M16 Remington 700 Extractor Install

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Ryan.M.Anderson

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I had a custom 6.5X55 put together on an 30'06 bolt and sometimes the extraction is not great when using european brass. Works most of the time but sometimes I feel an oversized piece of brass doesn't like coming out.

Can anyone recommend someone to install an extractor in Calgary that wont take 6 weeks?

Thanks!
 
Don't ruin your 700 bolt by altering it. It weakens the design tremendously.

What do you mean by, "sometimes I feel an oversized piece of brass doesn't like coming out".

An extractor alteration will not cure that.

If you have tough extraction cure that problem by correct sizing and better loads.

If you have brass that doesn't eject properly, the bolt face may need to be very slightly beveled more... this often happens with Lapua cases and rebated cases like the .284 Winchester.
 
I have found that the 700 Rem boltface for 308/30-06/270 etc, does not like 6.5X55, all the ones I have checked were too tight a tolerance for the slightly larger rim dia of the X55 case. I am playing with a wildcat based on the X55 case and I'm using a Weatherby Vanguard action as the bolt face tolerances are less tight and will accept the X55 case without issue.
Your custom rifle assembler should have been aware of this issue with Rem 700s and should have fore warned you. I do not like messing with 700 bolt faces which is why I opted for the Howa (Vanguard). If you attempt to open the bolt face up it is very easy to create serious extractor problems, and I do not consider myself proficient enough to do this. Remington did make 6.5X55s in their 700 Classic series and I owned one up till just recently, I checked the bolt face clearance on this rifle and sure enough, it was roughly .010" larger than the standard .473 bolt face..........just goes to show you that Remington really does have tight tolerances.
 
Robmcleod82 said:
If the bolt face was opened up an additional 10 thou (5 per side) would that cause issue with using a factory extractor?
Click to expand...

No it would not.

I wish the op would chime in... questions to be answered...
What do you mean by, "sometimes I feel an oversized piece of brass doesn't like coming out".

Are you talking about extraction from the chamber or ejection from the bolt face?

If you have brass that doesn't eject properly, the bolt face may need to be very slightly beveled more... this often happens with Lapua cases and rebated cases like the .284 Winchester.
 
I will reply now. I had the rifle built off of a 30'06 action. As you know the 30'06 has a .473 bolt face. North American Made 6.5X55 brass has a matching diameter. Lapua brass is made to the actual spec which is .479 +/-. Most of the pieces of brass probably work due to manufacturing tolerances of the bolt. By oversized I mean the brass probably runs on the large side of .479 due to manufacturing tolerances. The slightly undersized bolt face does not agree with slightly oversized brass.

The ejection is fine - it is the extraction that is the issue. Hence why I was asking about an M16 extractor. I might also just replace the extractor to see if that helps.
 
Ryan.M.Anderson said:
I will reply now. I had the rifle built off of a 30'06 action. As you know the 30'06 has a .473 bolt face. North American Made 6.5X55 brass has a matching diameter. Lapua brass is made to the actual spec which is .479 +/-. Most of the pieces of brass probably work due to manufacturing tolerances of the bolt. By oversized I mean the brass probably runs on the large side of .479 due to manufacturing tolerances. The slightly undersized bolt face does not agree with slightly oversized brass.



The ejection is fine - it is the extraction that is the issue. Hence why I was asking about an M16 extractor. I might also just replace the extractor to see if that helps.
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How does the slightly undersized bolt face not agree with slightly oversized brass?

Hard extraction has to do with the brass not coming out of the chamber easily... it is not the fault of the extractor... it is due to brass not fitting the chamber correctly. If the reamer used to chamber for the 6.5 x 55 was not one made for Lapua brass, the chamber diameter at the rear is too tight on Lapua brass.

Or is the problem with the short bevel on the groove of the case? A bolt nose angle problem.

Fix the problem - Lapua brass in a chamber cut too small ? ... nothing to do with the extractor.
 
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Well, I talked to a few different gunsmiths and each had a different answer to my issue.

The rifle was built off of an older donor action so maybe the extractor is just worn out. I am going to replace the old one with a new rem extractor. If that does not work I willl have to try something else.
 
Maybe there is some confusion here so I will try to be more clear.

What happen is I fire a round. I go to cycle the bolt and the spent brass won't come out. I cycle the bolt again ,on occasion it takes more than one try, and then it comes out and ejects just fine. The brass does not show any signs of abuse (over pressure, scratches, etc.).

I measured some brass the other night and the Lapua 6.5X55 brass does have a larger rim diameter as mentioned by C-fbmi but it appears to fit in the bolt just fine so I dont really thing that is the issue.
 
Ryan.M.Anderson said:
Maybe there is some confusion here so I will try to be more clear.

What happen is I fire a round. I go to cycle the bolt and the spent brass won't come out. I cycle the bolt again ,on occasion it takes more than one try, and then it comes out and ejects just fine. The brass does not show any signs of abuse (over pressure, scratches, etc.).

I measured some brass the other night and the Lapua 6.5X55 brass does have a larger rim diameter as mentioned by C-fbmi but it appears to fit in the bolt just fine so I dont really thing that is the issue.
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You fire a round... you cycle the bolt...

Is the bolt lift hard? Is it hard to pull the bolt back?

When the shell stays in the chamber does it eventually come out easy? If the spent round eventually comes out easy the extractor itself may be at fault... If you can post a sharp good quality picture of the bolt face showing how the extractor is sitting. If it is the extractor, have an experienced smith install a new Remington extractor or adjust this one. The 700 extractor correctly set is capable of hanging hundreds of pounds from it... If I was working now I would be glad to do this for you... but I am not working until November.
 
Thanks for keeping on this thread guntech. After firing the round there is no hard bolt lift and it is not hard to pull the bolt back. Once it does come out it does so pretty easy, if it is harder I can't tell at least. I have read that the original remington style, if working, is quite effective.

It is the rivetless style which should make installation quite simple (according to the internet at least).
 
Ryan.M.Anderson said:
Thanks for keeping on this thread guntech. After firing the round there is no hard bolt lift and it is not hard to pull the bolt back. Once it does come out it does so pretty easy, if it is harder I can't tell at least. I have read that the original remington style, if working, is quite effective.

It is the rivetless style which should make installation quite simple (according to the internet at least).
Click to expand...

The rivetless style can sometimes be taken out, bent a bit for more engagement and carefully installed... carefully so not to bend it 'looser'.
 
Thanks for all the advice provided.

I got the new one in the mail today from Brownells. It came in something the size of a shoebox. I got it in and so far the extraction seems much better.

I was just cycling brass so I will have to wait for a range day to be 100% positive but so far so good.
 
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