Tikka rifle issue

[velocittyyy]

Picked up a tikka t3x in 7mm earlier this year and had it out to the range a few times. It shot well and was very accurate as advertised with no problems.

Lately I have taken it out hunting and found that if I load a live round into the chamber and cycle the bolt back without firing, the round will not be extracted from the chamber and I have to point the rifle vertically and tap the but end down to remove the live round.

This issue was not apparent at the range as every time I had chambered a round I had fired it and the empty shell had extracted and ejected as it should. I have completely disassembled and cleaned the bolt but this has not resolved the issue. The rifle will extract previously fired rounds if I cycle them through, just not live rounds without them having been fired first.

Anyone have any advise or ideas I could try to get this fixed?

 

[Canada tail]

did you check the extractor ? any sighs of wear ?

 

[Tecktic]

I see that this is an old post, but for anyone else having the same issue............
If your brass is a reload measure to ensure the resize was performed all the way to the bottom of the brass. If it was not, your brass may be binding in the chamber causing the extractor to skip under pressure. Check the base of your non-extracted brass to see if the extractor has created any burrs on the base of the cartridge. If so, your brass may be binding. If not, as Canada tail mentioned, your extractor might be a little worn, or bent.

Alternately, was the name brand of cartridge used on the range the same as used in the field. If not the same, there may be a slight difference in the diameter / thickness of the brass causing the extractor to miss, or not grab hold firm enough.

Just talking through my hat where the smoke gets out.

 

[velocittyyy]

Thanks for the reply guys. The extractor shows no sign of wear whatsoever. Still has a sharp edge and appears to move as it should. None of the ammo that has been used in this rifle has been reloaded and it is all the same brand. Will pick up another brand in the next few days and seed if there is any difference.

 

[Chilly807]

Mine does the same (T3) if I don't close the bolt on the loaded round. I think this is a result of the Mauser style spring loaded ejector not allowing the extractor claw to latch on to the cartridge rim unless the bolt is closed.

 

[medvedqc]

if not check with european brass ... it can be a difference between SaAMI and CIP.

 

[Hitzy]

Mine does the same (T3) if I don't close the bolt on the loaded round. I think this is a result of the Mauser style spring loaded ejector not allowing the extractor claw to latch on to the cartridge rim unless the bolt is closed.

Mauser's do not have spring loaded ejectors, they have a fixed ejector.

 

[77gunner]

okay so I checked out the sako which gave me the same problem yesterday. Because its a staggered magazine the bolt lugs do hit the shoulder of the next round in the mag. Good news is if you work the bolt like you would in the field the round does extract and eject live and fired rounds. I realize now why I have little dents on the shoulders of most of my brass, I thought I had a burr or object stuck in my sizing die or chamber.

 

[leonk05]

I had a t3 223 that did that and when i took the extractor off the bolt i found a thin sliver of machining burr stuck under the extractor. it was very thin just enough to sometimes let the round go. never skipped a beat after.

 

[sherlockbonez]

Mine does the same (T3) if I don't close the bolt on the loaded round. I think this is a result of the Mauser style spring loaded ejector not allowing the extractor claw to latch on to the cartridge rim unless the bolt is closed.

What did i just read.

 

[Chilly807]

What did i just read.

Mauser's do not have spring loaded ejectors, they have a fixed ejector.

So it would appear I'm mistaken that the Tikka has a "Mauser-style ejector" from those two responses. My sincere apologies for that.
I've never owned a Mauser, likely never will.
I was told that style of ejector was pioneered by Mauser. Apparently not.
That doesn't change the fact that the OPs extractor isn't latching on to unfired rounds, and neither does mine unless the bolt is fully closed

 

[Hank44]

So it would appear I'm mistaken that the Tikka has a "Mauser-style ejector" from those two responses. My sincere apologies for that.
I've never owned a Mauser, likely never will.
I was told that style of ejector was pioneered by Mauser. Apparently not.
That doesn't change the fact that the OPs extractor isn't latching on to unfired rounds, and neither does mine unless the bolt is fully closed

Yours and the ops are a different scenario im thinking, you are simply pushing the bolt forward and not closing it into battery it sounds like? Without actually closing the bolt your extractor will not slip over and engage the rim. A mauser action has a long extractor and a fixed ejector that slides through a notch on the locking lug or bolt face, such as on a winchester model 70 or a ruger m77, the design is not proprietary to the mauser brand.
Pictures worth a thousand words.

 

[Chilly807]

Thanks for the pics, Hank. It's a very different situation, I can see that now. He does mention that previously fired rounds do eject properly, but I don't see that he mentioned whether or not the bolt had been fully closed when the problem was happening with new, unfired cartridges. It probably was, most people would try that before posting the question.
I found recently that some new Winchester brass had a thicker than "normal" case rim, and were jamming in my press shell holder (RCBS) during the loading process. I sanded the case heads slightly and the problem disappeared. I think that the head stamp raised the metal around the lettering just enough to prevent the case head from slipping easily into the shell holder.
Translating that to the OP's problem, if the extractor claw is a tight fit over the case rim, the problem I had with Winchester brass might prevent it from gripping the case to withdraw it from the chamber. Firing the round will "iron" out the raised brass areas enough that the case fully seats against the bolt face and the extractor can get a good grip on the rim.
I don't believe he said what brand of ammunition he was using?

 

[velocittyyy]

Thanks for the pics, Hank. It's a very different situation, I can see that now. He does mention that previously fired rounds do eject properly, but I don't see that he mentioned whether or not the bolt had been fully closed when the problem was happening with new, unfired cartridges. It probably was, most people would try that before posting the question.
I found recently that some new Winchester brass had a thicker than "normal" case rim, and were jamming in my press shell holder (RCBS) during the loading process. I sanded the case heads slightly and the problem disappeared. I think that the head stamp raised the metal around the lettering just enough to prevent the case head from slipping easily into the shell holder.
Translating that to the OP's problem, if the extractor claw is a tight fit over the case rim, the problem I had with Winchester brass might prevent it from gripping the case to withdraw it from the chamber. Firing the round will "iron" out the raised brass areas enough that the case fully seats against the bolt face and the extractor can get a good grip on the rim.
I don't believe he said what brand of ammunition he was using?

The bolt was fully closed when it failed to extract the rounds. Interesting that you mention that about Winchester ammunition because that is the brand I have been using. I'll pick up another brand and give it a try and see what happens