loading problem

[tim21]

I am new to the subject of bolt action rifle, so please bear with me. I've been having loading problem on my Remington 700 PSS. I never had this problem before until the seventh time I've taken it out to shooting; and I clean my rifle after each day of shooting.

With the bolt handle all the way back, I put the cartridge in the chamber (the ammo I am using is the 308 South African from http://www.ammoman.com). After I slide the bolt handle forward, I would push the bolt handle down to lock the cartridge into the chamber, and this "pushing down" process has gotten really difficult. I have to push really hard in order to lock the cartridge in place. Once it's locked, I can shoot with no problem, and the rifle ejects the shell afterward with no problem either. I also notice that a very tiny bit of the rim on the shell is chipped away after each loading.

I haven't tried other ammo yet. Any comment is appreciated. Thanks.

Tim

 

[Tshoes]

Possible headspace problem

Tim, try another brand of ammo...if you have the same problem, it's your rifle, if not lose the S A ammo......
There is some S A machine gun stuff out right now..that is way over pressure........
problem is, there's no way to tell what/which lot it is.

 

[Jeff, CA]

You may be getting a buildup of brass shavings, cleaning patch lint, or some other crap in one or two places: in the locking lug recesses or under/behind the extractor.

Stick the tip of each little finger through the loading port and forward into the locking lug recesses and feel all the way around. If your fingers aren't too big, you should be able to reach all the way to the inside wall of the receiver.

Check under the extractor for brass shavings. If the extractor is shaving off a chip of brass each time, it's likely because it can't snap over the rim due to its being obstructed.