Bolt hard to open intermittently on 6.5 x 47

[Chaotik]

I have a 6.5 x 47 built on a Remington 700 action. The action was trued and the krieger barrel was chambered & bedding was all done by a local gunsmith. I also had the gunsmith put in a PTG bolt instead of the factory Remington bolt. I have taken this rifle to a couple of 600 yard F class matches, and although it shoots well enough, the bolt gets intermittently & randomly stuck (about 50% of the time) and can be quite difficult to open. There are no pressure signs, and nothing is obvious on close inspection of the fired brass. I don't see anything (to my naive eye) when I have borescoped the chamber that might explain the problem. (I have another 6.5 x 47 rifle on a BAT action that was chambered with the same reamer by a different (not local) gunsmith, and it shoots the same loads without any issues).



Assuming that this is not a pressure issue, what other things should I consider? I'm guessing that I will have to take this to a non-local gunsmith and have everything re-done, since it is not usable currently. (taking it back to the local gunsmith is not really a good option).


Thanks.

 

[FatBoy]

You using the same brass in both barrels? If so, that's almost certainly the issue.

 

[GNERGY]

I can usually just neck size my 6.5X47 brass but every couple of firings I have to bump the shoulder back just a couple thou. Try resizing them and push the shoulder back just a couple thou. Next time you fire them the bolt will open easier.
Tarey

 

[Chaotik]

Thanks. Yes, I use the same brass... but this happened before I had the second rifle. I always full length resize after every firing. And the bolt is easy to close when I chamber a round, it just is randomly tight when I try to open after firing.

 

[Ggmac]

Are you using high pressure grease on the lugs and firing pin , cocking piece cam ?
Is it a stainless receiver ?

 

[Chaotik]

I use a bolt grease on the bolt and lugs. It is a factory non-stainless remington action that was "trued".

 

[Ggmac]

Are any unusual marks on a magic marker ( dykem blued ) bolt ? Scope base screws or action screws not rubbing . Does it have equal lug contact ?
Have you disassembled the bolt to check the mainspring for coil bind , lube , or rub marks ?
If all is up to specs , I'm leaning towards the ammo . Of course I'm guessing and suggesting what I would do if it was in my hands .

 

[Ggmac]

Have you marked or removed the brass that was giving you problems ? If not I would at least Mark the brass and see if it happens again with that case .

 

[Pappy42]

I would check neck wall thickness of the cases compared to the reamer dimension.

 

[hogpatrol]

Take apart the bolt and firing pin and give it a good cleaning and blow out with compressed air. Could be some sort of fod causing the binding.

 

[FatBoy]

I had this issue with my first 6.5x47. I ended up adjusting the die back another .002" and the issue cleared. I am convinced the datum line at the shoulder isn't a perfect match between my die and the chamber and some of the cases didn't have enough HS clearance.

If this brass was ever fired in another chamber I would expect exactly what you're talking about, but if it was virgin brass and you aren't shooting very high pressure it's likely HS.

Good point on the neck thickness. Are the necks "smoking" back to the shoulder line when fired?

 

[Roeder]

I have a 6.5 x 47 built on a Remington 700 action. The action was trued and the krieger barrel was chambered & bedding was all done by a local gunsmith. I also had the gunsmith put in a PTG bolt instead of the factory Remington bolt. I have taken this rifle to a couple of 600 yard F class matches, and although it shoots well enough, the bolt gets intermittently & randomly stuck (about 50% of the time) and can be quite difficult to open. There are no pressure signs, and nothing is obvious on close inspection of the fired brass. I don't see anything (to my naive eye) when I have borescoped the chamber that might explain the problem. (I have another 6.5 x 47 rifle on a BAT action that was chambered with the same reamer by a different (not local) gunsmith, and it shoots the same loads without any issues).



Assuming that this is not a pressure issue, what other things should I consider? I'm guessing that I will have to take this to a non-local gunsmith and have everything re-done, since it is not usable currently. (taking it back to the local gunsmith is not really a good option).


Thanks.

