Issues loading brand new rem 700 sps tactical 308

[JimFromTN]

I just bought a brand new rem sps tactical and tried to shoot it today. I had a carbon fiber stock and a timney adjustable trigger so I swapped them out before taking it out for the first time. Some of the rounds would not load at all, some loaded fine, and some it would not load at first and I would pull back the bolt a little and bump if forward and the bolt would close.

When I had one that would not close, I could tilt the rifle up and the bullet would slip right out. It was not getting stuck in the chamber and there were no marks on the brass. To be on the safe side I threw a go guage in it and it almost seemed to do the same thing but then I bumped move it around and it went in. At that point, I retried at least 20 times and it went smoothly like it was supposed to every single time.

I tried 4 different types and ammo and they all did it including some federal premium match sierra game kings.

Any ideas? Any suggestions as to what to check next? I really don't want to send it back to remington and I bought it online through Bud's gun shop so I can't take it back to the dealer and tell him to give me a new one.

 

[Pastor Gun.zales]

hmmmm... what grain bullet were you using? In my 700 AAC-SD I have to trim my brass to min, and then load. I primarily use 168gr A-MAX and Nosler Custom Competitions.

I have had some rounds made the bolt almost impossible to close, but after I trimmed the brass I haven't had an issue.

My son has a 700 tactical, but he has only ever fired my loads through it, and all of those were pre-trimmed.

 

[K.E.C. Darkside]

Did you clean Everything before you started shooting. New rifles are the dirtiest guns you will encounter.
Clean the barrel Very well.

 

[victor3ranger]

that and make sure that the follower is sitting correctly in the magwell

 

[dustbag]

Could it be the extractor? I had a issue like that with a defiance action. Extractor needed a little work then cycled as it should.

 

[MagnumManiac]

I'm thinking 2 things, the extractor is faulty or there is a burr somewhere halting the rounds going forward. Once passed, all goes smoothly. This burr could also be in the plunger hole for the ejector, on the bolt face or in the chamber.
I would have the rifle thoroughly inspected.

Cheers.

 

[Orange Dust]

I've seen this a couple of times. The rivet holding the extractor is not ground down flush. Easy fix with a Drexel. Just take the bolt out and look T it. The rivet will not be ground down and is causing the issue. Put a 1/4" cylindrical stone in a Drexel and grind it just a little. That will fix the issue. Don't grind the bolt. Just a touch on the rivet

 

[marshalldodge]

I would start with cleaning, like others have suggested.

I've seen this a couple of times. The rivet holding the extractor is not ground down flush. Easy fix with a Drexel. Just take the bolt out and look T it. The rivet will not be ground down and is causing the issue. Put a 1/4" cylindrical stone in a Drexel and grind it just a little. That will fix the issue. Don't grind the bolt. Just a touch on the rivet

While it could be an extractor issue, I don't believe Remington has used rivets on their extractors for a long time.

Also, check the ejector plunger to make sure it is moving freely.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

A few threads from a cleaning patch, stuck in just the wrong place, can cause chambering issues. I'd re-clean the bore/chamber and make certain NOTHING is left behind.

 

[ShtrRdy]

I would return it to it's factory configuration and start from there.

 

[marshalldodge]

I would return it to it's factory configuration and start from there.

That's another good point. Check the front action screw to make sure it isn't making contact with the bolt lugs. You have to be careful when swapping stocks on an R700, if the front bolt is too long, it will extend into the bolt raceway and interfere with the bolt.

 

[JimFromTN]

That's another good point. Check the front action screw to make sure it isn't making contact with the bolt lugs. You have to be careful when swapping stocks on an R700, if the front bolt is too long, it will extend into the bolt raceway and interfere with the bolt.

I thought that too but usually the bolt won't close if the screw is too long. That being said, I did take the stock off and it made no difference.

 

[JimFromTN]

I believe the issue is the bolt. You can't see it very well but there are scratches on the inner edges of the bolt head. I did notice the ejector is harder to push in than on my other 700s. I can push the ejector in with my finger on my other 700s. This one I have to get a screw driver to push it in. Seems like the issue is the ejector spring or possibly bolt face or the way the bolt is lining up in the chamber?

 

[JimFromTN]

I had another rem 700 in 308 laying around so I took the bolt out of the other 308 and put it in the sps tactical and the ammo loaded properly without jamming up. I noticed 2 differences in the bolts. The first is the ejector spring is allot more stiff in the new sps tactical. The other is that the ejector in the sps tactical is slightly bigger than the other bolt. Could the slightly bigger extractor be causing the issue or possibly a combination of both? If you notice on the above picture, one set of scratches on the inner edge of the bolt face is right next to the extractor and the other is right next to ejector.