Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Howa Extraction Problem

All,

I have a Howa 1500 SS in .270 Win with which I am experiencing intermittent extraction problems. It is a relatively new purchase and I have only put 50 to 70 rounds through it to date.

On four occasions I have had difficulty extracting a fired case and once an unfired case. I am able to lift the bolt fully to the top of the throw but then it requires a sharp rap with my fist to move the bolt rearward to eject the case.

I am using Winchester brass that was previously used in a T3 Lite without any problems whatsoever. The load is 60 grns of H4831SC with a 130 grn BT exiting the muzzle at about 2,950 fps. I have checked that the base screws (Leupold) are not fouling the bolt and they seem fine.

I will be taking it to a gunsmith when I get chance in the next couple of weeks but in the meantime I was wondering whether anyone has experienced the problem and could make any suggestions.

Thanks and regards,

Tim

Been shooting a Smith&Wesson(Howa)alot for the last 20+ years and have never had any kind of problems. Please let us know what you find out if you would. After 30+yrs of production,the Howas have just started gaining in popularity. GOOD LUCK and keep us posted.

til later

Make sure there is no oil in the chamber or on the cases. Oil can cause the case to stretch rearward, causeing difficult extraction. This has the same effect of cases sticking and hard extraction because of excessive pressure.

I am not familiar with the load you are using. From what you describe, the hard extraction sounds like it could be caused from loads giving excessive pressure.

Measure your case heads before and after firing. Any measureable expansion indicates higher than normal pressure.

You mention brass that was used in another rifle. Are you full-length resizing? Are the re-loaded cartridges difficult to chamber before firing?

try a few rounds of factory ammo. if the problem goes away it is most likely your reloads. good luck sith it.

"On four occasions I have had difficulty extracting a fired case and once an unfired case"

The "once with unfired case" makes me think it is a problem related to the used brass. I'd start with brand new brass and see what happens. OTOH, as long as you are full length resizing and sure cases are not in need of trimming, it shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks for your comments so far.

The cases are full length sized and I trim on every reload. I'm certainly hoping it's a problem relating to the brass or reloads rather than the rifle as it would be the cheapest and easiest remedy. That said I've never had such a problem with any of the other rifles that I load for. I once had a 645 that wouldn't cycle with a particular brand of brass. Changing the make of brass solved the problem instantly but I would think that a firearm relying on a manual system of operation such as a bolt action would be less sensitive in this regard than a semi-auto pistol. The gunsmith that I intend to take it to for assessment has asked that I take along some of the brass and cartridges for checking. I'll report his findings as soon as I've made the trip to him. In the meantime any other opinions would be welcome.

Thanks,

Tim

Hi All,

I managed to get over to my riflesmith on Saturday and although I have yet to put the theory into practice I've been told that the difficult extraction is due to lost headspace. I have bought a Stoney Point 'Head and Shoulders' set and have now set up my dies to bump the shoulder of my brass back two thou from the chamber dimension. I will test the theory sometime after the Easter break. Fingers crossed my 'smith will be right and it will prove to be a problem with my loading technique rather than a fault with the rifle as it's difficult to think of the Japanese lacking in the quality control department.

Kind regards,

Tim