Sometimes after I shoot, especially after the gun has gotten cold or hasnt been shot for awhile the bolt handle is harder than normal to lift for extraction of the cartridge. Its not that i have to try hard but it isnt the normal smooth TIkka lift I am accumstomed too. DO I need to grease it or something? Otherwise the gun has been flawless.

Someone on another board replied this:
You mention after it has gotten cold or not been shot for awhile.... Any chance you clean and then oil during those times? I have a time or two ran a dry patch down the bore but didn't squeeky clean the oil from the chamber before shooting.
This can cause excessive pressure on the case head due to the loss of the grip in the chamber and then when you lift the bolt you slice off that little bit of brass that was smashed into the ejector pin hole. Thus the sticky bolt feel.
Just a thought,

I replied:
this sounds like it.

I have seen copper slices on the bolt face and have seen what looks like copper string in the chamber near where it enters the bore. I do not shoot handloads. I have noticed it with all factory loads. It never happens when I am not shooting ( the bolt being hard to lift). If it happens, it happens usually after the first shot after not shooting for a little while. I would say this happens 1 in 10 times I shoot maybe.

Why would I be seeing the copper on the bolt face and fragments in the chamber. I might have too much breakfree in there? I looked in there with a flashlight and it did look like it might be oily but I dont remeber ever putting any in there

Yes I had been cleaning it somewhat after I every time i went shooting.

He replied:
The copper on the bolt face is all of those little slices of copper smashed on the bolt face and/or due to the brass in it's unfired form being trued up/ formed by the tooling marks on the boltface itself. Cases that have already been fired are hardened a bit with each firing so if you were to reload you would see this copper problem decrease. I have had cartridges that would inprint the extractor pin hole head due to the brass being new but subsequent firings of the same load ceases to do this. This is just another great reason for rolling your own.
Even if you are using a bore guide, any oil that you put into the rifling will end up in the chamber. Setting the rifle upright the the gun cabinet or in the corner will assure that this happens. Bore guides have a rubber O-ring that keeps the oil out of the action but the shoulder area is still coated.
A couple of no cost tips that will help you out greatly. 1. If you must store your oiled rifle upright in a gun case, first push a rag up into the chamber. Make sure it is large enough so you can not fit a cartridge in there. This will keep the oil out of your action. 2. Find a brush or jag that will fit your chamber and wrap a rag around it and clean the chamber out with your choice of solvent and then dry-patch before firing. You want NO oil in the chamber upon firing. 3. When done shooting, after cleaning you can recoat the chamber with oil to prevent rust while storing.
With cost tip. Get a reloading setup and enjoy shooting to its fullest.

DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY IDEAS??????

It's definitely oil in the chamber. The only place you should put grease is on the recoil lug surfaces; try it. If it's a SS action, without grease on the lugs, you can get galling which will make bolt lift hard.

Are you shooting factory or handloads? Is the bolt hard to move at first or does it get hard to lift after it starts to cam out the fired case?

The brass chips might be from the extractor or bolt face or even from a feeding problem. Where are there marks on the cases?

It never happens unless i fire a bullet. It does not happen if I load and eject a cartridge without firing. It doesnt happen very often.
From talking with others, I am assuming it is over lubed. The gun is also a month old and I have yet to break it down and degrease everything. It was brand new when I got it. I am going to do that. I looked in the chamber with a flashlight and noticed it was oily in there.
Here is what I plan to do. let me know what you think

Use a spray degresser to the chamber/ bore area, get
it completly clean and dry.
Use a good bore oil applied very lightly.
Get a bore mop and clean the chamber area IE where
the lugs meet.
use Remington Dry Lube for the lugs on all my rifles.
Great stuff, Apply it heartily.
If this doesnt work
start to store all my rifles barrel/bore down

so I will take the barreled action out of the
stock. Spray everything down real good. Spray directly
into the bolt and let it drip out. Spray in the area where
the bolt lugs have contact with the action.
Spray the trigger assembly down inside.

Re-lube with the Remington Dry-Lube.
I'll put a very small drop of good non teflon oil in
the trigger assembly and lightly apply it
to my barrel. No
oil in the bolt assembly, just spray the dry lube in it.

thx SU85

Please answer my previous questions so we can help you.

I don't think it's the lube or cleaning.

If the bolt is hard to move at all as you try to lift it then the load is too hot for some reason. If the bolt lifts but then sticks then it's the chamber that's rough and gripping the case and the extractor can't pull it out easily.

I am shooting factory loads. Gets hard to lift about halfway through the lift. not the initial pull but not at the end of it either. It does this once in awhile and most likely the first time i shoot. Now i think when i shot hornady light magnums it did it also but i do not remember if it did it with them more then once. It looks like there is copper string in the chamber sometimes. There are some marks on the area directly where they are fed right out of the magazine.

Ok, there is something wrong with the chamber. Wipe it out, don't brush it and shine a light into it and try to see what is in there. If you can't focus well at that distance maybe a child can!

Other than putting a shotgun brush in there after you look we must identify the problem first.

Are there tool marks on any of the fired cases? Are there any excess pressure signs besides the extraction?

savage 99--
i was worng ....Yes it does it when I DRY FIRE. I just picked it up out of the closet and it was sluggish to lift after I dry fired then I worked it without dry firing it and it was easy. Then i dry fired it again and it was not as easy.

**And it was at the beginning of the pull so I was wrong about that

OK Now what do I do?

It is the cocking of the fireingpin that makes it harder to lift! Use a firm powerfull move then you repeat, without hesitation.

Kimmo

Tika,

I am not familar with that rifle. If I recall it's quite new. You might take it back to where to bought it for warrantee work.

As mentioned above maybe it's the cocking cam. You could try some chasse grease there. Just wipe it off if you bring it back. Keep in mind that the bolt may be assembled wrong, be made wrong or some of those brass chips may be jamming something. I have even seen striker springs that were rubbing inside of the bolt or the pieces that hold the spring.

If it's off season you can keep trying. Just don't make any marks or changes on the rifle that would void your warrantee.

Hello 308Tikka,

Does that model rifle have a small 4mm diameter
"button" at the rear of the receiver where the "cam" on the bolt handle presses on lifting the bolt?

cheers edi

When you cycle the bolt without firing, you are merely overcoming the camming action of the lugs bearing on the action and friction.

When you cycle it after firing you are adding the effort of compressing the firing pin spring which on a modern fire arm such as the Tikka is strong. A bit of grease or oil on the face of the cocking cam ramp will ease things but what you describe seems normal to me.

It was normal and I was paranoid!@!@@!!@@! nothing is wrong with my gun!!! THANK GOD!

So we can all resume breathing - good work. Some day I'll write why I asked that question.

cheers edi