I just noticed today while unloading my Rem 721 that when I run the shell in the magazine into the chamber then eject them that I was bending and deforming the tips of the Sierra game kings that I had loaded. It appears that the bullets are hitting the ramp at the front at the wrong angle? After thinking back, even the factory loads I use to shoot always had damage to the lead tips from the time I started shooting this gun.

This can not be good for accuracy. I even broke the lead tip completly off one of the bullets this mourning. Is there something that can be done to change the angle of this ramp and not weaken the action or the lug seat?

Are you sure the bullets are being damaged on the way in and not on the way out? Those bolt nose ejectors have been known to swing a live round rather forcefully into the forward portion of the loading port resulting in damaged bullets.

And you are correct, ANY bullet damage, no matter how insignificant it appears, can alter the flight path of the bullet, just like a screwed up crown.

Before I would take a dremel tool to the ramp, I would pull the gun out of the stock and check to make sure the magazine box fits and is seated correctly and that follower is tracking straight. I would Pull the firing pin and hand feed a full magazine through the action and watch every move.

If it is determined that the ramp angle needs a little tweaking, then it is possible to make a small correction without compromising the lug seats strength. Becareful though, a subtle change in the ramps angle can make a huge difference in how the round approaches and enters the chamber. Good luck!

I don't think it's the ramp that's causing the damage either. It's happening as mentioned above, with the round being forceably thrown "up" during extraction and ejection. I had a 721 in 30-06 that I bought in 1951 and had the same exact problem. As a kid back then, my way of handling the problem was to hold a finger on the case top as it was being extracted to keep it from being slapped up and damaging the bullet nose.

Don

Thanks for the replies. Iwill look closer at the damage running the cartridge into the gun. And be very carful running live ammo out of the gun. Other than holding the shell down during the ejection is there anything else one can do?

Yes, anytime you cycle live ammo indoors, always remove the firing pin first. Unless the muzzle of the weapon is in the bullet trap, I do it in this shop religiously.

Outside of firing the round and pulling the empty, there is nothing you can do but restrain the live round while you extract it from the chamber.

I would recommend trimming the bolt lock feature on the safety so that you can cycle live rounds with the gun on safe.