Cannot open bolt

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My buddy at work picked up a sako barreled action l61 I think then got a stock and spent the winter refinishing the rig.today he went to the range and shot it for the first time and can’t open it he gave me a call on what to do and he tryed all of what I suggested smacking the bolt handle with a chunk of wood wiggle it like a stuck tap ect.personally I have never had one this stuck.Any ideas on how to open it?sad thing is I offered to lend him my gauge set and he said it looks ok. He was shooting factory rounds.:rolleyes:
 
I am not familiar with that rifle and you do not mention what cartridge. First thing that came to mind was whether it has a safety that locks the bolt shut when actuated - could have occurred under jolt of firing by the shooter, or a broken or displaced part inside? Second thing that I thought of was bolt lug setback - won't see it until a good load fired - then can get bolt lugs "caught" in the setback area and bolt will not open - should have been previous warning this was developing - maybe that is why it was a "barrelled action"? Just "Wild Ass Guesses" from the clues that you have left. I was never too enthused about the "beat on bolt handle with 2x4" idea - neighbour did so and broke off the bolt handle from the bolt - bolt was still locked shut, he then had two serious issues... I believe the gunsmith who finally repaired both, started by unscrewing the barrel - but even that can be a challenge with an overloaded case stuck in the chamber - plays hell with the extractor, apparently.

The cartridge / chambering can be significant. There are "custom" barrels for Weatherby cartridges that do not have the free bore section - to be "more accurate", but also do not help alleviate peak pressure - hence factory Weatherby rounds will generate significant overpressure in those "custom" chambers. Also, have seen a "custom" 7mm STW with much tighter than SAAMI throat diameter - "for accuracy" - creates silly pressure when "standard" rounds are "forced" into chambering - no way for that standard cartridge neck to let go of the bullet - was made for "neck thinned brass"...
 
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I was thinking the bolt has locked itself. And the only way of opening it will be to unscrew the barrel, then work from front to back.
 
Fired a shot and now it won't open?
Brute force applied to the bolt handle might get it open, or might result in serious damage.
This might work, requires two people: Run a strong rod down the barrel, making contact with the base of the cartridge case. One person taps on the rod, while the other taps on the bolt handle, Taps, not hammers. Sometimes this will loosen the stuck cartridge case, allowing the bolt to be rotated. Once the bolt is rotated, further tapping on the bolt handle and on the rod should open the breech.
 
remove it from the stock the safety may have the action locked and as said check out the scope screws but scope screws usually wont let the bolt close but in this case they may be just long enough to prevent opening,check these posibilitys first.Hope this helps
 
As previously stated by m1008 there is a good possibility your bolt guide has moved forward locking the bolt, this can be caused by a broken pin or incorrect assembly. Try pulling it back toward the rear of the action or spin the barrel off and tap it back to free the bolt. D.H.
 
Thinking about trying the rod thing down the pipe after that when I meet him at work tomorrow if that doesn’t work then I suppose pulling the barrel is the next step.after that the chamber has to be checked out it could be have been rechambered to lots of different things and not remarked.I have a few different 7mms and can dump in a couple of different dummies to try if they go in after we get it pulled apart.
 
Can you tell if the bolt handle has moved rearwards in response to the shot? Could you try tapping the bolt forward while trying to lift the handle, in case the lugs have somehow moved backwards into a recess of some kind? Something to try in addition to tiriaq's suggestion, before you take the barrel off.
 
I suggest taking it to a gunsmith to sort it out... with the factory ammo as well...

Pounding a bolt open usually has bad results... and even if you get the bolt open what are you going to do? Obviously you will still need a gunsmith...
 
I haven’t seen the thing yet was just wondering about suggestions you guys might have as I have never stuck one up this bad !
 
I haven’t seen the thing yet was just wondering about suggestions you guys might have as I have never stuck one up this bad !
 
David Henry said:
As previously stated by m1008 there is a good possibility your bolt guide has moved forward locking the bolt, this can be caused by a broken pin or incorrect assembly. Try pulling it back toward the rear of the action or spin the barrel off and tap it back to free the bolt. D.H.
Click to expand...

OP .... PLEASE read Henry's post carefully and understand what he is saying..DO NOT FORCE the bolt until you have satisfied yourself that it is not the bolt guide blocking the bolt from opening. Check this PDF (box numbered 5) http://cdn1.sako.fi/sites/default/files/documents/Sako_x91_SPC_A.pdf to see what the bolt guide looks like ... if not secured it 'can' (very infrequently) move on the bolt and lock up an action.
 
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