Solved - Bolt Sticky Unrelated to Stocky's Stock.

[4ohSick]

This spring I bought a Stocky’s carbon hunter stock for my Remington 700 in 7mm Rem Mag. I put the stock on myself, haven’t bedded (yet) and used the factory magazine box and bottom metal. Rifle has a Timney elite Hunter trigger but is otherwise factory stock.

Went to the range today to confirm zero hadn’t shifted with the new stock before antelope opener this weekend and was having some inconsistent groups. Some of it may have been rust, but more concerning was a sticky bolt lift after every shot. Once lifted, it slides smoothly and it chambers rounds and cycles empty with no problems. Ammo is factory Federal Trophy Copper but I also ran a few factory Barnes rounds and had the same issue. I thought maybe the front action bolt was proud into the action but I’m fairly certain it isn’t. Bolt seems to have some wear marks but I can’t recall whether they were there before.



Any ideas? The trigger was installed before last season and I hunted it with no issues, so it seems the stock change was when this began, whether it’s the cause or not. I cleaned it with solvent to make sure there’s no oil in the action, but is there anything else I should check?

 

[Farmerj]

Put a couple small washers under your rear action screw.

Or just pull the bolt and look at where the action screws come through and see if it’s striking the bolt

 

[4ohSick]

Put a couple small washers under your rear action screw.

Or just pull the bolt and look at where the action screws come through and see if it’s striking the bolt

That’s how I can say almost certain, but not 100%. I pulled the bolt and with a flashlight can see enough to say like 98% sure the action screw isn’t coming through, but to be 100% I’d need to have a better angle or a bore scope to see for sure.

 

[p_ham]

With the rifle empty, cycle the bolt. If it's not sticky then it's not dragging a screw. Now hold the trigger down, close and lock the bolt. When you open the bolt is the lift sticky? If so, you need to lube the cocking cam on the rear of the bolt body. And it wouldn't hurt to lube the housing threads and bolt lugs also.

 

[pyrotechnic]

Is your bolt handle contacting the stock when closed?

 

[4ohSick]

With the rifle empty, cycle the bolt. If it's not sticky then it's not dragging a screw. Now hold the trigger down, close and lock the bolt. When you open the bolt is the lift sticky? If so, you need to lube the cocking cam on the rear of the bolt body. And it wouldn't hurt to lube the housing threads and bolt lugs also.

No bolt stickiness cycling the rifle empty, and doesn’t really seem to be sticky after the procedure you described. It’s only sticking after firing a live round. I’ll try lubing the bolt though.

 

[4ohSick]

Is your bolt handle contacting the stock when closed?

I disassembled and reassembled everything last night, so can't definitively say it wasn't yesterday, but it definitely isn't now and seems like it has plenty of clearance.

 

[Farmerj]

That’s how I can say almost certain, but not 100%. I pulled the bolt and with a flashlight can see enough to say like 98% sure the action screw isn’t coming through, but to be 100% I’d need to have a better angle or a bore scope to see for sure.

Loosen one and try it, then loosen the other.

Or put a couple sheets of aluminum foil between the stock and the action to make a temporary shim.

 

[brockel]

What does the brass look like?

 

[p_ham]

No bolt stickiness cycling the rifle empty, and doesn’t really seem to be sticky after the procedure you described. It’s only sticking after firing a live round. I’ll try lubing the bolt though.

Ok. I would check fired brass for pressure signs and for scratches that would indicate foreign debris or rough spots in the chamber.

 

[Fire_9]

Was there any solvent left in the chamber from cleaning?

 

[OntarioHunter]

I suspect the Timney trigger is getting jammed against the sear/bolt. You have a bedding issue.

Are you shooting factory ammo or reloads?

 

[4ohSick]

What does the brass look like?

Nickel-plated brass doesn’t show any scratching but the Barnes brass does. I thought we had something there, but the unfired rounds from that box have similar concentric marks. Two Barnes cases have that little mark right above the belt but can’t really see anything like that in the federal ones.

Not a reloader yet, so I’m not great at reading pressure signs, but I don’t see any ejector marks. Can’t really tell if the primers are flatter than they should be.

 

[4ohSick]

Was there any solvent left in the chamber from cleaning?

I don't think I cleaned it after last season, but it's possible I guess. I cleaned last night and made sure there wasn't any solvent in the chamber so I'll get to the range today to see if there's any improvement.

 

[Farmerj]

Try a different box of ammo.

Make sure it’s from a different lot too

 

[4ohSick]

I suspect the Timney trigger is getting jammed against the sear/bolt. You have a bedding issue.

Are you shooting factory ammo or reloads?

Factory ammo.

 

[4ohSick]

Try a different box of ammo

Fired rounds from two different boxes of Federal trophy copper and from a box of factory Barnes TTSX. I don't think it's a box with hot loads.

 

[Farmerj]

Well, put it back into the original stock and see if it’s still does it.

 

[brockel]

Sounds like a pressure issue to me. Highly doubt the stock is doing anything to cause a sticky bolt after a fired round. Try cleaning the chamber really good. Might have some gunk in there

 

[4ohSick]

Is your bolt handle contacting the stock when closed?

Looking at this again, the front (barrel-end) and back of the bolt handle do not contact the stock; however, the underside does sit flush against the stock. Could there be an issue where the bolt isn't quite rotating closed all the way but the rifle will still fire?