BL-22 help
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- Start date
this is what i've found:
i take no responsibility if you can't get it back together again:
Nevada Fitch
2001-03-18, 11:59 AM
I would like to take the bolt out of my Browning BL22 leveracton for cleaning.I don't have an owners manual.Does anyone know the proper method of doing this? OR is this something I shouldn't do? It looks like I would need to remove the big screw which goes through the middle of the reciever.
George Stringer
2001-03-19, 07:24 AM
Nevada, the BL-22 is sort of a take down rifle. Remove the inner mag tube and set the hammer at half ####. Take out the large screw and remove the sub-frame and stock rearward. Move it slowly and put your finger throur the ejection port to hold the ejector and spring as it will be released when the bolt clears it. Go ahead and take out the ejector and spring. Tip the bolt upward at the rear, move it to the front, lower the rear parallel again and lift it out. Assembly is in the reverse. George
Detailed Disassembly
As you continue stripping the rifle, figure out a method for identifying the various small springs you'll be removing so they don't get mixed up in reassembly.
Once again, don't be confused by the schematic. I've admitted that it's of a BL-22 instead of a BL-17. The reason: There were no schematics of the .17 when this was written, and none appeared in the owner's manual for the rifle. Already explained is that both rifles take down the same except for their tubular feed assemblies. Also note that you'll find two part numbers appearing here and there. Stay calm. They're only used because one of them applies to a Grade I and the other to a Grade II rifle. They have nothing to do with where the parts live or their function.
One example of this is the takedown screw (#62, 63). It backs out from the right side of the receiver (#49, 50). If the screw resists coming all the way out, gently tap the rear of the frame (#34) forward. Place the hammer at half-#### and open the action until the rear of the bolt aligns with the front of the hammer. This disengages the locking block (#38) from the receiver. The frame assembly can now be removed by pulling it straight to the rear. In this process, the ejector (#21) and ejector spring (#23) might fall out. If they don't, lift the ejector and its spring clear of the pin (#22). This pin is built into the receiver and should not be removed.
To separate the bolt (#01) from the frame, move it forward, lift it free, and slide the locking block out of the bolt assembly. The firing-pin retaining pin (#28) is drifted out using a 3/32-inch-diameter punch. This frees the firing pin (#27) and its spring (#29). When and if servicing of the extractor is required, the bolt coverplate (#04) has to be taken off by inserting a screwdriver in the locking-bolt slot and gently prying upward on the plate.
The extractor (#24), spring (#26), and plunger (#25) are accessed by inserting the blade of a small screwdriver under the extractor and prying it outward. The spring and plunger will want to fly out of the bolt body unless they're fouled in place. A plastic bag placed over the bolt as you work will prevent their loss.
Check the bolt-activating pin (#02) and the lower center edge of the bolt. Unless the edge is broken or worn, leave the pin alone. A damaged bolt should be replaced, and there are two kinds of bolts. A new-style bolt has a firing-pin slot measuring about .070 inch wide in its face. Old-style slots are about .100 inch wide. Since oldstyle bolts and firing pins are no longer available from Browning, both components must be replaced if either is damaged.
There is no interchangeability between the old and the new. This doesn't always result in your having to hunt down replacements in the aftermarket or to arm wrestle Browning for a new bolt. Sometimes, the thing messing with firing pin travel is merely a burr in the bolt face. This you can stone out and polish.
After a close look at the locking block for signs of wear, move on to the frame assembly. You're almost ready to drift out the carrier pin (#12) left to right with a 1/8-inch punch. On the schematic, you'll see an unnumbered part immediately to the rear of the carrier (#10). This part is identified as a carrier spacer (#13) on the parts list. It only shows up on older BL-22 rifles. Newer rifles in both calibers are equipped with a hammer block (a.k.a., "carrier spacer") which is not shown at all in the drawing. It's recommended, therefore, that you thoroughly memorize the relationships between the spacer, carrier, and carrier spring (#14) before removing them from the frame. After you have, and only then, drift out the carrier pin and carrierguide pin (#11). The same methodology should be followed if you encounter an older BL-22 equipped with a part #13.
For primary cocking lever and trigger disassembly (see Figures 1, 2, and 3), the hammer must be lowered fully to its fired position prior to drifting out the cocking-lever link pin (#20) left to right. Do the same with the cockinglever pin (#17), then take out the cocking-lever link (#19), mainspring (#43), and mainspring follower (#44).
