Help: .257 a.i. won't fireof doing such work

[wildcat westerner]

Nothing , it has sat unfired for quite some time. In the last year some few cases have been fireformed, then I was given a large amount of brass that would not fit my tight chambered .244, so I necked this brass up to .25 and seated 300 plus cases with Bullets that fit into the ogive and forced the base of the case back tight against the face of the bolt. With only .034 protrusion of the firing pin from the bolt face, these cases still will not fire. The primers are not dented , even a little, which from the pure applied physics alone, makes no sense. I know of people who have shotout two factory 30-06 barrels on the same weapon and yet did not wear out the firing pin.

WW

 

[swat]

if you have not taken the firing pin apart, you may want to check the pin under the bolt shroud, may have shifted causing it to stop the forward motion of the firing pin when you fire.

 

[lancetkenyon]

New firing pin and Wolfe Blitzschnell spring. I had a .25-06AI that shot well for 10 years. Then, every 5th or 6th shot would FTF. Then, every 3rd. Replaced the firing pin w. TI pin and a Wolfe Blitzschnell spring, and bang. Literally. Been working well for the last 3 years again. Including after a switch from .25-06AI to .280AI now. Probably 700+ rounds since the swap.

 

[swat]

make's sense to me.

 

[Edd]

Will the rifle still fire a cartridge made from a fire formed case.

 

[MNbogboy]

No mark at all on the primer says two things it either has a mechanical malfunction or the firing pin is not reaching the primer.
Does the 700 dry fire normally with an audible click? If not the problem most likely falls within the rifle. If yes and the cocking effort is normal I would physically check next using a cleaning rod.
Install a 243 or 25 caliber flat face jag on a cleaning rod from the muzzle end carefully insert it all the way to the bolt face. Mark carefully it's position at the muzzle with tape. Do this both with firing pin cocked & uncocked. The .036 firing pin extrusion should be plainly visible between marked positions. If it doesn't show it's mechanical. If you use a PLASTIC jag you could actually dry fire on it with the barrel up and it should make the whole cleaning rod jump.

If the .036 shows up then it most likely is the ammo. If your cases are short and your neck tension is light then there is a possibility that your ejector or extractor is pushing the bullet into the case. Once the extractor snaps over the rim all the tolerance made is pushed away from the bolt face by the ejector.
Measure the loads before and after your FTF this may prove that the neck tension is too light. But there is the possibility that the "jammed" bullet actually will pull back out upon extraction.
If it proves that light neck tension is the issue another method which I preferred with my AIs is to created a false shoulder. A simple method in your 257 is to open the neck with a 6.5 button or mandrel then do a partial neck size with your 257 die. Only size the neck far enough that the bolt closed with good resistance.

 

[wildcat westerner]

There is a ton of practical information in these latest emails, which I truly appreciate. Somewhere in all this information an answer to this frustrating problems certainly lies. I shall try the jag method tomorrow. If the cases were not already loaded, then necked up and creating a false shoulder should have been done by me in the first place. I do feel embarrassed I had forgotten about this fireforming step even though I had used it in other rifles previously.

 

[lancetkenyon]

You can always use a kinetic bullet puller (the hammer type) and knock the bullets out some, then reseat the bullet to the CBTO where it is .010" jammed to the lands. That holds the cartridge up tight against the bolt face to ensure you have no loose case sitting in the chamber for the firing pin to make a light strike against.

 

[wildcat westerner]

Hello guys,
The problem was fixxed today by a new gunsmith. Bolt, firing pin disassembly. Complete and total interior cleanup with power. Careful reassembly and then four straight cartridges fired, two from formed cases and two which were fireformed.
Thanks so very much for all your insight. I don't know any of you, but you helped me get a rifle owned and used since 1974 functioning once again!

 

[swat]

That's great to here.

 

[JeffP40]

My guess is the cocking piece was not assembled correctly. If you leave it out a turn, it will not be readily apparent and will look fine but not fire.

 

[shortgrass]

My guess is the cocking piece was not assembled correctly. If you leave it out a turn, it will not be readily apparent and will look fine but not fire.

wildcat westerner stated in his first, opening post that the rifle is built on a Remington Bolt action, I would surmise a 700. The cocking piece is pinned on the firing pin on those! If the pin is thru the hole, the cocking piece is properly attached to the firing pin.

 

[wildcat westerner]

Guys,
The action was a 722 and the cause was a finite amount of debris inside the bolt body. I've taken enough bolt assemblies apart from Remingtons to know how to reassemble them and replace them properly. I did not have a device for checking the interior of the bolt body. I thought it was clean,it looked clean to me, by my eye, but I was wrong. Lesson learned-when done fireforming wildcats take your bolt apart and clean it!

 

[LoneTraveler]

A 722 Rem. They built the last of those in about 1963 early 64. The Firing pin spring has went weak and bad. I Had a 222 Rem. 722 Rem. It blew firing pin craters right out of the primers. Blew smoke and primer scrap through the bolt and action. Had bolt cleaned and Firing Pin Spring replaced, gun shoots well now.