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Strange new problem with my Barrett M99.... UPDATE in OP
11/27/2011 10:10:17 PM
Hello everyone,
Got a problem I need some trouble shooting from the pros with.
I've had my Barrett model 99 for almost exactly a year now and absolutely love it, it's never given me any type of trouble or weirdness whatsoever... until about 3 weeks ago.
First, I've shot a little over 100 rounds from the same case of SA Battlepacks and it's the only ammo I've ever shot. Still using rounds from the same lot.
About 3 weeks ago I fired my first shot of the day and everything seemed normal, lots of noise and lots of Oooo's and Ahhhh's from the crowd.
The problem came when I tried to eject the empty case, the bolt rotated up as normal but WOULD NOT come back when pulled. I really pulled hard but no luck.
I even gently tapped the bolt handle with a rubber mallet and still no luck.
The only way that I could get the bolt to move back and eject the empty case was to run a long rod ( that I always carry to the range ) down the bore and gently tap the brass out that way. When I say gently, I really mean gently, all I had to do was barely give the brass a tap and it popped right out.
My first thought was that maybe the case had split around the neck but upon inspection, the brass looked good.
My next thought was maybe the chamber had gotten dirty ( don't know how, I keep my guns clean and oiled ) so I gave it an extra good scrubbin and waited till my next outing.
One week later on the next outing, the EXACT same thing... stuck brass after the shot, bolt won't come back but easily taps out from the front with a rod.
I inspected the bolt for any damage or burrs or anything out of the norm but it looks good.
Looking up inside the chamber with a light looks good and clean.
Not really sure where to go from here. The only thing that I can add is that when I chamber a round, you really have to push down hard on the bolt to get it to lock up making me think that possibly the headspace might be a little tight for this South African ammo and it's causing the brass to deform and get stuck.
The problem with that theory though is that the first 100 rounds from the same lot has worked great.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I live in S.C. so it'll probably be cheaper to drive it over to Tennessee than to ship it if I have to.
Thanks in advance
UPDATE....
Tried new ammo and still no change, bolt still sticking.
Cleaned it with WDW-40, Hopps and CLP...... Still no change.
Until I tried Carburetor cleaner that someone here recommended. Even though the chamber looked clean with a light, the Carb cleaner loosened up a big flake of carbon or some type of crud that I couldn't see.
Took it out today and shot 5 rounds with no extraction problems at all.
Thanks guys, I'm a happy camper
Got a problem I need some trouble shooting from the pros with.
I've had my Barrett model 99 for almost exactly a year now and absolutely love it, it's never given me any type of trouble or weirdness whatsoever... until about 3 weeks ago.
First, I've shot a little over 100 rounds from the same case of SA Battlepacks and it's the only ammo I've ever shot. Still using rounds from the same lot.
About 3 weeks ago I fired my first shot of the day and everything seemed normal, lots of noise and lots of Oooo's and Ahhhh's from the crowd.
The problem came when I tried to eject the empty case, the bolt rotated up as normal but WOULD NOT come back when pulled. I really pulled hard but no luck.
I even gently tapped the bolt handle with a rubber mallet and still no luck.
The only way that I could get the bolt to move back and eject the empty case was to run a long rod ( that I always carry to the range ) down the bore and gently tap the brass out that way. When I say gently, I really mean gently, all I had to do was barely give the brass a tap and it popped right out.
My first thought was that maybe the case had split around the neck but upon inspection, the brass looked good.
My next thought was maybe the chamber had gotten dirty ( don't know how, I keep my guns clean and oiled ) so I gave it an extra good scrubbin and waited till my next outing.
One week later on the next outing, the EXACT same thing... stuck brass after the shot, bolt won't come back but easily taps out from the front with a rod.
I inspected the bolt for any damage or burrs or anything out of the norm but it looks good.
Looking up inside the chamber with a light looks good and clean.
Not really sure where to go from here. The only thing that I can add is that when I chamber a round, you really have to push down hard on the bolt to get it to lock up making me think that possibly the headspace might be a little tight for this South African ammo and it's causing the brass to deform and get stuck.
The problem with that theory though is that the first 100 rounds from the same lot has worked great.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I live in S.C. so it'll probably be cheaper to drive it over to Tennessee than to ship it if I have to.
Thanks in advance
UPDATE....
Tried new ammo and still no change, bolt still sticking.
Cleaned it with WDW-40, Hopps and CLP...... Still no change.
Until I tried Carburetor cleaner that someone here recommended. Even though the chamber looked clean with a light, the Carb cleaner loosened up a big flake of carbon or some type of crud that I couldn't see.
Took it out today and shot 5 rounds with no extraction problems at all.
Thanks guys, I'm a happy camper
11/27/2011 10:29:01 PM
Sounds like out of spec ammo....I would imagine the QC done on mass produced surplus ammo from South Africa is not the greatest.
The bolt should not be difficult to close on a in spec live round.
The bolt should not be difficult to close on a in spec live round.
11/27/2011 10:34:22 PM
Yeah, I was thinking that trying different ammo would be a simple first thing to try, just got to order some first. I sure will be bummed if that turns out to be the problem because I have a pretty good bit left to use up 
But.... it will definitely save me a trip to Tennessee
But.... it will definitely save me a trip to Tennessee 11/28/2011 8:29:10 AM
It could be hot ammo.
Buy yourself a 7/16" hardwood dowel at the hardware store.
Put a 45ACP brass on each end as a "cap". (That keeps it from splitting as you hammer on it
)
If the bolt sticks, slide it down the bore and give it a small tap and the bolt will come right back with little effort!
(the same bolt that would need a mallet on the bolt handle!)
Keep the rod under the foam in your gun case (will that work with the 99 case?)
The problem could also be a dirty/sticky chamber.