[FIGURES 1,2 OMITTED]
Drift out the hammer pin (#37) and sear pin (#55) left to right. Leaving the hammer's mainspring guide (#45) attached, remove the hammer assembly (#36), sear (#51), and trigger/sear spring (#67). There's no real need to back out the lever-stop screw (#18) unless a replacement is called for.
Complete the cocking-lever disassembly as follows: Drift the trigger pin (#66) and sear-link pin (#53) left to right with your 3/32-inch punch. Remove the trigger assembly (#64, 65) followed by the sear link (#52) and sear-link spring (#54).
Everything's out of the frame now, and you're holding a gutted receiver. Still attached are the barrel, forearm, tubular feed elements, sights, muzzle clamp, and forearm band.
After drifting out the front sight right to left with a brass punch, back out the clamp screw (#48) and slide the muzzle clamp (#47) off the barrel. On a BL-17, this step is necessary before you can clear the upper, outer tube
from the rifle. On a BL-22, it gives you access to the lower, outer tube. The forearm (#30, 31) is retained on the rifle with the forearm band (#32). Drifting the band pin (#33) left to right frees up the forearm and leaves you with either a magazine (BL-17) or outer tube (BL-22) still attached to the receiver. They are each taken off by removing their retaining screw (#42).
Inspection of Parts
There will never be a better time to examine several components which may, or may not, need replacement.
Thoroughly go over all the pieces taken from the cocking-lever assembly for signs of wear, deformation, or alteration. Pay special attention to the lever itself. If it's bent, the rifle may not lock up completely. Unfortunately, it's pretty difficult to determine whether or not a lever is bent without making a side-by-side comparison between it and an unused one. In any event, never attempt to straighten out a bent lever; install a new one. See that both studs of the cocking lever link are intact and tight. If loose, missing, or if the link itself is bent, a new link will have to be fitted. I'll get into how that's done directly. Don't overlook the possibility of frame cracks in the area of the stock bolt, and make sure the insert pin (#35) is seated firmly and intact.
Adjusting the Cocking-Lever Link
If the Browning's link has to be replaced, fitting it will be required. With the cocking lever closed, depress the carrier and position the carrier-guide pin under the front end of the cocking-lever link. If the pin won't fit under the link, maintain the hammer in the half-#### position and fully close the lever. Remove the link pin left to right.
You open the lever only enough to remove the link, then close it again. Remove material from the link at the point of interference. Usually, this means from the pointed end rearward about 1/4 inch. When properly adjusted, there should be about .030-inch clearance when the guide pin is under the link, as well as between the link and the cocking lever when the lever is completely closed.
[FIGURE 3 OMITTED] Reassembly Tips
The Bolt Assembly. After placing the firing-pin spring in the bolt horizontally, install the firing pin and its retaining pin. Check for free movement and return to the rear by the firing pin under pressure from the spring. In the following order, place the spring, plunger, and extractor in the bolt. Hold the extractor against the bolt with your thumb and push the part into its bolt recess with a 1/8-inch punch.
The Cocking Lever. Position the trigger/ sear spring into its hole in the top of the trigger-slot cutout in the lever. Insert the trigger, align all pin holes, install the pin, and stake it in place to avoid loosening. Place the sear-link spring, small end upward, in its recess atop the trigger. Orient the sear link
above the spring, compress the spring with the link, and install the link pin. (As you've discovered, it's a roll pin, and I should have mentioned this sooner. They're a pain to reinstall and they're easily damaged. I always advise, wherever possible, not to remove them completely but only enough to free the part they retain.)
The Hammer and Sear. The sear is to be placed in the frame with the trigger/ sear-spring hole to the rear and the sear's rounded edge upward. Engage the spring and compress it with the sear. Maintain the pressure as you pull the hammer fully to the rear. Release the sear. The object of this somewhat fussy step is to have the hammer hold the spring compressed between the sear and the rear of the frame. You can't let go of the hammer just yet.
The Cocking Lever and Link. The hammer is still being held to the rear. The cocking lever and cocking-lever link pins are started in right to left. Rotate the cocking lever downward and position the stud of the lever link in the elongated hole on the right side of the lever. Maintain that engagement, align all holes, and push the pins in to be flush. (I never said this would be easy.) Mainspring and Mainspring Follower. Browning technicians use a special tool, unavailable to the public, to accomplish this assembly but you can do it by following these instructions to the letter: Hold the frame upright. Raise the end of the mainspring guide and place the mainspring on the guide. Holding the hammer assembly with its stud (guide) pointing downwards, introduce it into the frame from the top. Close the cocking lever. Slowly push the hammer forward just enough to allow the bottom of the mainspring follower to align with its cockinglever recess. "Encourage" the follower to enter the recess with a finger.
