What the heck is wrong? UPDATED

SuperSneakySniper

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 16, 2017
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UPDATE 11-13-18:

Okay guys!
So Wade at Stuteville precision contacted me after noticing this post and offered to take a look at it, no expense to me. He supplied a shipping label, I sent him the barreled action along with a few rounds of the factory ammo I was using (the ammo that was fitting real tight).

He emailed me back as soon as he received it and let me know exactly what was going on. Turns out some of my factory ammo was a little longer than usual, which would explain why sometimes it felt worse than other times. It also explains why I didn't experience it the first time shooting, since it was from a different box. He gave me two options, he could either send it back knowing that the unusually long factory ammo was the problem, or he could make the throat a little larger to accommodate a broader range of ammo without it getting so tight.

I went ahead and chose to have the throat adjusted a little bit. He shipped it back to me, and it's in my hands. It's running FLAWLESSLY now. Super easy to chamber rounds (tried 40 rounds from 2 different boxes, all of them smooth as glass), just like I remember, just like the other Impact actions I felt in the past.

The whole process including shipping only took about two and a half weeks and I couldn't be happier with the results. Wade was super easy to contact through email and phone, was pleasant to talk to, and he even sent me a hat and t-shirt!

So thumbs WAY up for Stuteville precision. Thank you so much for fixing my little issue, and in a timely, friendly fashion!

Will definitely be getting future Impact Pre-Fits from him!



Original post:

Hey guys,

Weirdest thing happened and I have no idea why or how to fix it.
I've got a pretty new Impact Precision action, I've fired about 30 rounds through it with no problem and it was very accurate very smooth.
I plopped it into a Magpul Pro chassis and it seems to fit just fine.

Then I tested the magazine to ensure that it feeds fine, and yes, the magazine does its job and feeds into the chamber perfectly. BUT for some reason I am meeting resistance when cambering the round. I can push through it but it's spongy and awkward. The round itself won't travel the last tenth of an inch without some extra help. It's like the chamber magically got really tight overnight.

I don't understand why the chamber feels extra tight all of a sudden. I didn't change the barreled action at all. The action screws aren't protruding from the bottom (it happens even when I take it out of the stock), the magazine isn't the issue because it does this with or without the magazine. A snap cap will chamber perfectly, but a live round gets gummy.

I swabbed the chamber, looks clean. I even put a cleaning rod down it to ensure there were no bore obstructions. I'm using the same ammo (6.5CM ELD-M Factory 140gr)

It's really annoying because the extra resistance can sometimes disrupt my sight picture when I'm aiming and working the bolt. I don't remember this happening last time i took it out.

Anyone have any clues?
 
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Do your cartridges have marks/gouges on them?

Does it do the same thing without a magazine inserted?

Does it do the same thing if you put it all back in the MPA chassis?
 
Ty for the responses guys. It does this with or without the magazine so im thinking the mag isnt the issue. Its just the laaaast tiny bit of forward bolt travel that is getting some unusual resistance. Kind of like how a Mausingfield or Tempest needs to be pushed forward just a bit more than normal to chamber a round? Except it wasnt behaving like this last week...

Ill try it without the chassis when i get home from work and see if that does something. As far as i can tell, it didn't gouge the rounds up. The snap cap ive got chambers like a dream, i remember the rounds chambering perfectly when i first took it out. Ill have to double check the chamber and swab it out. Idk maybe a piece of plastic or something got shoved in there.

Think maybe shooting it could get rid of whatever is doing this? Lol. I can try and take it out thos weekend.
 
Front action screw too long?

It doesnt look like its sticking out or anything, and if it was too long i think the snap cap would also be having the issue.
Either way ill be taking the stock off to see what happens.

Maybe i should also try a different box of Hornady.

Just for the record, for those of you with snap caps, do they normally tend to chamber much easier than live ammo?

Edit: As suggested above ill also check for scrapes on lugs when i get home.
 
So I purchased an action from Tate. The front screw if too long will cause this. He told me this when he also sold me a foundation stock, he cut a screw to ensure this would not happen as he already knew how long it needed to be for that stock.

