Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Could have been bad

Had an older hunter stop by my camp yesterday after his morning hunt, as his Browning BAR wouldn't eject his live round. The bolt would only go back about 2/3 of the way. He didn't want to fire it, because he thought it might damage the action. After a few minutes of tinkering, I held the bolt back, felt around in the bolt recess at the rear of the action with my finger, and felt something move. I turned the rifle upside down in the sunlight and saw a gold glint back there. Somehow, he got a live 30-06 round behind the bolt. I didn't know this was even possible.

Best I can figure, a round got loose from the top of the mag while the mag was partly ejected. As he pointed the rifle up and pulled back the bolt handle to chamber a round, the loose shell slipped its way back under the mechanism before the next live round in the mag was stripped forward by the bolt. He said he was short one shell when he went to unload after his hunt, and this was when he noticed the bolt wouldn't fully retract.

The fella has owned that BAR since 1976, and has always loaded it in a similar manner, but there's apparently a first time for everything. I'm just glad he didn't see a buck on that hunt, or he might have ruined his rifle. On a similar note, I had an electrician come by a few minutes later to see why some of my lights were dead in the camp and the breaker wouldn't stay on. Had a bad short in the wall that he said really could have burned the place down. Overall, I'd say the Lord was watching out for us yesterday.

hallelujah ...

Whoa! That could have been bad! Glad things went well with both issues!

I've had my BAR in 7Rmag since '74 and I've always loaded it barrel down. Just letting gravity help slide the round in. I never would have guessed it possible either but now I know better. Good you had a sensitive fingertip and sharp eyes. Fella stopped at the right camp this time for sure.

Glad both events worked out for the best. Boeither could have ruined more than the day.

Im glad both situations turned out good. I saw a 22 rifle once that the action was sluggish and when the bolt and trigger assembly were removed an empty 22 case was on top the bolt and was flattened. How the gun functioned was beyond me. I dont remember if it was a Marlin 60 or a Ruger 10/22. Had a gunsmith tell me found a copper penny inside the action of a pump shot gun.

got a deal on a 760 carbine 06 fifteen or so years ago. guy said that sometimes the slide wouldn't stay locked and that when it did, the gun would only fire about half the time. i dropped the trigger group and found not one but two cleaning patches jammed in by the sear and half wrapped around the bolt somehow. i stripped it and cleaned out all kinds of sludge and crap. gun works slick as a whistle now.