I had enough trouble seeing my aiming spot in the darkened metal tube surrounding the gong to achieve this 'grouping' at 100 yards. I think I've peaked!I got rid of mine before our club completed the 100 yard range so I never got to shoot it at distance. Your is shooting very well! You should maybe give the 100 yard challenge a try.
Norinco JW-15A bolt won't go in! Update
- Thread starter Arcosdad
- Start date
I would guess that they are manufactured in two different factories in two different cities with completely different tooling, machinery and methods.
One is based on a BRNO and one on an Anschutz.
Maybe the Scorpio master drawings are a better more accurate starting point from which to make copies
Two different factories, this makes sense.
Arcosdad - Sorry to hear about your bad luck with the JW15. No question they are a bit rough.
One thing that MAY have helped with the bolt on the first one would be to screw the sear adjustment screw in (clockwise) so it sticks out more. That decreases sear engagement (pulls the sear down). They look like they are almost all the way screwed in, but there is quite a bit more screw in there. You can adjust the trigger down to a very clean break, but you can also overdo it so the sear doesn't catch.
With your second rifle where you couldn't close the bolt, I'll bet the stock was the culprit. I ended up buying a second one recently (and yes, I have questioned some of my decisions), this one a compact. When I took it apart to clean it, put the bolt in to cycle and test, it was fine. Putting the stock back on kept the bolt from closing completely. A few swipes with a dremel in the bolt handle cut-out cleaned that up right away.
My issues with the JW15 were more with the mags. They are very tight on the inside, so the followers don't work well. They tend to stick and not push rounds up. Taking the mags apart and cleaning up the inside dimensions works well. Shouldn't be necessary, but hey, China. CZ magazines also cure the problem.
It is a shame, they are a simple and robust design, and the accuracy with the 24" barrel one is not bad. I shot several 5rd groups (SK Std) at 100 to try it out. Had a couple 1 5/8" groups with the worst at 2". Once the rifles wear in a bit they are quite nice to shoot too. I don't think I ever got that kind of group out of my Scorpio.
Good old Chinese sproting rifles...a project in every box.
One thing that MAY have helped with the bolt on the first one would be to screw the sear adjustment screw in (clockwise) so it sticks out more. That decreases sear engagement (pulls the sear down). They look like they are almost all the way screwed in, but there is quite a bit more screw in there. You can adjust the trigger down to a very clean break, but you can also overdo it so the sear doesn't catch.
With your second rifle where you couldn't close the bolt, I'll bet the stock was the culprit. I ended up buying a second one recently (and yes, I have questioned some of my decisions), this one a compact. When I took it apart to clean it, put the bolt in to cycle and test, it was fine. Putting the stock back on kept the bolt from closing completely. A few swipes with a dremel in the bolt handle cut-out cleaned that up right away.
My issues with the JW15 were more with the mags. They are very tight on the inside, so the followers don't work well. They tend to stick and not push rounds up. Taking the mags apart and cleaning up the inside dimensions works well. Shouldn't be necessary, but hey, China. CZ magazines also cure the problem.
It is a shame, they are a simple and robust design, and the accuracy with the 24" barrel one is not bad. I shot several 5rd groups (SK Std) at 100 to try it out. Had a couple 1 5/8" groups with the worst at 2". Once the rifles wear in a bit they are quite nice to shoot too. I don't think I ever got that kind of group out of my Scorpio.
Good old Chinese sproting rifles...a project in every box.
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Bit late but thanks much for the feedback Lever30. I'm using my diamond files and hones this afternoon to try to fix this very problem ( bolt stiff to close) with my latest Norc. I had not considered the stock as an issue so will check that also. It seems to be more of a problem with the locking lug being a bit proud but we shall see.
I discovered an issue with mine, the rough firing pin. I took the bolt apart, and am almost sorry I looked at the pin; rough machining is an understatement. The parts that move within the bolt when cocking are a bit grabby to say the least. They are goin to need a lot of careful polishing to fix this issue. This internal drag is making it difficult to open the bolt on cocking; it is not the camming surfaces of the bolt and bolt handle; I already polished these up.
I watched a cz452 vid on bolt disassembly and wondered if we might find this problem. I was avoiding taking the bolt apart! The question still remains though: there's no resistance when closing the bolt with the trigger pulled, ie decocking. Mechanically I don't know what happens inside the bolt when you decock vs #### it. Thanks for the update Mark.
Now that you mention this, I had the exact same issue with my 'long' JW. The firing pin looked as though it had been partly remelted and was very uneven. There was also a lot of grit in the bolt. I lightly sanded down some weird edges on the firing pin and thoroughly cleaned out the bolt on the inside. What a difference in cycling too.
Arcosdad, taking this bolt apart is a breeze. It's a great design. Just decock it, push in a bit on the firing pin on the back against a bench, pull out the safety lever, and gently let off the pressure. It all just pulls apart.
Honestly, I think these guns could be extremely popular with slightly better QC and materials. I'd pay more for one with nice Turkish walnut stock, maybe a heavier 18" barrel, and reliable magazines. The design is good but execution not so much.
As you lift the bolt handle, it cams back the striker, which then engages the seer, thus cocking the gun. You have rotational friction between the bolt handle and the bolt body, you have cam friction against the striker, you have friction between the outside of the striker and the bolt body. You can see how a few little bits can add up to a lot since this is all happening at the same time.
