Ross in .303Brit

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tacfoley

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Apologies if this is in the wrong forum, but I'm asking on behalf of a non-computer literate fellow shooter over here in yUK.

He has a Ross in .303Brit that he shoots in vintage target rifle comps.

Lately he has been experiencing great difficulty getting it to shoot more than around 15 shots before it freezes up on him - by that, I mean that the action got so stiff that he couldn't open the bolt by hand, but had to use a rubber mallet [I know]. Needless to say - he stops shooting at that point, too - he's has the rifle since the early sixties, and loves it.

He's been shooting the 174gr PPU stuff in it for a few years now, but the problem has only recently shown up.

Any advice that I could pass on to him would be much appreciated.

tac
 
Really should be asked in the milsurp forum.

15 rounds is a lot count....but the Ross is fairly famous for this from back in the WWI days. Stories abound of Canadians tossing their Ross rifles over the parapet on reciept of a Lee Enfield....and / or scavenging a LE from dead British comrades.

Hopefully somebody more knowledgeable than me in the Milsurp forum can help you and your friend out.
 
Which Ross? Mk. II or Mk. III?
Is the mechanism clean and properly lubricated? Including inside the bolt asssembly, and the locking recesses in the receiver ring?
If it is a Mk. III, has he carefully inspected the locking lugs, particularly the rear left hand lug which contacts the boltstop when the bolt is opened? It is possible that this lug can be deformed by repeated contact with the bolt stop. Is the bolt stop the larger diameter "improved" version?
 
I had the same issue with my svt-40. Needed a rubber mallot to recock the gun.

There are two possible issues that I can see:

1. The tolerances of the ammunition have changed to the point that they do not fit the chamber correctly.

2. Rust has developed in the chamber such that the ammunition gets stuck when trying to extract.

The chambers for the Ross are precision made. In WW1 British made ammunition had the same issue in the ross because the tolerances were not the best. They were made to go in the enfield which had looser tolerances.

So inspect the chamber for rust or debris and try different ammo. I suspect its chamber rust based on the fact the probelm is fairly recent.
 
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