I own a 788 and bought some ammunition that was fairly high velocity in 22-250. I shot some of them and they would not eject for about 30 seconds. I could not move the bolt at all.

So I went to the gunshop and they first thought it was the ammo but then i brought the rifle in and the put a no-go guage in the chamber and it closed. It didn't close that easy but it still closed. Then the took a new rifle off the shelf and told me the no-go guage would not allow the bolt to close but it close with no problem at all. At least mine took a bit to close it!

My question now is what do I do. I could have the barrel turned back I guess, I could have a new barrel on it. Am I safe still shooting this gun the way it is? It is still shooting accurately. Any comments would be appreciated.

Greg

berneticg@shaw.ca

How much do you put a value on your's or someone elses life. It's a 50/50 chance on what the end result will be if you have it set back and rechambered. You say it shoots good now and probably will shoot better with setting it back and rechambering. It may shoot or may not. If you knew how many rounds have been through ,that would help you make a decision on rechamber or new barrel.

I'd get it fixed.

Was the rifle chambered at the factory? If so, Remington ought to pay to have it fixed. If not, whoever chambered it ought to pay.

A lot of gunsmiths are Remington authorized repair centers, so you probably won't have to ship the gun back. I never had warranty work done on a Remington. Maybe the gunsmith just charges Reminton instead of you.

H. C.

788's have a history of developing excessive headspace over time. I've heard a number of explanations for this but the most common one is that the rear locking lugs let the bolt compress a little at every shot and eventually this causes excessive headspace. My 788 (308 Win) got so bad that it hadn't had a factory round shot in it in 10 years. Mine is at Wisners right now getting a broken bolt handle repaired and the headspace problem fixed. Wisner can replace the bolt head and correct any excessive headspace if you send then the barreled action.

Could he adjust the sizing die and still shoot safely?I realize that shooting a new factory round would be dangerous to say the least.It would be better to rechamber.Just curious.

Did you try a "field" gauge in it? I have a hunch the brass wouldn't extract for another reason - perhaps there was some oil or bore cleaner in the chamber. It seems to me that bolt closure on a "no-go" gauge isn't necessarily dangerous (although ideally you should only get about half-bolt closure), but it surely shouldn't close on a "field" gauge....how does the shoulder look on the brass?

Greg,

Usually when a bolt doesn't open right up it's due to excessive pressure more than anything. The only time headspace will keep a bolt from opening is if the excess headspace is caused by bolt lug set back.

It is possible to force a bolt closed on a no-go guage of a rifle that would otherwise be considered safe. I would think that if a person had to work a little bit to force the bolt to close on a no-go gauge that the headspace would probably be fine still. A person can raise hell and damage a chamber by forcing a bolt closed on a hardened headspace gauge, so go easy.

I watch primers more than anything for forecasting excess limits. Primers backing out of factory loads would be a concern. If the primers aren't backing out and the bolt closes hard on a no-go gauge, then I wouldn't worry.

Good luck,

Malm

Protruding primers will indicate excessive headspace only if the chamber pressure is less than 40,000 psi or so. Above that point the case head will no longer stay "stuck" to the chamber wall and the case will push back over the primer. This usually results in a "rivet" appearence of the primer. A headspace gage should just touch, the firing pin spring may mask this feel. Only an idiot would force a gage. It sounds like a combination of high pressure ( thats why they were high velocity rounds),and perhaps a lug set back into a recess.
Good luck!

coyote caller-

I'm more interested in how you "'smith" checked headspace.

If he didn't strip the bolt down to nothing but body and extractor (NO ejector) he's just guessing and seems not to mind screwing up your chamber for you. To say he used anything but the gravity on the bolt handle to check headspace is the SURE sign of a hammer mechanic. I wouldn't trust a PICTURE of my rifle to him.

There's no where for a M-788 lug to "set back" too that will lock the bolt. The lugs and the seats are the same size.

I suspect oil or solvent left in the chamber or bore, or dry locking lugs/seats, but the reality is that there are many causes for factory loads showing pressure signs. The only way to figure it out is to see the gun and go through them one by one.

I'm also curious about the "fairly high velocity" ammo. Was this factory ammo? I own a bunch of 788's and the only time I've had one refuse to open was because of my own stupidity at the loading bench (hey, what can I say? I was young and wanted to go fast). I think I would try it with regular factory ammo before I got too excited. I also would look around for a new 'smith, just for a second opinion. You shouldn't force any gauge in the chamber, just use a stripped bolt and close it lightly, so as to eliminate the possibilty of marring the chamber. FWIW - Dan

Thanks for all the replies. Yes the ammo was factory but I do not really want to say who brand it was since the sales rep replaced it with more ammo free of charge. The guys at the gun shop thought the primers looked a little flat at the edges.

Greg

berneticg@shaw.ca

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"whiskey for my men and beer for my horses"