When the follower drops in, put a slight rearward pressure on the hammer and open the cocking lever. Maintain the rearward pressure as you put your little finger to work nudging the mainspring upward to align it with the end of its guide. When they're aligned, pull the hammer back to halfcock. Keep the hammer in that position or the trigger/sear spring could get disengaged. You'd better be sure that spring remains positioned squarely between the sear and the back of the frame before closing the cocking lever. If it gets dislocated, the entire frame has to be disassembled/reassembled except for the sear. (Usually, this dislodging occurs because the hammer was allowed to slip forward during reinstallation of the mainspring-guide assembly. But you wouldn't let that happen, so close the cocking lever and get on with the job.
The Bolt. Position the carrier-guide pin under the front end of the cockinglever link. The rail on the leftfront end of the bolt is placed in its frame slot and the bolt lowered into the frame.
It's a good idea to check for any interference between the top of the locking block and the bottom of the bolt at this time. To make the check, fully #### the hammer and take a magnified look at the Browning's block and bolt. Soon thereafter, peek through its hole in the frame to assure yourself there'll be no interference between the locking bolt and the takedown screw. If you suspect any trouble spots, relieve them carefully with a fine stone.
The Ejector. The spring fits over the pin, and the ejector fits over the spring on the same pin. If you don't find that getting these little bits back into the rifle isn't a two-tranquilizer tweezerassisted operation, I missed my guess.
Trouble: Possible Causes and Cures
When a BL fails to feed and jams, the reasons include a bent cocking lever, burrs in the cartridge-head slot of the bolt face, a broken firing pin, and a burred chamber. Having already discussed what to do with a bent cocking lever, I'll skip to a damaged bolt face. It can be smoothed up with very fine filing, stoning, and polishing. A broken firing pin is--surprise-surprise-replaced. It might be possible to iron out any burrs raised at a chamber's mouth, but an internally damaged chamber should be touched up with a .22-or .17-caliber sporting chamber finishing reamer.
More often than not, failures to extract are due to broken or weakened extractor components or their improper installation. Other possibilities exist, however. The chamber might be too tight, too fouled, too large, or the bolt may not be locking up enough for the extractor to engage the shell rim. Replace any broken parts along with any you suspect aren't up to par. Clean and polish a dirty or pitted chamber, and caress it with your finishing reamer. If the chamber is enlarged, though, options become more complicated. Boring out the barrel then relining and rechambering it is one of those options. Rebarreling is another. Neither is inexpensive.
All is not lost, yet. The cure for a bolt not fully closing might be as simple as filing down the cockinglever stop pin. Or, you may have to sleuth out exactly what's causing the problem. Has a burr been raised on the bolt ways or bolt face? If so, stone it away.
A worst-case scenario would involve headspace, specified at .043 to .051 with commercially available gauges. (More about that condition in the following section on ruptured cases.) But if you have a current FFL, you can purchase a fresh receiver with fitted barrel. All it takes is a bit of your customer's money.
A rifle with a broken ejector pin, a worn ejector, or a missing ejector spring will fail to eject. None of those parts are restricted. A rifle failing to #### indicates a missing or improperly positioned sear spring or possibly a weak sear spring. By the way, the latter can be replaced with a trigger spring.
Ruptured cases are consistently traced to excessive headspace. Sometimes, they are due to ammunition. If the cases keep blowing out with several brands, you have to consider installing a new bolt. That won't be easy. Bolts are on the restricted list at Browning. Then again, you could make do with the existing bolt, remove the barrel, face off the receiver, shave the barrel shoulder, remarry the two major rifle components, and hopefully bid farewell to ruptured cases. To paraphrase a previous statement, all it takes is more of your customer's money.
The good news is deep pockets aren't necessarily required to cure failures to fire. Replacing a broken firing pin or spring is no big deal. Parts
replacement gets a bit more expensive when a sear link isn't making
contact with a sear or when the cocking lever is bent. Let's think on the positive side. For one reason or another, you've installed a new lever stop screw. That screw is protruding just enough to prevent the lever from fully locking up the bolt. As a result, the bolt is sitting too far back from the case head for the firing pin to impact the primed rim. You know what a possible cure is, but I'll mention it again anyway. File or stone the head of that screw down bit by bit until the lockup problem goes away and takes with it any failure to fire. Sometimes, you can get lucky.
i take no responsibility if you can't get it back together again:
Nevada Fitch
2001-03-18, 11:59 AM
I would like to take the bolt out of my Browning BL22 leveracton for cleaning.I don't have an owners manual.Does anyone know the proper method of doing this? OR is this something I shouldn't do? It looks like I would need to remove the big screw which goes through the middle of the reciever.