Others have posted a lot of things worth looking at. If there are no binding issues with the bolt and striker, no brass issues, you might need another guy to break it down and check for alignment issues. Before you get to that point, consider that a Remington action and a BAT action fitted with identically chambered barrels may not be able to handle the same loads. even 2 chambers cut with the same reamer may not be exactly the same (especially when done by different smiths), so that the same size die may size the cases enough for one and not for the other.
My gut feeling is that if there was an alignment issue causing the problem, the rifle would not shoot well. The 6.5X47 Lapua brass is very tough and with small primer pockets, loads can be hot as heck and not show obvious pressure signs.
If you were shooting over a chronograph, the shots that cause stiff bolt lift might show higher velocity, if this is a pressure issue.

 

[slurpin dog]

Are you using high pressure grease on the lugs and firing pin , cocking piece cam ?
Is it a stainless receiver ?

Curious why you asked if it is a ss receiver.

 

[Jeff A]

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned here before but I would check brass length again just to be sure.

 

[Ggmac]

Slurpdog, stainless sometimes has a galling issue . Either cocking cam on the bolt or lug cam surfaces

 

[Rflshootr]

1+ on the case length. Resize the brass & check the case length against the reamer drawing. Trim if necessary.

 

[Steve Ladino]

I have a 6.5 x 47 built on a Remington 700 action. The action was trued and the krieger barrel was chambered & bedding was all done by a local gunsmith. I also had the gunsmith put in a PTG bolt instead of the factory Remington bolt. I have taken this rifle to a couple of 600 yard F class matches, and although it shoots well enough, the bolt gets intermittently & randomly stuck (about 50% of the time) and can be quite difficult to open. There are no pressure signs, and nothing is obvious on close inspection of the fired brass. I don't see anything (to my naive eye) when I have borescoped the chamber that might explain the problem. (I have another 6.5 x 47 rifle on a BAT action that was chambered with the same reamer by a different (not local) gunsmith, and it shoots the same loads without any issues).



Assuming that this is not a pressure issue, what other things should I consider? I'm guessing that I will have to take this to a non-local gunsmith and have everything re-done, since it is not usable currently. (taking it back to the local gunsmith is not really a good option).
I believe the PTG bolts come without the handle attached, I would check the position of the handle to the action extraction cam too.

Thanks.

 

[Steve Ladino]

I believe the PTG bolts come without the handle soldered on, I would check the fit of the handle to the action extraction cam too.

 

[Roeder]

I believe the PTG bolts come without the handle soldered on, I would check the fit of the handle to the action extraction cam too.

This answer jumps out at me, so I re-read the starting post. You state that the bolt is occasionally hard to open and I assumed that you meant hard to lift. If your bolt lifts easily, but is difficult to draw back and extract the case, this is possibly the issue. The handle position must be correct to have full extraction. Use a feeler gage to measure the clearance between the front of the handle and the front of the bolt handle slot while the bolt is closed. If there is much over about .010, you are not getting full extraction.

 

[Shaggy357]

Two things in my opinion that follow along with most of the responses above. Hard bolt lift is usually the brass...or the bolt......Size the shoulder of the brass down another .001"....See if that works. On my Remington XP-100s that is almost always the case... Did your smith lap the PTG bolt to your trued action? Use some Dykem or sharpie and mark your bolt lugs. Open and close the bolt a few times. Any scrape marks in the Dykem/sharpie marks? IF so, are they uniform? Some 600/800 grit lapping compound and an hour show on TV usually works wonders. Put just a little lapping compound on the bolt lugs and open/close the bolt 30-50 times during the commercials. When regular show is on and family want you to be quiet, wipe down the bolt, clean out the lug recesses in the action, wipe down action good, and try the dykem/sharpie test again. If marks as still not uniform...do some more lapping next advertisement. Lifting and closing the bolt not only helps lap the lugs to the action, it can also give you a little extra headspace as any burrs or scratches are removed. You will have to check headspace after action is lapped. Usually within .001-.002". It doesn't take much to smooth in a PTG bolt. When you are done lapping, a dab of good grease on the lugs will help.

Same info shared in a different way. Hope this helps.

Steve