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Official (DTA) SRS, HTI, Covert, Hunter Thread

#15,601
I'm having an issue with reloads on my SRS A2 Covert in 308. The cases chamber fine, sometimes very slightly more force required than usual, but after firing the bolt sometimes gets jammed in place. I can easily lift the bolt but it won't pull back without a significant amount of force / whacking it. Works fine with factory loads.

These are all full length (Forster National Match) sized cases with trimmed necks, OAL 2.81. What could be going on?

They chamber and fire flawlessly in other rifles.
 
Last edited:
#15,604
fancygunz said:
I'm having an issue with reloads on my SRS A2 Covert in 308. The cases chamber fine, sometimes very slightly more force required than usual, but after firing the bolt sometimes gets jammed in place. I can easily lift the bolt but it won't pull back without a significant amount of force / whacking it. Works fine with factory loads.

These are all full length (Forster National Match) sized cases with trimmed necks, OAL 2.81. What could be going on?

They chamber and fire flawlessly in other rifles.
Click to expand...
Factory or custom barrel?

Sounds like your chamber may be a bit short.
 
#15,606
fancygunz said:
I'm having an issue with reloads on my SRS A2 Covert in 308. The cases chamber fine, sometimes very slightly more force required than usual, but after firing the bolt sometimes gets jammed in place. I can easily lift the bolt but it won't pull back without a significant amount of force / whacking it. Works fine with factory loads.

These are all full length (Forster National Match) sized cases with trimmed necks, OAL 2.81. What could be going on?

They chamber and fire flawlessly in other rifles.
Click to expand...
A Friend has this exact scenario but it is with a 338 lap conversion...

Brand new brass works fine , but on the first reload.. ( 90gr Retumbo with 250 Scenar) you can lift the bolt, BUT you have to bash the bolt back with the palm of your hand. The load is very mild . so its not pressure.
FLS with . Redding, Lee, RCBS...doesnt matter ..same result..

Same load and case in my SRS 338...works fine.
 
#15,607
wooferocau said:
A Friend has this exact scenario but it is with a 338 lap conversion...

Brand new brass works fine , but on the first reload.. ( 90gr Retumbo with 250 Scenar) you can lift the bolt, BUT you have to bash the bolt back with the palm of your hand. The load is very mild . so its not pressure.
FLS with . Redding, Lee, RCBS...doesnt matter ..same result..

Same load and case in my SRS 338...works fine.
Click to expand...
Sounds like the extraction/bolt cams surfaces are not engaging
 
#15,608
wooferocau said:
A Friend has this exact scenario but it is with a 338 lap conversion...

Brand new brass works fine , but on the first reload.. ( 90gr Retumbo with 250 Scenar) you can lift the bolt, BUT you have to bash the bolt back with the palm of your hand. The load is very mild . so its not pressure.
FLS with . Redding, Lee, RCBS...doesnt matter ..same result..

Same load and case in my SRS 338...works fine.
Click to expand...
Exact same thing with my factory .375 CT. My fix was new Bertram & Peterson brass. I think in that instance it’s the width of the brass vice HS.
 
#15,609
fancygunz said:
I'm having an issue with reloads on my SRS A2 Covert in 308. The cases chamber fine, sometimes very slightly more force required than usual, but after firing the bolt sometimes gets jammed in place. I can easily lift the bolt but it won't pull back without a significant amount of force / whacking it. Works fine with factory loads.

These are all full length (Forster National Match) sized cases with trimmed necks, OAL 2.81. What could be going on?

They chamber and fire flawlessly in other rifles.
Click to expand...
Take one of your fired pieces of brass and measure with HS compareter then measure one of the hard to chamber ones and post your data here. I think you have a similar problem I have with my .50 barrel.
 
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#15,610
A second 338lap conversion my friend got has the exact same issue as the first..

Factory ammo or reload with NEW brass in fine, BUT as soon as you reload...the issue is apparent!!

My own SRS 338 is fine...same load and more than 10 reloads per case...no issues..

Desert Techs response to my friend was...if factory ammo works...there isn't an issue!!!
 
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#15,611
First reload with brand new Lapua Brass...
 

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#15,612
wooferocau said:
A second 338lap conversion my friend got has the exact same issue as the first..

Factory ammo or reload with NEW brass in fine, BUT as soon as you reload...the issue is apparent!!

My own SRS 338 is fine...same load and more than 10 reloads per case...no issues..

Desert Techs response to my friend was...if factory ammo works...there isn't an issue!!!
Click to expand...
Your buddy try the marker trick yet?
 
#15,617
wooferocau said:
What is that? :)
Click to expand...
Take a marker and draw a line from the top of the case all the way to the bottom on 4 sides of the case. Let it dry. Then chamber the case. He should be able to see where the case is sticking at as the marker lines will be scuffed. A guy from the FCSA had me do that as a diagnostic measure for a problem barrel.
 