George Stringer
2001-03-19, 07:24 AM
Nevada, the BL-22 is sort of a take down rifle. Remove the inner mag tube and set the hammer at half ####. Take out the large screw and remove the sub-frame and stock rearward. Move it slowly and put your finger throur the ejection port to hold the ejector and spring as it will be released when the bolt clears it. Go ahead and take out the ejector and spring. Tip the bolt upward at the rear, move it to the front, lower the rear parallel again and lift it out. Assembly is in the reverse. George
Detailed Disassembly
As you continue stripping the rifle, figure out a method for identifying the various small springs you'll be removing so they don't get mixed up in reassembly.
Once again, don't be confused by the schematic. I've admitted that it's of a BL-22 instead of a BL-17. The reason: There were no schematics of the .17 when this was written, and none appeared in the owner's manual for the rifle. Already explained is that both rifles take down the same except for their tubular feed assemblies. Also note that you'll find two part numbers appearing here and there. Stay calm. They're only used because one of them applies to a Grade I and the other to a Grade II rifle. They have nothing to do with where the parts live or their function.
One example of this is the takedown screw (#62, 63). It backs out from the right side of the receiver (#49, 50). If the screw resists coming all the way out, gently tap the rear of the frame (#34) forward. Place the hammer at half-#### and open the action until the rear of the bolt aligns with the front of the hammer. This disengages the locking block (#38) from the receiver. The frame assembly can now be removed by pulling it straight to the rear. In this process, the ejector (#21) and ejector spring (#23) might fall out. If they don't, lift the ejector and its spring clear of the pin (#22). This pin is built into the receiver and should not be removed.
To separate the bolt (#01) from the frame, move it forward, lift it free, and slide the locking block out of the bolt assembly. The firing-pin retaining pin (#28) is drifted out using a 3/32-inch-diameter punch. This frees the firing pin (#27) and its spring (#29). When and if servicing of the extractor is required, the bolt coverplate (#04) has to be taken off by inserting a screwdriver in the locking-bolt slot and gently prying upward on the plate.
The extractor (#24), spring (#26), and plunger (#25) are accessed by inserting the blade of a small screwdriver under the extractor and prying it outward. The spring and plunger will want to fly out of the bolt body unless they're fouled in place. A plastic bag placed over the bolt as you work will prevent their loss.
Check the bolt-activating pin (#02) and the lower center edge of the bolt. Unless the edge is broken or worn, leave the pin alone. A damaged bolt should be replaced, and there are two kinds of bolts. A new-style bolt has a firing-pin slot measuring about .070 inch wide in its face. Old-style slots are about .100 inch wide. Since oldstyle bolts and firing pins are no longer available from Browning, both components must be replaced if either is damaged.
There is no interchangeability between the old and the new. This doesn't always result in your having to hunt down replacements in the aftermarket or to arm wrestle Browning for a new bolt. Sometimes, the thing messing with firing pin travel is merely a burr in the bolt face. This you can stone out and polish.
After a close look at the locking block for signs of wear, move on to the frame assembly. You're almost ready to drift out the carrier pin (#12) left to right with a 1/8-inch punch. On the schematic, you'll see an unnumbered part immediately to the rear of the carrier (#10). This part is identified as a carrier spacer (#13) on the parts list. It only shows up on older BL-22 rifles. Newer rifles in both calibers are equipped with a hammer block (a.k.a., "carrier spacer") which is not shown at all in the drawing. It's recommended, therefore, that you thoroughly memorize the relationships between the spacer, carrier, and carrier spring (#14) before removing them from the frame. After you have, and only then, drift out the carrier pin and carrierguide pin (#11). The same methodology should be followed if you encounter an older BL-22 equipped with a part #13.
For primary cocking lever and trigger disassembly (see Figures 1, 2, and 3), the hammer must be lowered fully to its fired position prior to drifting out the cocking-lever link pin (#20) left to right. Do the same with the cockinglever pin (#17), then take out the cocking-lever link (#19), mainspring (#43), and mainspring follower (#44).
