Bolt Difficulty after Firing!

[Bitis Arietans]

Good Day All...
Got the Hornady Headspace Comparative Tool and I'm measuring the fire-formed cases (7 MM Rem Mag)
Modified (lapped) a shell holder to get enough shoulder bump (.003")

Cartridges chamber perfectly. BUT...
After firing the bolt "sticks"; it requires quite a bit of force to "crack open". Once opened however, the spent cartridge chambers fine.

Why is it so tight? I don't think its bullet seating...measuring .040" off lands.
I never had this problem before.

Please, any thoughts will be appreciated.

 

[gohring3006]

Try different brass.
I had this problem with a savage 7mag.
Hornady and Remington brass was hard to extract. Win brass was not.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Just a thought but could your cases be too long and causing a pressure spike?

 

[Dosh]

Bolt lugs lubed or galled?

 

[Rich Coyle]

I've been firing a .270 Win with Winchester brass. There were some R P brass so I used three of them to foul the bore after cleaning. All three RP were sticky bolt lift and all three had a bright spot on the head from the ejector plunger.

For me it is very simple. The load was too much for the R P brass. If you want to use that brass, back off on the load.

 

[Broz]

What is the action?

 

[Bitis Arietans]

Thanks so far...

It's a bolt action 7mm Rem Mag. Made by/Imported by Smith and Wesson

So....It sounds like a brass issue not a loading issue
I measured the fired cartridges and they are all between 2.490 and 2.495"

 

[velvetant]

What's your load?
sounds like an over pressure issue.
I would back down your load.

 

[Bitis Arietans]

Load...
Barnes 150 gr. TTSX
IMR 4831 - 58 gr.
Primer - CCI Magnum LR

What do you think?
It's sort of hard to explain...after firing, the bolt is sort of stuck, once you "break it loose" you can immediately re-chamber the empty cartridge with no difficulty

 

[Broz]

Thanks so far...

It's a bolt action 7mm Rem Mag. Made by/Imported by Smith and Wesson

So....It sounds like a brass issue not a loading issue
I measured the fired cartridges and they are all between 2.490 and 2.495"

First determine for sure it is not over pressure. (I suggest dropping a few 3 to 5 gr to test this)

I have seen this before in an instance where it was not over pressure. It was not a lug galling or lube issue either. The fix was installing a new bolt.


Jeff

 

[Edd]

Is it easy to open the bolt if you dry fire it?

 

[Bitis Arietans]

I tried dry firing a snapcap...and YES the bolt IS difficult to open
It's not my rifle, been working up a load for it for the past several weeks

What could it be??

I don't know it it always did that? Could I have done something to it to make the bolt difficult to open, by hand loading for it??

 

[Radhimself]

Well, im runnin 67grns of H4831SC under 162 AMAX's & 168LRX's

LRX's are runnin at 2980fps


I doubt its a load issue, although im runnin both loads @ .10 off the lands in my remmy, OAL is around 3.43

 

[okie man]

hodgdon lists 60.4 grains as a starting load for that combo!