.303 no4mk1 bolt won't close
- Thread starter Bgmack
- Start date
'I have a factory gage I use to check for receiver alignment'
Show and do tell??
Show and do tell??
This is what I suspect as well
- Location
- Western Manitoba
See Ganderite's last post above (#24). Remove the bolt and shine flashlight into receiver - first, is the notch in the rear of barrel lined up? Any thing in there that would stop the extractor from moving fully forward?
Hey guys, so if I remove the spring from the extractor but keep the extractor installed it seems to cycle fine provided the extractor is sort of lined up properly to seat Into the groove. So basically I've narrowed it down to the extractor spring but not sure why the issue. Just ordered a rifle service pack from Wolff gunsprings for this .303 I'm working on and a rifle service pack for my no3 mk1 as well. I'll be post once I get the new spring installed probably in a weekend and let you know how I make out. Thanks again.
I remembered your post. So I had to come back with an incident that happened this morning. My Binlaw came over with a No4 MKI* Savage that had been cut back quite nicely to a sporter. It was drilled and tapped for a side mount for a scope and an after market Walnut stock with a high Monte Carlo comb had been added. It was very well done at first glance. The barrel had been shortened to 22 inches and no sights had been added. All of the visible metal had been polished and tank blued to a shiny luster.
The bolt wouldn't close on this rifle either. It was put together properly and had been inserted properly and it just wouldn't close. After a quick look down the bore, it just looked strange. Then it became obvious. I hadn't noticed right away because the scope covered it. The barrel wasn't indexed properly. Go figure. All that great gunsmithing to turn this rifle into a lovely sporter and didn't get the indexing correct.
To be honest, the barrel had to be removed from the receiver, measurements taken, then chucked up in the lathe to cut back the shoulder a couple of thousandths of an inch so it would index properly and the extractor could enter the cut out. The set back was so slight the chamber didn't have to be recut as well. It may even turn out to be quite accurate with the slightly tighter headspace but I won't hold my breath. I gave him a couple of shims to slip between the barrel and fore end tip just in case.
Thanks Bearhunter.
A few years back I had a 7.62 DCRA rifle. I acquired a Long Branch 7.62 extractor for it....
The thing just would not close up with that extractor on the bolt. It was hitting the edge of the barrel extractor cut. I asked around, who can sort this out?
Nobody was the answer. No-one had a clue.
I ended up putting a .303 extractor back on to it, which worked smoothly.
Your BIL was lucky he brought it to you.
BTW, there was an interesting article by Peter Laidler about how to fix a loose or out of index Enfield barrel, I read recently.
The Brit REME guys used FN L1A1 barrel shims. They would cut the barrel back by just the right amount so that the shim gave them the exact correct breeching up angle. Done right with one of those hard FN shims, that was a forever repair.
By doing it that way, no need to recut the chamber etc.
A few years back I had a 7.62 DCRA rifle. I acquired a Long Branch 7.62 extractor for it....
The thing just would not close up with that extractor on the bolt. It was hitting the edge of the barrel extractor cut. I asked around, who can sort this out?
Nobody was the answer. No-one had a clue.
I ended up putting a .303 extractor back on to it, which worked smoothly.
Your BIL was lucky he brought it to you.
BTW, there was an interesting article by Peter Laidler about how to fix a loose or out of index Enfield barrel, I read recently.
The Brit REME guys used FN L1A1 barrel shims. They would cut the barrel back by just the right amount so that the shim gave them the exact correct breeching up angle. Done right with one of those hard FN shims, that was a forever repair.
By doing it that way, no need to recut the chamber etc.
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The barrel in this case wasn't loose. In fact I had a heck of a time getting it off. Whoever turned it in knew when enough torque was enough.
Recently I posted a thread about Buyer Beware over a No4T Clone I had purchased. The fellow that put it together obviously had no concerns about over torquing to achieve proper indexing. It had been torqued up so much the receiver face was "belled" and the barrel was cocked to one side.
Using shims works quite well actually. I have done it with No1 MkIII barrels which come up in the white occasionally. Usually I cut back the shoulder about .100 in. and turn out a shim slightly larger. The shims need to fit tightly onto the tenon or they have a tendency to slightly bulge as they are torqued int index position. The shims I've done have a bore diameter larger than the tenon and the set back area has a larger diameter than the tenon so I can cool the barrel in the freezer, boil the shim and slip it on. When temps are equalized it's as good as new. If I do my part right the mating edges are invisible.
I'm curios, why didn't you just file the extractor cut wider/deeper to accept the 7.62 sized extractor??
Should have.
Well on their website it shows the extractor spring for purchase, and in their rifle service pack it shows it comes with a new extractor spring and a new striker spring. There is no brass stuck there like mentioned before, and it cycles fine with the extractor removed. Almost looks like a gouge in the chamber from the extractor? Can anyone give me am easy idea on how to upload a picture? Cleaned the chamber a bit tonight, still doesn't cycle properly after a cleaning, but I have a picture of the cleaned chamber I took.
I'm to lazy to go back and read all the replies. Are you feeding the cartridge from the magazine or single feeding it from the top of the follower and trying to close the bolt on it???? If the extractor is inserting properly into the slot there is a chance it may be an extractor from a C No7, 22 rimfire.