[FIGURES 1,2 OMITTED]
Drift out the hammer pin (#37) and sear pin (#55) left to right. Leaving the hammer's mainspring guide (#45) attached, remove the hammer assembly (#36), sear (#51), and trigger/sear spring (#67). There's no real need to back out the lever-stop screw (#18) unless a replacement is called for.
Complete the cocking-lever disassembly as follows: Drift the trigger pin (#66) and sear-link pin (#53) left to right with your 3/32-inch punch. Remove the trigger assembly (#64, 65) followed by the sear link (#52) and sear-link spring (#54).
Everything's out of the frame now, and you're holding a gutted receiver. Still attached are the barrel, forearm, tubular feed elements, sights, muzzle clamp, and forearm band.
After drifting out the front sight right to left with a brass punch, back out the clamp screw (#48) and slide the muzzle clamp (#47) off the barrel. On a BL-17, this step is necessary before you can clear the upper, outer tube
from the rifle. On a BL-22, it gives you access to the lower, outer tube. The forearm (#30, 31) is retained on the rifle with the forearm band (#32). Drifting the band pin (#33) left to right frees up the forearm and leaves you with either a magazine (BL-17) or outer tube (BL-22) still attached to the receiver. They are each taken off by removing their retaining screw (#42).
Inspection of Parts
There will never be a better time to examine several components which may, or may not, need replacement.
Thoroughly go over all the pieces taken from the cocking-lever assembly for signs of wear, deformation, or alteration. Pay special attention to the lever itself. If it's bent, the rifle may not lock up completely. Unfortunately, it's pretty difficult to determine whether or not a lever is bent without making a side-by-side comparison between it and an unused one. In any event, never attempt to straighten out a bent lever; install a new one. See that both studs of the cocking lever link are intact and tight. If loose, missing, or if the link itself is bent, a new link will have to be fitted. I'll get into how that's done directly. Don't overlook the possibility of frame cracks in the area of the stock bolt, and make sure the insert pin (#35) is seated firmly and intact.
Adjusting the Cocking-Lever Link
If the Browning's link has to be replaced, fitting it will be required. With the cocking lever closed, depress the carrier and position the carrier-guide pin under the front end of the cocking-lever link. If the pin won't fit under the link, maintain the hammer in the half-#### position and fully close the lever. Remove the link pin left to right.
You open the lever only enough to remove the link, then close it again. Remove material from the link at the point of interference. Usually, this means from the pointed end rearward about 1/4 inch. When properly adjusted, there should be about .030-inch clearance when the guide pin is under the link, as well as between the link and the cocking lever when the lever is completely closed.
[FIGURE 3 OMITTED] Reassembly Tips
The Bolt Assembly. After placing the firing-pin spring in the bolt horizontally, install the firing pin and its retaining pin. Check for free movement and return to the rear by the firing pin under pressure from the spring. In the following order, place the spring, plunger, and extractor in the bolt. Hold the extractor against the bolt with your thumb and push the part into its bolt recess with a 1/8-inch punch.
The Cocking Lever. Position the trigger/ sear spring into its hole in the top of the trigger-slot cutout in the lever. Insert the trigger, align all pin holes, install the pin, and stake it in place to avoid loosening. Place the sear-link spring, small end upward, in its recess atop the trigger. Orient the sear link
above the spring, compress the spring with the link, and install the link pin. (As you've discovered, it's a roll pin, and I should have mentioned this sooner. They're a pain to reinstall and they're easily damaged. I always advise, wherever possible, not to remove them completely but only enough to free the part they retain.)
The Hammer and Sear. The sear is to be placed in the frame with the trigger/ sear-spring hole to the rear and the sear's rounded edge upward. Engage the spring and compress it with the sear. Maintain the pressure as you pull the hammer fully to the rear. Release the sear. The object of this somewhat fussy step is to have the hammer hold the spring compressed between the sear and the rear of the frame. You can't let go of the hammer just yet.
The Cocking Lever and Link. The hammer is still being held to the rear. The cocking lever and cocking-lever link pins are started in right to left. Rotate the cocking lever downward and position the stud of the lever link in the elongated hole on the right side of the lever. Maintain that engagement, align all holes, and push the pins in to be flush. (I never said this would be easy.) Mainspring and Mainspring Follower. Browning technicians use a special tool, unavailable to the public, to accomplish this assembly but you can do it by following these instructions to the letter: Hold the frame upright. Raise the end of the mainspring guide and place the mainspring on the guide. Holding the hammer assembly with its stud (guide) pointing downwards, introduce it into the frame from the top. Close the cocking lever. Slowly push the hammer forward just enough to allow the bottom of the mainspring follower to align with its cockinglever recess. "Encourage" the follower to enter the recess with a finger.
