bolt hard to open.

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Posted: 9/18/2014 9:08:28 PM EDT

I was out with mt 50 using my reloads everything was great, I switched to a mil /commercial rouhds first was a tracer. I went to open the bolt and extract the fired case. The bolt moved up just fine but I couldnt pull it back, let it sit a minute then had to use the palm of my hand to give some good wacks to get it out. Thecsecond shot was a api round. Same thing bolt moved up and down but could not move it back tried for a while tith my hand but wouldnt move. I looked around for a mallet no one had one sothat wqs tgeendof the range day with my 50.when I got tomy truck I saw my tomahawk in the backand used the plastic handle to give a few good taps and the bold went back and the case came right out.
Is this normal with the mil / commercial rounds in a bolt action rifle? Or is something amiss here?

Posted: 9/19/2014 12:35:11 AM EDT

[#1]

What gun? My AR50 has some rounds that stick.

Posted: 9/19/2014 10:22:09 PM EDT

[#2]

Tell us more about the Ammo. Was it original loads? What was the year stamped on the brass if original loads. Compared to your hand loads, what did the recoil feel like? Some pictures of the primers both your hand loads and the other rounds.

Actually a bolt is usually more stout than an semi-automatic or an automatic action. Sounds like hot loads. But could also be that the chamber was roughly milled. What does the side walls look like between your hand load and the mil surp / commercial.

Posted: 9/19/2014 11:07:47 PM EDT

[#3]

I think they are reloads. The primers didn't look any different then my reloads.

I can not compare the recoil from mine or the store bought ones.
My reloads are on the mild side. One loading was 90 something GRS of trail boss and the others are 200 GRS of h50bmg so mine are considerable softer however the two store reloads didn't same that much harder of a kick.

I bought the store reload from united nations ammo company..

Posted: 9/19/2014 11:23:02 PM EDT

[#4]

The fired shells all got mixed together so last night I took the fired cases and put each one in the chamber. I did find one that went in easy but had to be tapped back out. I resized and trimmed all the cades and tried them in the chamer, all where easy to extract only two of the cases had any real trimmings come off the mouth. Most only hagd the cutter head just touch the mouth of the case and others didn't need any trimming. I have some other store bought reloads from local store and will try them to see how they compare.

Posted: 9/20/2014 10:06:23 PM EDT

[#5]

Ok, to be sure. I asked about how do the fired cases primers look? Where any of them flattend or even show a raised crater? And I asked how did the fired cases look. Specifically are there any ring like makes on the body of the case, like from a rough reamed chamber.

Posted: 9/21/2014 7:14:27 AM EDT

[#6]

The primers looked like the rest didn't see any marks on the case.

Posted: 9/21/2014 1:56:20 PM EDT

[#7]

by the way what gun/upper are you shooting ?

Posted: 9/21/2014 2:16:57 PM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:
The fired shells all got mixed together so last night I took the fired cases and put each one in the chamber. I did find one that went in easy but had to be tapped back out. I resized and trimmed all the cases and tried them in the chamber, all where easy to extract only two of the cases had any real trimmings come off the mouth. Most only hagd the cutter head just touch the mouth of the case and others didn't need any trimming. I have some other store bought reloads from local store and will try them to see how they compare.

View Quote

Your conversion's chamber is probably just a little shorter/tighter than the typical mil-spec.
My early Serbu (Lothar/Walther barrel) is like that, and will be hard to extract at times with 'factory' ammo. No pressure issues, just that the brass gets a few thousandths longer when fired and gets 'jammed' into the chamber when the case mouth expands into the end of the chamber lip where the throat begins. Most mil-spec cases are crimped into the cannelure of the bullet, and that extra bit can make the case longer when fired, even when pressures aren't stretching the case body much.

I've found that trimming my brass to 3.89" for that rifle will keep extraction easy no matter what the load.

