Stuck Brass

3x2

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Hi All, I have a REM 700 300 Win Mag (Circa 2003-04) that I have been testing factory ammo in. I have had multiple manufacturers ammo have extremely tight or failed extraction similar to what you might feel in a hot load. It doesn’t seem to have any chambering or extraction issues on unfired rounds. Any thoughts or ideas on what might be going on?

Thanks
 
When you say failed extraction- do you mean the bolt comes back leaving the case in the chamber?
At first it wouldn’t come back at all but after some lite tapping the bolt came back and the brass was still stuck. I was able to back the brass out pretty easily with a cleaning rod once I got home.
 
Might be headspace issue. Swelling after you shoot. Could also be a weak or defective extracter. Many factors could be at play
I was thinking about this a little more and up until now I had only run Remington ammo through it that was manufactured around the same time. One of the two rounds that cycled fine was new Vortex (owned by Rem). Is it likely that factory ammo is that far to one side of spec? Brands that I had trouble with were Winchester, Federal, and old (pre Rem) Vortex. Hornaday seems to work well but didn’t shoot well.
 
I would do two things. First clean chamber and check for tool marks in the chamber that may cause extraction problems. If chamber appears to be ok. Take to gunsmith and have him use his headspace gauges to check for proper headspace.
RELH
 
The gun is over 20 years old......is this a new problem or has it only recently been fired as new?.....won't fix the problem...just curious
 
Cut a piece of scotch tape around the base of the round. Tape it to the base and see if you can chamber it. If you can then the headspace is wrong. If you can't then it's correct. It should feel very tight to close the bolt.

You seeing any ejector marks on the base after a fired round?
 
Do the previously stuck cases have any unusual marks on them? Either on the neck, shoulder, body or the rim?

Gotta assume if the bolt came free with the case still stuck that there is a heck of a bright spot on the rim...
 
The gun is over 20 years old......is this a new problem or has it only recently been fired as new?.....won't fix the problem...just curious
It’s a recent problem. Rifle has a pretty low round count maybe 100-150. It hasn’t been shot in close to 10 years (cleaned periodically). This is the first time I’ve tried solid copper bullets, which I was told might be creating higher pressures due to increased copper fowling? Probably 20 total copper rounds thoroughly cleaned half way through.
 
Do the previously stuck cases have any unusual marks on them? Either on the neck, shoulder, body or the rim?

Gotta assume if the bolt came free with the case still stuck that there is a heck of a bright spot on the rim...
Yes the ones that were stuck have markings just above the belt and some darkening around the neck. There was some scoring around the rim and copper on the bolt face.

Seemed to happen on the cheaper/older brass not as much on the nickel ones.
 
Considering you always used one type of ammo until you ran into this problem- I'm thinking it's a headspace issue. I have one rifle that cannot accept brand new Nosler brass (I reload)- and I have to size them all down 2 thousands just to get them to chamber. Lapua brass- no issues- it just happens to have slightly shorter shoulders.

I think RELH has the best advice...
 
What is the twist rate on your rifle? Copper bullets tend to be a lot longer than lead. You shooting 180grns copper? Might want to go down to 150grs or so.
 
What is the twist rate on your rifle? Copper bullets tend to be a lot longer than lead. You shooting 180grns copper? Might want to go down to 150grs or so.
It's a 1:10 and yes shooting 180gr. That's certainly something I'll consider. I don't need copper for this hunt so I might just get away from it for this year.
 
By chance were the rounds that won't eject Barnes Vor-TX?
Yes, but the older version (2016) as well as Winchester Copper Impact both got stuck. I have a new box of the Vor-TX that I shot that ejected a little tight but not what I would consider problematic.
 
I have an older m700 that will eject every thing BUT Barnes VOR-TX......they measure great but will not leave the chamber after firing...
 
I have an older m700 that will eject every thing BUT Barnes VOR-TX......they measure great but will not leave the chamber after firing...
That’s Bizarre but certainly falls in line. I talked to a custom rifle builder who thought it might be because I shot multiple different coppers without cleaning in between. He said the different alloys could cause additional friction and thus more pressure. I thought it was an interesting perspective that I hadn’t considered before.
 
Could be a carbon ring or a burr or something in the chamber.
Google carbon ring and clean it as directed.
Also could be a primary extraction issue. Most factory 700 have little to no primary extraction and need the bolt handle timed.
 
Remington 700's and even model 7's are famous for extractor failure and the bigger the cartridge the more common the problem. The best and most common fixes are upgrading to an M16 or Sako extractor. There are lots of gunsmiths out there paying their bills thanks to Remington.
 
It could be a combination of things, rough or out of spec chamber, marginal or damaged extractor, brass springiness, high pressure. Copper bullets seem to have more pressure variance with bullet jump they are longer and give less when there engage the rifling and need the right jump or pressure spikes. Probably a better extractor would overcome everything else, but if pressure is spiking, those loads might not be safe.
 
Thank you all for your suggestions, at this point I am thinking it is a chamber spec issue and going to have a gunsmith look at it/ open it up a bit. After cleaning all copper from barrel and carbon ring (both were very minimal) I decided to test a single ammo to see if I could recreate the failure. It was a bonded round that was most similar to what I was previously shooting in hopes I could eliminate any further complications with monolithic coppers. After shooting a normal paced session (no excessive heat) round #15 got stuck in the chamber. Thanks again for the help.
 
This is similar to the 'clicker' issue in 300 PRC chambers when firing handloads. After about the 3rd or 4th firing of the same brass, the case web expands to the point where you need to slam the bolt open with a hammer to extract the brass.

The front portion of the chamber is fine (shoulder area), it's the bottom portion near the case web where the chamber spec tolerance is so tight that an expansion of 3 thousandths of an inch will cause the issue.

I purchased a reamer (although one can be rented) and a T-handle with a bottle of cutting oil and just went to town in my garage. I took it slow and cleaned out the reamer after maybe half a turn then continued on until the reamer stopped cutting. The chamber is mirror smooth when looking through a bore scope.

Issue is resolved and I'm past my 4th firing with easy extraction. Double checked with a go-no/go gauge and it checks out.

I should add that the reamer does not cut above the case web area so there is no fear of it cutting the shoulder area or anywhere near it.
 

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