Try it without the screws or back them both out enough to ensure they’re not doing it.

Good luck.
 
Okay fair enough, ill give it a shot for sure. Thanks for the input everyone, ill update the situation when i get home and try all this out.
What’s up man, kind of tough to diagnose what it might be without seeing it. I would try what you plan and see if it does it without being in the stock and maybe even put it back in the mpa and see if it still does it or not. But give Tate a shout first thing monday morning if you can’t get it figured out and he can help however he needs to.
 
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Wipe out the bolt lug raceway inside the action to make sure that a metal shaving from filing the magazine didn’t get in there, use a flashlight and q tip.
 
UPDATE:

Okay so I took the barreled action out of the chassis and simply tried it without any stock or magazine. Still no luck. I compared the feeling of chambering a round to a friend's Bergara, and there's definitely something up with the Impact barreled action. It's something to do with either the action, bolt, or chamber/barrel. I have to push forward a considerable amount harder to get the bolt to close. Again, I don't have to shove it VERY hard, but hard enough to make it annoying, definitely not something I want to have to do on the clock.

I tried two separate boxes of ammo (I am using new factory Hornady 140gr ELDM 6.5CM) and I get the same results, so it isn't the ammo's fault as far as I can tell.

As suggested I took a look at the live rounds that I am chambering. There are very small scratches on the bullet, kind of in a spiral pattern, but they are pretty light scratches, still smooth, not full on gouges. There was also a little black stuff (maybe grease?) around the base of the bullet/case neck, but it wiped off without issue. I'm not sure if that indicates anything. I'm pretty new to these kinds of problems. Also the bolt/lugs don't have any scratches or wear.

I will be contacting Impact to see if they can help me figure this one out. At this point I'm thinking it's a tight chamber? But that doesn't really explain why it was chambering fine the first time I took it out.

Please let me know if you guys have any suggestions in the meantime. I want to shoot!
I'm not sure if I can get decent pictures posted that would help any. I mean, the chamber, action, bolt, and barrel physically look fine. But if pics help, lemme know what to take a pic of and I'll post em' up.

I'll be taking a toothbrush to the chamber and raceways to see if anything is lodged in there. It's not very dirty, only 30 ish rounds have been through the tube so far. Will continue to update.
Again thanks for your help so far fellas! That's why I love this site!
 
Then he would have never been able to chamber rounds without trouble before the chassis change, throats don't get shorter.

Maybe I missed it but did he state he was using the exact same ammo from the same box ?
Did he compare CBTO from that ammo with a measurement taken from his chamber ?

Read through it again he did state he was using the same ammo, my goof.
He still needs to verify CBTO.
 
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Maybe I missed it but did he state he was using the exact same ammo from the same box ?
Did he compare CBTO from that ammo with a measurement taken from his chamber ?

Read through it again he did state he was using the same ammo, my goof.
He still needs to verify CBTO.

What is CBTO? If i can measure it ill do it.

Were you using MPA's replacement action screws or? Did you check on those yet?

I get the problem with or without a stock of any kind, so i dont think action screws are the problem. Still does it even when i chamber a round into the barreled action alone.
 
CBTO is cartridge base to ogive measurement.
You may just call it something else but that is what stuck in my head years ago or BTO measurement.
If you have the Hornady headspace and comparator tools check your distance to lands measurement with the 140eldm and then compare that to the ammo in question.
If the measurement on the ammo is shorter then you can check that off the list.
 
CBTO is cartridge base to ogive measurement.
You may just call it something else but that is what stuck in my head years ago or BTO measurement.
If you have the Hornady headspace and comparator tools check your distance to lands measurement with the 140eldm and then compare that to the ammo in question.
If the measurement on the ammo is shorter then you can check that off the list.

Ah. Well crap lol. I dont reload, so i dont have those tools i just have calipers unfortubately. But yeah since i think maybe the chamber is tight, those tools seem like theyd be useful right about now.
 
Ah. Well crap lol. I dont reload, so i dont have those tools i just have calipers unfortubately. But yeah since i think maybe the chamber is tight, those tools seem like theyd be useful right about now.