When the follower drops in, put a slight rearward pressure on the hammer and open the cocking lever. Maintain the rearward pressure as you put your little finger to work nudging the mainspring upward to align it with the end of its guide. When they're aligned, pull the hammer back to halfcock. Keep the hammer in that position or the trigger/sear spring could get disengaged. You'd better be sure that spring remains positioned squarely between the sear and the back of the frame before closing the cocking lever. If it gets dislocated, the entire frame has to be disassembled/reassembled except for the sear. (Usually, this dislodging occurs because the hammer was allowed to slip forward during reinstallation of the mainspring-guide assembly. But you wouldn't let that happen, so close the cocking lever and get on with the job.
The Bolt. Position the carrier-guide pin under the front end of the cockinglever link. The rail on the leftfront end of the bolt is placed in its frame slot and the bolt lowered into the frame.
It's a good idea to check for any interference between the top of the locking block and the bottom of the bolt at this time. To make the check, fully #### the hammer and take a magnified look at the Browning's block and bolt. Soon thereafter, peek through its hole in the frame to assure yourself there'll be no interference between the locking bolt and the takedown screw. If you suspect any trouble spots, relieve them carefully with a fine stone.
The Ejector. The spring fits over the pin, and the ejector fits over the spring on the same pin. If you don't find that getting these little bits back into the rifle isn't a two-tranquilizer tweezerassisted operation, I missed my guess.
Trouble: Possible Causes and Cures
When a BL fails to feed and jams, the reasons include a bent cocking lever, burrs in the cartridge-head slot of the bolt face, a broken firing pin, and a burred chamber. Having already discussed what to do with a bent cocking lever, I'll skip to a damaged bolt face. It can be smoothed up with very fine filing, stoning, and polishing. A broken firing pin is--surprise-surprise-replaced. It might be possible to iron out any burrs raised at a chamber's mouth, but an internally damaged chamber should be touched up with a .22-or .17-caliber sporting chamber finishing reamer.
More often than not, failures to extract are due to broken or weakened extractor components or their improper installation. Other possibilities exist, however. The chamber might be too tight, too fouled, too large, or the bolt may not be locking up enough for the extractor to engage the shell rim. Replace any broken parts along with any you suspect aren't up to par. Clean and polish a dirty or pitted chamber, and caress it with your finishing reamer. If the chamber is enlarged, though, options become more complicated. Boring out the barrel then relining and rechambering it is one of those options. Rebarreling is another. Neither is inexpensive.
All is not lost, yet. The cure for a bolt not fully closing might be as simple as filing down the cockinglever stop pin. Or, you may have to sleuth out exactly what's causing the problem. Has a burr been raised on the bolt ways or bolt face? If so, stone it away.
A worst-case scenario would involve headspace, specified at .043 to .051 with commercially available gauges. (More about that condition in the following section on ruptured cases.) But if you have a current FFL, you can purchase a fresh receiver with fitted barrel. All it takes is a bit of your customer's money.
A rifle with a broken ejector pin, a worn ejector, or a missing ejector spring will fail to eject. None of those parts are restricted. A rifle failing to #### indicates a missing or improperly positioned sear spring or possibly a weak sear spring. By the way, the latter can be replaced with a trigger spring.
Ruptured cases are consistently traced to excessive headspace. Sometimes, they are due to ammunition. If the cases keep blowing out with several brands, you have to consider installing a new bolt. That won't be easy. Bolts are on the restricted list at Browning. Then again, you could make do with the existing bolt, remove the barrel, face off the receiver, shave the barrel shoulder, remarry the two major rifle components, and hopefully bid farewell to ruptured cases. To paraphrase a previous statement, all it takes is more of your customer's money.
The good news is deep pockets aren't necessarily required to cure failures to fire. Replacing a broken firing pin or spring is no big deal. Parts
replacement gets a bit more expensive when a sear link isn't making
contact with a sear or when the cocking lever is bent. Let's think on the positive side. For one reason or another, you've installed a new lever stop screw. That screw is protruding just enough to prevent the lever from fully locking up the bolt. As a result, the bolt is sitting too far back from the case head for the firing pin to impact the primed rim. You know what a possible cure is, but I'll mention it again anyway. File or stone the head of that screw down bit by bit until the lockup problem goes away and takes with it any failure to fire. Sometimes, you can get lucky.
telesquirt
CGN Regular
- Location
- Fort Frances
Meh----nothin' to it! 
