Had a KABOOM now the bolt won't lock

9mikemike

9mikemike

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I was out smackin' gophers 2 days ago with the .223 (Sako) and it went kaboom, blew powder and s**t back in my face. :mad: Thank god I had my glasses on. I managed to get the bolt open but the shell didn't come out, noticed that the primer was buggered, it was almost blown out of the primer pocket. A couple of taps on the stock and the primer did fall out, I could see through the hole and the barrel was clear. When I got home I stuck the cleaning rod down the bbl. and with a little tap the brass fell out. Put the bolt back in and tried to close it....No dice, it seems to be going all the way forward but it won't lock up. I didn't really try pushing it to hard, figured if it takes that much there must be something wrong. I was using American Eagle 55gr. FMJ boat tails, I automatically thought that there must have been a double load in it, but aren't they damn close, usually, to being full with powder most of the time. Any idea's about the bolt?:confused:
 
The piece blown out of the primer is in your bolt or locking surface.(thats my guess) I've had situations where I've had to pry sako brass off the bolt face and things was fine after. So like I said,I'll bet a little piece of the brass from the rim or that piece of primer is sitting somewhere jamming you up. Take the bolt apart. Their super easy,look inside the locking areas with bore light..I'll be highly suprised if the gun is boogered
 
Better find out exactly why there was so much pressure that the casehead expanded enough that the primer fell out. That takes a LOT of pressure. Bolt probably won't close because of some debris, as blindside has suggested. Is the ammunition you are shooting 5.56x45 spec., while your rifle has a .223 chamber?
 
Update, I found out what was blocking the bolt from completely closing, it was the extractor. It was pulled loose and managed to stay just outside of the chamber. I had borrowed the rifle so was not really that familiar with it. After some cleaning and replacing the extractor it cycles just fine. Now to go and test fire it....with a string.. from the far side of the truck.:cool: Side note: the head stamp on the brass is F.C. that is Federal isn't it?? If it is, I was going to let them know what happened and see just how much pressure could have been put on the bolt etc. Thanks guys :D
 
If you do a search, you will find threads about using 5.56 spec. ammunition in a .223 rifle. There is a difference in the throating dimensions that can cause increased pressure. This may not be the cause, but it is worth considering. You could try putting some marker on the ogive of a bullet, and seeing if the bullet is making contact with the throat. The rifle was probably not damaged, but there is no point in repeating the experience. Take some commercial softpont ammunition with you, and try it.
 
In the General Firearms Discussion section, there is thread started by Coltfan - 5.56 in a .223?/.223 in a 5.56? You might want to review the information.
 
What did the previous round feel like maybe you had a chargeless load and just a primer push and left a bullet lodged in the barrel fot the next round.WHAT EVER do not fire again without a gunsmith doing a structural test magna-flux or liquid penatrin for damage
 
Look at the case for signs of bulging slightly above the rim. If it is bulged substantially it may have been a pressure problem related to powder overcharged and/or your chamber is not able to handle the charge for various reasons. If no signs of bulging on the case have occurred then it may have been a bit of powder had gotten in the primer or primer pocket before the primer was seated and caused the primer to be overcharged and/or just a faulty primer.
 
SharpCdn said:
There may or may not be any truth to this, but I have heard of batches of American Eagle .223 brass having very soft brass. Alot of places recommend not using American Eagle brand .223 brass for reloading just for that
reason.
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I bought a few cases of AE .223 Remington. All the cartridges have Lake City NATO-marked brass. They ran fine through my AR-15. The brass looks fine aside from the little dent from the brass deflector.
 
OK, I'll try to answer some ?'s, As far as there being a squib in the bbl. NO, I go through to many rds a month to ignore something like that. This is the first time in a few years I've fired factory ammo. I always keep it in mind. .223-5.56 debate is not a question, the rifle had been re-chambered from.222 to .223 as by the ground out 2 replaced by a 3 on top of the chamber. As far as lock up on the bolt, the damn thing is tight so you have to work a bit to get it to close in the first place, it's something that requires a little extra attention to make sure that she' all locked up. As far as the brass being soft I will have to look long and hard at that, I sure don't want this to happen in my AR that would just be too freaky. Johnny Y I thank you for the link, I'll be dropping them a line. Thanks again everybody.
 
If it was rechambered from .222 to .223 with a SAAMI .223 reamer, then it has a .223 chamber, and not a 5.56mm one. So, the 5.56mm/.223 issue could be a factor.
 
If the rifle was properly rechambered for .223, it SHOULD shoot .223s without a problem. If you put 400+ rounds of 5.56 through it then 5.56 probably isn't an issue in this rifle's chamber. If the Federal American Eagle ammunition you have been using is in GI cases with a 55gr ball load, its 5.56 spec. For the casehead to expand enough to allow the primer to drop out, and to allow gas and trash to blow back the pressure must have exceeded 70 000 psi. Something went wrong, either with the cartridge, or with the rifle, and it needs to be sorted out before the rifle is returned to use.
 
tiriaq said:
If the rifle was properly rechambered for .223, it SHOULD shoot .223s without a problem. If you put 400+ rounds of 5.56 through it then 5.56 probably isn't an issue in this rifle's chamber. If the Federal American Eagle ammunition you have been using is in GI cases with a 55gr ball load, its 5.56 spec. For the casehead to expand enough to allow the primer to drop out, and to allow gas and trash to blow back the pressure must have exceeded 70 000 psi. Something went wrong, either with the cartridge, or with the rifle, and it needs to be sorted out before the rifle is returned to use.
Click to expand...

Holy crap, tiriaq, what part of American Eagle 55gr fmj do you not understand?! :confused: You have 5 posts looking for an argument about 223/5.56. No one else has even mentioned 5.56. Go start a thread for yourself and all the guys that want to debate will flock in!


9mikemike, it sounded like this wasn't the first shot out of the box of ammo, what did the primers/cases look like on the other rounds you fired? The other unfired rounds in the box look fine?
 
All the other rounds looked just fine, there were no visible defects on any of the previous or later rounds. I did put the primer back in the shell in question and it just fell right back out, no real suprise though. I know that I'll be checking the rest of the 1000rds I have. That same day (earlier) I ordered another 1000 :rolleyes:
 
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