Posted: 9/21/2014 3:57:15 PM EDT

[#9]

I am using the Lee trimming system. I really like the system as every case will be the same size. I wonder if I chuck the base in a drill and use a wet stone to remove a little from the case mouth will work to keep the case from getting jambed in the chamber.
I have 98 more of these tounds that I need to find a way to use. I also have 50 of ball ammo that I am not sure about yet.

Only thing I know for sure is my loads with 200 GRS of h50bmg easy to extract and I didn't see any signs of over pressure on the fired cases And the fired cases would get stuck in the chamber until resized and trimmed

Posted: 9/21/2014 8:19:54 PM EDT

[#10]

ok the curiosity is killing me, what are you shooting ?

Posted: 9/21/2014 10:42:30 PM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:
ok the curiosity is killing me, what are you shooting ?

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I asked that on the first post and no answer.

Posted: 9/22/2014 1:23:48 AM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

Quoted:
ok the curiosity is killing me, what are you shooting ?

View Quote

From his other posts... a Zel custom AR conversion...

Posted: 9/22/2014 3:15:34 PM EDT

[#13]

Sorry I thought I mentioned it

It is a 32" ultralight barrel T1 upper from Zel custom.

Posted: 9/22/2014 7:59:46 PM EDT

[#14]

Hmmm, second time this week I am hearing someone having trouble with a Zel upper. Very interesting.

Posted: 9/22/2014 10:13:08 PM EDT

[#15]

Quote History

Quoted:
Hmmm, second time this week I am hearing someone having trouble with a Zel upper. Very interesting.

View Quote

No issue with my zel. It is issue with the ammo. My reloads work great.

Posted: 9/26/2014 5:41:38 PM EDT

[#16]

little up date. today I went out with a FMJ round bought local, and a APT that I got from http://unammo.com/
I fired the FMJ round and the bolt opened just fine, then when I fired the API round and the bolt wouldnt go back. I had to use a dow rod down the barrel and tap the bolt open.

The issue is with the ammo and not the rifle

I did look at the two cases and they both look the same.

Posted: 9/27/2014 1:05:12 AM EDT

[#17]

I have that same API ammo, and it sticks my M99 bolt closed too.

Posted: 9/28/2014 4:07:21 PM EDT

[#18]

The best thing I've found for folks that shoot something that is hard to extract is a 1/4 in steel rod with a brass tip that is usually in those freeze proof faucets you find on farms. Of course it does not have to be that but we are always replacing those faucets and I give them to all my friends with 50 BMG rifles. All you do is open the bolt and tap the brass while in the chamber from the muzzle end. The brass tip protects the barrel and it's not hard on extractors or bolts. With no SAAMI specs for the 50 BMG I think the chamber tend to be a bit short on a lot of guns. I never have a problem with my reloads running around 2700 FPS.

Posted: 9/28/2014 4:39:59 PM EDT

[#19]

I have a 1/2" dowel rod that fits snug in the barrel so it won't flex much. I bought a rubber mallet from the $ store. I have used this now on a case in the field and it worked just fine. There is no chance the wood will harm the barrel and no room to flex little chance of it snapping in half.

Posted: 10/27/2014 12:38:59 PM EDT

[#20]

Little update. Last night I got my make shift bullet puller and pulled an apr round. The case fell on the floor spilling powder so I couldnt get a powder weight. So not knowing the information about the primer I decided to shove some Styrofoam in the case mouth and fire it. After I fired the primrt powered foam bullet ( no powder) the bolt handle turned up normal but the case was some what stuck I had to use my hand to smack the bolt open. Every other round I fired the bokt opens easy. But this was hard with just primer. The unfired case ooens and close normal, only issue is after firing. I resized the case and trimmed it, it did not need to be trimmed any the lee trimmer just made the faintest cuts on the case mouth. Now the case works like it should. Any idea why a primer fired case would get stuck and no other rounds do?

Posted: 10/27/2014 1:05:26 PM EDT

[#21]

I just pulled a second round and saved the powder it was 220.2 grs of a ball powder. I reloaded it with my own peimer and reused everything else after resizing the case. Now have to wait til I can get to the range to test it

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