Your chamber may be spot on and the ammo or atleast some of it is slightly out of spec or on the edge of the tolerances. It certainly wouldnt surprise me.
 
Your chamber may be spot on and the ammo or atleast some of it is slightly out of spec or on the edge of the tolerances. It certainly wouldnt surprise me.

That would make sense since I didn't notice it with the first outing but now I notice it. The thing is I've since tested 2 different boxes, testing about 10 rounds from each box with similar results.

You said like new right? No chance it’s older than you believe it to be?

I highly doubt it, I bought straight from Impact Precision right after they came back in stock. Bought the barrel with the action, came as a new barrelled action.
 
Hi,

Is it possible that the "issue" was there during your first outing but you were just excited about shooting your new rifle and you just did not pay attention and/or notice the issue the first time but when you changed chassis in which you had to alter a magazine that after that you were paying super close attention to how the action closure felt?

That would lend the issue to being just a barely too tight chamber. Not so tight that the cartridge would not chamber but just tight enough to cause the extra "push" to chamber it.

Sincerely,
Theis
 
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Normally if it is interference at the throat you will feel a similar hard spot at the top of the upward bolt stroke as the bullet pulls out. If it is an Impact marked barrel I chambered it. If it is and you'd like me to look at it PM me and we'll make arrangements.
Thanks,
Wade Stuteville
Stuteville Precision
Impact Precision Shooting
 
Okay, I've got an idea that I don't think was mentioned. Take the bolt out and try pressing the rim of a cartridge into the bolt face. It will take moderate force to push the ejector in and have the extractor snap over the rim. But try to get an idea if the extractor or ejector is causing some resistance.
 
Hi,

Is it possible that the "issue" was there during your first outing but you were just excited about shooting your new rifle and you just did not pay attention and/or notice the issue the first time but when you changed chassis in which you had to alter a magazine that after that you were paying super close attention to how the action closure felt?

That would lend the issue to being just a barely too tight chamber. Not so tight that the cartridge would not chamber but just tight enough to cause the extra "push" to chamber it.

Sincerely,
Theis

Yknow... Now that you mention it, that might be possible. When i first took the rifle out I hadnt chambered a round or anything until i was about to pull the trigger, so i could have been excited and just didnt feel it until my second time out.

Normally if it is interference at the throat you will feel a similar hard spot at the top of the upward bolt stroke as the bullet pulls out. If it is an Impact marked barrel I chambered it. If it is and you'd like me to look at it PM me and we'll make arrangements.
Thanks,
Wade Stuteville
Stuteville Precision
Impact Precision Shooting

Hey there! Yes there is a noticeable resisance when lifting up on the bolt to extract the cartridge sometimes.
Sometimes the issue isnt very noticeable, and sometimes it's obvious there is some extra resistance when chambering and when pulling back up on the bolt. It depends on if im running it fast or slow.

Dont get me wrong, its not unbearable, and maybe some people wouldnt even notice it much, but to me it is definately bad enough to make it harder than the standard Rem700, Tikka and Bergara i have compared it to, which leads me to believe something is up, because ive felt other Impacts before and they cycle like a dream!
Ill send a PM!
Thank you for your support!
 
Sounds like you're jamming bullets into lands while chambering.

This is my current hypothesis. And as THEIS mentioned above, I think perhaps my "excitement" caused me to not notice it during my first outing with the rifle lol. But I'm no gunsmith, so I'll wait and see what the official report is after I get it to Wade, and I'll post the findings!
 
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This is my current hypothesis. And as THEIS mentioned above, I think perhaps my "excitement" caused me to not notice it during my first outing with the rifle lol. But I'm no gunsmith, so I'll wait and see what the official report is after I get it to Wade, and I'll post the findings!
I have had a similar problem with my 300 Norma. Neck and throat area was a little tight. I ran Manson's neck and throater tool in and it cleaned up the problem. My PTG reamer was a little tight on specs. You can see where the bullet gets rubbed in the throat area, this causes that annoying resistance. Probably a little carbon build up in the throat area that is not cleaning out.
 
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