#15,620
Anybody have issues with spent casings ejecting from the SAC 223 conversion? Thing flings live rounds out of there just fine whether I slowly pull the bolt back or rip it back.

After firing though, if I slowly pull back I get 0% chance of the casing ejecting and if I rip it/run it back hard I get maybe a 50-60% chance of it ejecting. The left side of the case is angled out from the plunger but it gets held up in the extractor for some reason… again only with spent rounds

Thought maybe it needed to be broken in but coming up on 500rnds and it still does it.
 
#15,622
HenryTheAce said:
Anybody have issues with spent casings ejecting from the SAC 223 conversion? Thing flings live rounds out of there just fine whether I slowly pull the bolt back or rip it back.

After firing though, if I slowly pull back I get 0% chance of the casing ejecting and if I rip it/run it back hard I get maybe a 50-60% chance of it ejecting. The left side of the case is angled out from the plunger but it gets held up in the extractor for some reason… again only with spent rounds

Thought maybe it needed to be broken in but coming up on 500rnds and it still does it.
Click to expand...
Stop using the 223 bolt stop and run the 308 one or none at all.
 
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#15,624
232593 said:
Take one of your fired pieces of brass and measure with HS compareter then measure one of the hard to chamber ones and post your data here. I think you have a similar problem I have with my .50 barrel.
Click to expand...
I had the same issue with a 6.5 Creed barrel. My dies were not compatible with my chamber, so my brass was expanding a little too much just above the extractor groove and my sizing die wasn't sizing that area well enough. A small base die was all I needed to fix it
 
#15,626
fancygunz said:
I'm having an issue with reloads on my SRS A2 Covert in 308. The cases chamber fine, sometimes very slightly more force required than usual, but after firing the bolt sometimes gets jammed in place. I can easily lift the bolt but it won't pull back without a significant amount of force / whacking it. Works fine with factory loads.

These are all full length (Forster National Match) sized cases with trimmed necks, OAL 2.81. What could be going on?

They chamber and fire flawlessly in other rifles.
Click to expand...
See if a small base sizing die fixes it.
 
#15,629
I had a similar thing to you early on,
I reached out to SAC
here's his reply :

Thank you for reaching out. We have found that with brass other than Lapua, it can fail to eject from time to time. You will notice that if one piece of brass fails, it will always fail and if another piece of brass never fails, it won't seem to ever fail. The problem is that the brass has its own tolerance and there is only so much we can plan for. The extractor only has so much movement, so I'm afraid that it is kind of the nature of things. The other big issue is that the DT system was made for 338 type calibers, and the small little .223 has so much room to move once it leaves the chamber that it can actually pop out of the bolt face as you are showing us. I would try another make of brass, Lapua works the best.

I did retire some brass and have been using the same head stamp, what I found to be better for ejection is running the mid size bolt stop.
 
#15,631
Well until today I have had nothing but praise for the DT factory barrels.

Got a spare 300wm...as per usual I clean the barrel before I store it.
Normally you run a patch with some Hoppes and all you get is some powder residue from the test firing DT do.

On this occasion the barrel is copper fouled to the shit house!!!
3 Patches and they are all bright blue.. whole bore is still extremely copper fouled. Never had this with any of their other barrels..
 

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#15,632
This is how I received the barrel...bit rough In handling...
 

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#15,636
I tried to have my OG .338LM barrel set back way back when and was told that the barrel extension and tenon make it a bit more complicated than a traditional barrel. Granted, this particular gunsmith had no previous experience with an SRS, so it was just an educated guess.
 
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#15,637
Will likely be trading a couple guns of mine and picking up what looks to be a gen 1 srs covert with 338/308/300wm conversions. Completely new to the platform (and pretty much long range in general), and was wondering about any tools/tips/warnings about the platform I should keep an eye out for.
 
#15,638
I’m still rocking my Gen 1 from 2008 and the things to be aware of that come to mind:

  • The Gen 1 is unique in that the barrel extension indexes off of a sacrificial pin. It’s a pain to replace and easy to bend, so when you swap barrels just be gentle when seating it, insert and lock the bolt to set the headspace, then use the supplied 70lb toque wrench to tighten the barrel into place.
  • You have a Covert, so you’ve got the most versatile handguard, but if you had a long handguard as well you’d need a special lever tool to do the swap (major pain). You also have to take off the skins completely to do that (they fixed this issue with the A2).
  • You don’t need an adjustable cheek piece, so don’t fret. But scope mount height can be a little odd. I got mine with a prototype DTA mount so it was a non-issue but early adopters seemed to have issues with low mounts being hard to use.
  • The Gen 1 trigger is quite adjustable but it has its limits, so don’t adjust it too much.
  • The Gen 1 bolts got a bit sticky on me at one point and I really had to clean them and the receiver to smooth them out (my own shitty cerakote job didn’t help). Gen 1 bolts are interchangeable with A1 and A2 bolts so don’t feel stuck.
  • Custom barrels are much more available these days. You can reuse your Gen 1 extensions on new barrels but Gen 2 extensions will also work in your rifle, just not the other way around. The Gen 2 is just more robust because it indexes off of the feed ramp instead of that pin.
 
