Ejection problem thoughts

Berniebeag · #1 09-09-2020, 11:09 AM

Good morning I have a Browning A - Bolt 300 Win Mag. I have less than 500 rounds through it. I have mostly used Winchester XP-3 / Expedition 180gr Accubonds or 180gr Ballistic Silver tips. These are the nickel plated casings. I have been also trying other ammunition Remington and Nosler (brass casings). Problem I am having is when I eject the spent casing I am having a hard time pulling the casing out. Bolt operates fine putting the shell in and also lifting the bolt lever after firing but I have to hit the bolt with my hand to eject the casing, Thoughts?? Never had that problem before. These are all factory loads. I have heard of this happening with hot reloads. I have also had guys at the range that are re-loaders take a look none can see any pressure signs. Any advice would be great. Always let it cool between shots. Never had this problem until this year and a full cleaning is done after each time at the range. Thanks.

Dmay · #2 09-09-2020, 11:34 AM

Sounds like dirt in chamber. It takes very little for them to get sticky. Scrub out chamber walls.

pikergolf · #3 09-09-2020, 11:46 AM

Clean the extractor claw.

Dean2 · #4 09-09-2020, 01:40 PM

If it ejected fine before and sticks now then Pike is right, your ejector is gummed up or chipped. Very unlikely to be a pressure issue. If you don't want to disassemble the bolt, soak it in a good solvent and use a toothbrush to scrub it. Ten to one that will fix your problem.

If you mean you have to hit the bolt handle to even get it to go back from fully closed then the comment about a dirty chamber or possibly a burr in hte chamber may well be the issue. Bolt should slide back easily, that is also very unlikely to be pressure issues.

Berniebeag · #5 09-09-2020, 01:44 PM

Thank you very much gentlemen, I will check that out. Much appreciated!!

Berniebeag · #6 09-09-2020, 02:04 PM

Dean2, sorry i missed your second paragraph. After firing I can lift the bolt handle without any issue at all. It is when I try and pull the casing out that i have to hit it with my hand because I cannot just pull on the bolt to eject like normally. Once it breaks free then no problem, just falls open like it always has

jef612 · #7 09-09-2020, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dmay

Sounds like dirt in chamber. It takes very little for them to get sticky. Scrub out chamber walls.

I think this is the issue. Steel wool or and oversized bore brush and clean out the chamber, usually the neck area

fps plus · #8 09-09-2020, 02:30 PM

This is not an ejector issue it is an extraction issue. It is not the actual extractor giving you a problem. Most likely a dirty or scratched chamber . Check cases for frosty appearance or scratches.

Another possibly I have seen is extremely fouled / dirty bores can cause pressures to rise and causes a pressure issue thus difficult extraction

If one looks at how a bolt action is designed the last small portion of bolt lift a bevel on the bolt handle contacts a matching bevel so the receiver and starts pulling the case out of the chamber . that’s the mechanical advantage of a bolt action . That is when one has a sticking issue for whatever reason you have to “knock” the bolt handle up slightly and then back

Clean chamber and bore

EZM · #9 09-09-2020, 02:46 PM

If you are using one of those plastic chamber bore guides when you are cleaning, these have 2 issues that I have seen, they don't allow you to clean the throat area as the plastic covers it with the intent to protect the throat - which is good, but, of course, you have to go back and clean that area anyways.

The other thing is, it's plastic and shouldn't cause any issues, but you never know. Sounds like cleaning up and inspecting that area might be a good first step.

Dean2 · #10 09-09-2020, 03:08 PM

If you give the chamber, lug area and throat a real good cleaning and it still doesn't fix the problem get someone with a Teslong Bore scope, $60 on Amazon, to have a look or order one. They are a real handy little rig and very easy to use. If you are in Edmonton I have one.

Berniebeag · #11 09-09-2020, 03:35 PM

I will look at everything mentioned above. Thanks again for all the help everyone! And thanks for the generous offer Dean2! Unfortunately I am quite a ways from Edm.

Dick284 · #12 09-09-2020, 05:23 PM

Put up pictures of the fired brass.

Case head
Primers
Case body

Could be dirt.
Could be rust.
Could be over pressure.

Without some visual aids it’s like throwing darts in the dark.

Berniebeag · #13 09-10-2020, 05:32 AM

Here are some photos Dick, hope it works have not posted photos before. When I took the photos of the casings i rotated them 180 degrees in order to see both sides.

Berniebeag · #14 09-10-2020, 05:57 AM

Trying to get a better picture of the primer

Athabasca1 · #15 09-12-2020, 08:41 AM

No udate from OP. Any opinions on ring around the neck of spent cartridge?

Dick284 · #16 09-12-2020, 08:56 AM

The OP’s pics lack the resolution for me to tell much on an iPhone.

To me it sounds like the OP’s rifle may have got some rust happening in the chamber, and the cases are getting hung up on the corrosion and pitting.

If he were to take an oversized bore brush on a short rod and chuck it up in a drill, add some good quality oil and give the chamber a good going over I’d sure like to see what his results would be.

Berniebeag · #17 09-13-2020, 11:30 AM

Good morning - finally got back to the range today. Followed the suggestions above and really focused on cleaning the chamber walls. I did not get much of anything out of there out of there initially. Took a spent casing (which was binding) and painted it with a sharpie. What showed up was a small area just ahead of the belt that was rubbing off the sharpie. I really cleaned the area that the belt comes up against and it is cycling flawlessly now. Put 25 rounds through it this morning and had no hiccups. Good lesson for me, I have always really focused on cleaning the barrel and certainly not enough attention to the chamber and mouth of it.

My only theory is that the shell was not seating exactly where it should have been and allowing the case to expand a bit when fired and causing the sticky casing??

Thanks again for everyone's input.

Dean2 · #18 09-13-2020, 11:39 AM

Glad you got it fixed and thanks for letting us know. always nice to hear what the actual issue was. To your question, the dirt could have caused the case to short seat or the dirt could have been what the case was hanging up on. Keeping the chamber, neck, throat and the recesses the bolt lugs set into clean is something a lot of people miss doing.