Do I need to repair my bolt face?
- Thread starter YotaEer
- Start date
I would have a gunsmith look at it. But I would have it repaired or replaced ..
Replace it... Hang on to that one for a spare.
I'm skeptical about the current level of craftsmanship of these, so called, gunsmiths.
I'm skeptical about the current level of craftsmanship of these, so called, gunsmiths.
Yes it’s a tikka bolt, 308/CM face, so easy enough to find a new one
I would probably only shoot that bolt another 100-150 thousand times with the face cut like that.
So you’re saying it’s not a problem?
I’m about to switch barrels on this tikka and worried this will impact head spacing.
I’m still fairly new to all of this so I’m genuinely trying to understand what I need to do here.
The bolt face is commonly cut or dressed in trueing procedure. Myself, I would have that “cleaned”. At least address any high spots no matter how minimal.
Not going to affect headspace. As someone else mentioned. It looks like you’ve had leaky primers for a long time. Picture is blurry though.
Yes they may have been leaking but haven’t had any pierced primers except for one recently.
Main reason I’m switching barrels back to a stock tikka is the pressure issues I’ve experienced
I’d suggest paying more attention to the reloads and how to read pressure. That bolt looks like it’s been gassed quite a bit.
I’d also Chuck that brass.
I’d also Chuck that brass.
Thanks for the advice. I’ve chucked all brass that had any black rings, even if primers weren’t blown.
Those issues tend to get worse after you pierce one. check the tip of your firing pin, it is probably etched too.
18” carbon six barrel
40.5gr h4350
Prime brass
140 ELD 2.81 OAL
WLR
2690 FPS
Nothing crazy.
Thats hauling ass for an 18” barrel. And WLR primers blow…literally
depending on how etched, it might leave marks in the headstamp of the brass that can effect reloading headspace. other than that I would shoot it as is, maybe take a little sand cloth to smooth it out. its not a safety concern.
On a side note, my 18" CM is guaranteed to pierce primers anywhere near 2700. 2550 is my high end for 18".
On a side note, my 18" CM is guaranteed to pierce primers anywhere near 2700. 2550 is my high end for 18".
That's really fast for that load and it's really not that hot of a load either. I use about the same components except for Wolf primers and the load have been around 41.7-42.5gr of H4350 with the ELDMs. For perspective, my last barrel was a 20" running 41.7gr of H4350 and it was going around 2705FPS.
My thoughts exactly. Previous barrel was a 20” PVA and 41.5gr with same components listed above got me 2710. Shot that barrel out over 2500 rounds with no issues.
The velocity was telling you something in the 18” barrel. You should have been loading at 39-39.5 area and low 2600 fps range.
Lesson learned. Thank you to everyone who chimed in.
I’ve already found a replacement bolt from another member. Will use that to headspace the “new” barrel to be safe.
No, it only has about 480 round on it. Still shoots fine and I’m in the process of giving it a deep clean.
Plan to put it on the PX once I have it off. It’s just too erratic compared to the steel barrels I’ve tried previously. It sped up 150 fps and I’ve continually backed down the charge. Just had enough.
Would be perfect for a low volume gun.
Absolutely, not a problem.
If the jetting doesn’t stand proud of the boltface, it doesn’t matter. If it does, sand it down.
- Check your brass- discard, if necessary.
- Lower your load moving forward.
- Also moving forward, pay attention to pressure signs, this has gone on a while.
WLR primers had a problem several years ago. Notably when they went from the chrome plated version to the brass ones. I etched the crap out of my 6.5 Remington Magnum at a match before I realized the problem. This batch would pop with mild loads. I wound up pulling and throwing away several hundred.
I've since pulled the carbon six barrel. Put on a lightly used CTR barrel as a backup for summer/fall and have had no problems with 42.1 gr of H4350. Same WLR and brass. Velocity is around 2685 this summer.
something was goofy with that C6 barrel. I won't get another one. Lessons learned all around.
something was goofy with that C6 barrel. I won't get another one. Lessons learned all around.
