Gunsmithing New Remington 223 bolt is hard to close

[crowsniper1]

Just picked this one up and checking it out before i shoot it I noticed that the bolts really stiff to close on new factory ammo,it will close but it takes some force,it closes hard enough that it leaves shiny marks on the base of the brass.I have a headspace gauge and measured the new brass ,bump it a few thousands in my body die and it will chamber easily. So my question is ,does this rifle have a tight chamber and will it cause high pressure or be dangerous? Does this sound like headspace problem?

 

[Steve_Rose]

I am assuming you have cleaned any grease, residue,etc. from the chamber and bolt lugs.

You have headspace gauges?....Does the bolt close on the GO headspace gauge? If not then yes, the chamber may be tight.

Another thing to check is to make sure the ejector plunger (in the bolt face) will depress to the level of the bolt face – it the ejector protrudes it could be dragging on the brass

 

[Threadcutter308]

Just picked this one up and checking it out before i shoot it I noticed that the bolts really stiff to close on new factory ammo,it will close but it takes some force,it closes hard enough that it leaves shiny marks on the base of the brass.I have a headspace gauge and measured the new brass ,bump it a few thousands in my body die and it will chamber easily. So my question is ,does this rifle have a tight chamber and will it cause high pressure or be dangerous? Does this sound like headspace problem?

I would suggest the following;

1. Purchase an L.E. Wilson case gauge to measure your ammo;
https://lewilson.com/case-gage/

2. NEVER bump the shoulder of LOADED ammunition. Very dangerous. Just thinking about that gives me the heebie jeebies.

I assume the bolt closes just fine on an empty chamber ?

Measure the loaded ammo in the Wilson case gauge. If the head of the case is above the top of the groove on the gauge, the ammo is problematic.

Remove the ejector from the bolt and using a good set of Go-No Go gauges, ascertain headspace that way. The bolt should close easily on the Go gauge. If it's tight on the Go gauge, the chamber is too short.

I agree with Steve Rose above. Check the ejector as he describes above.

I suspect your ammo is long. It's possible the rifle left the factory with a short chamber, but not very likely. Buy a box of a different brand of ammo and try that. If the new ammo chambers OK, that points back to the original ammo being long.

 

[Skunkworx]

Does the extractor look rough?

 

[crowsniper1]

I was mistaken about the headspace gauge I don’t have go-no go set,i have the moe’s case gauge to measure the brass. Im going to check the plunger next to see if sits out too far. I tried some hornady tap and win white box factory ammo in it and both are a tight fit.

 

[B y r o n]

Just picked this one up and checking it out before i shoot it I noticed that the bolts really stiff to close on new factory ammo,it will close but it takes some force,it closes hard enough that it leaves shiny marks on the base of the brass.I have a headspace gauge and measured the new brass ,bump it a few thousands in my body die and it will chamber easily. So my question is ,does this rifle have a tight chamber and will it cause high pressure or be dangerous? Does this sound like headspace problem?

Maybe a little more information will help clear this up. Is this a new factory rifle or is it a used and if so who's make and model? Is the barrel stamped as .223 or 5.56 Nato?

Also, with regard to the ammo, .223 or 5.56 Nato?

 

[crowsniper1]

Its a new Remington 700 223 .I put around 30 rounds through it today load testing and it did great. I’ve never owned a 223 with a chamber this tight,it must be set at absolute minimum headspace ,the fired brass measured same as a new piece with my case gauge. I was worried about pressure but i never saw anything on the brass to indicate it and bolt lift was normal on fired brass. I lapped the back of the locking lugs a little with Remington 40X cleaner ,its slightly abrasive and that seemed to help alot. I just shot steel today @ 400 to check function and get numbers with my magnetospeed ,it was in the 30’s all day but when it warms up I’ll shoot some paper to see how it groups.