R700P Bolt

M

MTT TL

New member
I have about 200 rounds through my R700P in .308 and unhappy with the smoothness of the bolt action. When locking a round into the chamber it requires quite a lot of force to get it in to the chamber. More so than any of my other bolt action guns.

When unlocking and ejecting, the bolt does not unlock completely with a single smooth motion. Instead it stops about a quarter inch prior to unlock then requires quite a bit of extra force to complete the unlock. Again none of my other bolt guns are quite like this.

1. Is this normal for this gun?
2. I'd like to smooth it out, what is the best way to do this to this gun?
 
Factory ammo or handloads?

Sounds like 2 things possibly going on. Both deal with handloads.
1) hard to chamber sounds like cases need trimmed.
2) that hard to open sounds like over pressure.

If factory ammo only, then call manufacturer customer service.
 
Is there shiny drag marks on the back face of the casings ? If your running quality factory ammo this might indicate a tight headspace issue. Could also be some debris in the chamber. Try a good brush clean.
 
As std7mag asked; "Factory ammo or handloads?" That's your first question for your best answers on this thread (IMO).
 
If the bolt is working normal without a round in a chamber I would give the rifle a good cleaning . Are you neck sizing , when was the last time you stripped the bolt down , cleaned & lubed. It sounds to me though your could be loading hot with zero case headspace. A friend of mine had a Rem 700 I think it was a M24 had a tight chamber , would clean the chamber every 5 rounds but was a tack driver.

I shoot a Rem 700 , I F/L size with .001 - .002 no more or less with no bolt issues . The rifle is used for benchrest shooting only , I even removed the ejector plunger spring changed the spring with spring from a bic lighter the plunger head is even with the bolt face .the case when the bolt is pulled back just lays on the follower . I load one at a time , I don't have to chase my cases .
 
The holes for the scope mounts go all the way through the receiver. The rear receiver bridge is lower, requiring a thicker base than the front base. Some mounts come with 2 short screws for use on the front receiver bridge, and longer screws for the rear. It is possible to make them work reversed, but if the front screws are too long they protrude into the receiver and drag against the bolt when closing it. Sometimes they won't allow the bolt to close at all.

Sometimes even though the screws are in the right place they are slightly too long and need to be filed or ground down a little.

This isn't an uncommon problem with 700's. I'd check this 1st. Especially if it is difficult to open and close even without a round in the rifle.
 
So far I have only shot factory ammo in a mix of Remington, Winchester and Nosler. It did occur to me that yesterday I was shooting CBC 7.62X51 and not .308. This makes me wonder if it was pushing out a little bit and making it sticky.

I know it is not the scope mount screws as it cycles nice and smooth without a round.

I am going to give it a good cleaning and then later in the week see if I can precept a noticeable difference between .308 and 7.62X51 in cycling. Both are extremely accurate.
 
Jammed extractor or ejector

In the day we would run into similar problems closing Remington bolts. The problem was a jammed up ejector. A stiff extractor could cause difficulty closing the bolt. I'd start by changing brand of cartridges as other posters have suggested. Also, the bolt should be cleaned thoroughly. Start simple and go to the most complex solution on any firearm.
 
Well, i think you answered your own question.

Much like shooting 5.56X45 Nato in a 223 Rem chamber there are some differences between 308 Win and 7.62X51 Nato.

From my reading on it the 7.62 actually uses magnum primers and pressures are known to run upwards of 65,000 psi.
In a tightish chamber this can definitely cause extraction issue.

Also Nato stuff is reported to have thicker walls on the casings. So it may have some interference in the neck area of your chamber.

Bottom line. Shoot 308 Win and it should "fix" your problem.
 
NATO rounds , Your 700P was the same rifle I started out with , mine was a 700LTR also in 308 , I changed the HS Precision LTR stosk to the full size HS 700P stock . Only shoot 308 not 7.62. Like others mentioned you answered your own problem. It's a great rifle when feed properly. Every benchrest rifle barrel has a certain amount of barrel life , make every round count.

If your only going to use it for benchrest , change the trigger an see how small your groups get . Pounds to ounces makes a big difference , Benchrest Only.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top