulation. I then took a fresh, empty, once-fired piece of empty brass and ran it in. It's all seized up and I can't open the bolt.
Any ideas? How does one un-screw oneself from such a situation? I see a trip to the gunsmith in my future, but I'd thought I'd check here first.