Hit that sucker with some carburator cleaner and a brush and see if the problem goes away...
Buy yourself a 7/16" hardwood dowel at the hardware store.
Put a 45ACP brass on each end as a "cap". (That keeps it from splitting as you hammer on it
)
If the bolt sticks, slide it down the bore and give it a small tap and the bolt will come right back with little effort!
(the same bolt that would need a mallet on the bolt handle!)
Keep the rod under the foam in your gun case (will that work with the 99 case?)
The problem could also be a dirty/sticky chamber.
Hit that sucker with some carburator cleaner and a brush and see if the problem goes away...
11/28/2011 10:23:52 AM
Originally Posted By PugglePod9000:
It could be hot ammo.
Buy yourself a 7/16" hardwood dowel at the hardware store.
Put a 45ACP brass on each end as a "cap". (That keeps it from splitting as you hammer on it )
If the bolt sticks, slide it down the bore and give it a small tap and the bolt will come right back with little effort!
(the same bolt that would need a mallet on the bolt handle!)
Keep the rod under the foam in your gun case (will that work with the 99 case?)
The problem could also be a dirty/sticky chamber.
Hit that sucker with some carburator cleaner and a brush and see if the problem goes away...
It could be hot ammo.
Buy yourself a 7/16" hardwood dowel at the hardware store.
Put a 45ACP brass on each end as a "cap". (That keeps it from splitting as you hammer on it
)
If the bolt sticks, slide it down the bore and give it a small tap and the bolt will come right back with little effort!
(the same bolt that would need a mallet on the bolt handle!)
Keep the rod under the foam in your gun case (will that work with the 99 case?)
The problem could also be a dirty/sticky chamber.
Hit that sucker with some carburator cleaner and a brush and see if the problem goes away...
Sounds like a hot round or an out of spec case/too long COAL due to it being hard to chamber a live round. I would measure each cartridge and pull the projos on the out of spec ones, then full length resize and reload.
11/28/2011 10:28:12 AM
Take the ammo that you have and run it through your rifle, keep the ones that load w/o any trouble in one pile and the ones that are hard to chamber in another. Go to the range and fire the good ones and see if they work w/o any problems. If they function fine then you know it's the ammo, if they get stuck then you might be going on a road trip to Barrett.
Also, if there's any grime on the cases wipe it off before starting this. Alot of surplus stuff has left over residue from being lubed, punched, annealed, lubed, sized and then loaded and they don't wipe it off. That black soot and wax on the outside of the case can also be another reason for the case sticking in the chamber.
Also, if there's any grime on the cases wipe it off before starting this. Alot of surplus stuff has left over residue from being lubed, punched, annealed, lubed, sized and then loaded and they don't wipe it off. That black soot and wax on the outside of the case can also be another reason for the case sticking in the chamber.
11/28/2011 10:31:37 AM
Does the M99 have a cam primary extraction like most bolt guns? (breaks the case loose when the bolt handle is lifted)
11/28/2011 12:45:30 PM
Call Don or Bill at Barrett and see if you can send a single round to them to have it headspace checked. We made a gauge years ago from a chamber and it measures ammo at the go/minimun and field/reject headspace limits.
11/28/2011 8:24:50 PM
Sure sounds like something I had problems with. I reload and try to minimize the shoulder set back. I think I had a few rounds that I did not set the should back quit far enough and was just a bit tight when I closed the bolt (had to get the bolt handle a slap to get it to close). After firing the round and lifting the bolt. I also could not get the bolt to retract. I was able to tap the bolt handle with a nylon bore guide a few times and the bolt would retract.
I suspect that the above gents are giving good info about the brass cases not being formed correctly and are just a bit long between the head and shoulder. But the suggestion to sort the rounds with those that the bolt closes on easy and the ones that would require force to close. And if possible, remove your firing pin while doing this. And have the muzzle in a safe direction. Hate to hear you had a AD while checking these live rounds.
Oh and by the way, how do the primers look? Although I am putting my money on the case length.
I suspect that the above gents are giving good info about the brass cases not being formed correctly and are just a bit long between the head and shoulder. But the suggestion to sort the rounds with those that the bolt closes on easy and the ones that would require force to close. And if possible, remove your firing pin while doing this. And have the muzzle in a safe direction. Hate to hear you had a AD while checking these live rounds.
Oh and by the way, how do the primers look? Although I am putting my money on the case length.
11/28/2011 10:05:26 PM
Originally Posted By RDTCU:
Does the M99 have a cam primary extraction like most bolt guns? (breaks the case loose when the bolt handle is lifted)
Does the M99 have a cam primary extraction like most bolt guns? (breaks the case loose when the bolt handle is lifted)
Yes, the 99 has primary extraction.
11/29/2011 7:10:22 PM
Thanks guys for all of the tips and info, you've given me a lot of good ideas to try.
Sounds like the consensus is the ammo so I went ahead and ordered some AP Argentinian for Graf and Sons.
I'll wait to I'm at the range before I cycle any live ammo through it, an AD in the house would probably make the wife unit mad.
I'll keep ya posted on my results.
Sounds like the consensus is the ammo so I went ahead and ordered some AP Argentinian for Graf and Sons.
I'll wait to I'm at the range before I cycle any live ammo through it, an AD in the house would probably make the wife unit mad.
I'll keep ya posted on my results.
12/31/2011 6:06:08 PM
Bump with update.
12/31/2011 6:48:55 PM
Do any of your new fired cases have any "frosting" ? The fired case should be fairly clean looking, but does it have any areas that look like frost? Whatever was stuck in the chamber may have burnished the chamber wall so it isn't as smooth as the rest of it.
12/31/2011 8:01:25 PM
I'll have to look through the brass that I brought home from the range to day and check.
Thanks
Thanks