#15,639
Dogtown said:
I’m still rocking my Gen 1 from 2008 and the things to be aware of that come to mind:

  • The Gen 1 is unique in that the barrel extension indexes off of a sacrificial pin. It’s a pain to replace and easy to bend, so when you swap barrels just be gentle when seating it, insert and lock the bolt to set the headspace, then use the supplied 70lb toque wrench to tighten the barrel into place.
  • You have a Covert, so you’ve got the most versatile handguard, but if you had a long handguard as well you’d need a special lever tool to do the swap (major pain). You also have to take off the skins completely to do that (they fixed this issue with the A2).
  • You don’t need an adjustable cheek piece, so don’t fret. But scope mount height can be a little odd. I got mine with a prototype DTA mount so it was a non-issue but early adopters seemed to have issues with low mounts being hard to use.
  • The Gen 1 trigger is quite adjustable but it has its limits, so don’t adjust it too much.
  • The Gen 1 bolts got a bit sticky on me at one point and I really had to clean them and the receiver to smooth them out (my own shitty cerakote job didn’t help). Gen 1 bolts are interchangeable with A1 and A2 bolts so don’t feel stuck.
  • Custom barrels are much more available these days. You can reuse your Gen 1 extensions on new barrels but Gen 2 extensions will also work in your rifle, just not the other way around. The Gen 2 is just more robust because it indexes off of the feed ramp instead of that pin.
Click to expand...

Does DT still provide support for gen 1s? Say I break the barrel pin and need to get it replaced, would I be able to send it in as not the og owner and get it serviced (fee or no fee).
 
#15,640
They used to bd good when they were DTA but as DT they don’t go out if their way to fix things for the Gen1. I broke my last pin recently and Just removed it. Locking is still done with the 0

Edit: wow, you can really see when the Ambien finally kicked in.

I went years before I damaged my pin. One day I needed something like 8 mils of windage at 100m, which made no sense. The barrels return to zero - full stop. My local gunsmith found the problem. DTA sent me a few spare pins and when I got low recently I asked for more and they said basically “we’re DT, not DTA.” Now I recently broke that final pin and as it turns out you don’t need it. Instead I just insert the barrel and make sure the extension lines up correctly, then close the bolt and torque the barrel. It’s been six months and it’s a non-issue, so don’t let this pin stop you from getting a Gen 1. Besides, the pin isn’t proprietary - it’s just some metric common pin I’m too lazy to identify and get more.
 
Last edited:
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#15,645
coldboremiracle said:
if youre talking about the DT one, I always just use the barrel torque wrench which is set at 70 or 80 inch pounds
Click to expand...
Not the scope mount. I’m talking about the hex head screws that hold the scope base to the receiver. Mine are handy. I can add some blue loctite and tighten the screws to good enough, but I figured I would tighten to spec if there is one. The manual doesn’t list a spec for these screws.
 
#15,646
coldboremiracle said:
Where did you get it?
Click to expand...
Delta Tactical.........,which is the sole Desert Tech Distributor here in Aus.

Danny from Delta is already taking care of me... i am swapping the barrel for another and he will deal with Desert Tech himself !! He agreed......Desert Tech need to get their QC in order as of late there have been a few issues!!
 
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#15,647
Now that I have both an A1 and an A2, I can compare the triggers. My A1 trigger was atrocious until I did the trigger mod on it. It then turned into a nice and crisp trigger with zero creep. The A2 trigger is a great trigger right out the box but is slightly heavier in pull weight compared to my A1 even with the adjustment screw turned in only one round.

I would tell someone in the used market to just pick up whichever one he finds a fair deal on. The trigger or the weight between the two just isn’t enough to matter.
 
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#15,648
I took my A2 out to out a few rounds through it and the damn thing drops the mag after every shot. I only brought one mag. I’ll use a few more tomorrow to see if it’s a rifle issue. I bet it is. Hopefully I can fix it myself.

The right side mag release won’t drop any mag. It will as long as I push the mag release and then push up on the mag and then pull it back down. If I just push it, it ain’t coming out. Drops just fine from the left side.

Damn it Desert Tech.
 
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