Having an issue with a Ruger Hawkeye 338WM. With factory ammo it's very difficult to extract a fired case from the chamber. Reloaded rounds are no problem. It's happening with three different brands of ammo. Could this be a chamber issue needing a reamer and polishing?

Where it's happening with factory stuff and not reloaded stuff tells me it might be ammo related. The chamber cannot differentiate between hand loaded brass and factory new brass. Is there a difference in how the bolt feels when opened between the factory stuff and the handloads? Measure and compare dimensions between the factory stuff and your handloads.

Polishing maybe but if it really does need a reamer, it needs to go back to Ruger. Is it hard to chamber a round? Is the chamber rough; can you see any rings in it? If rounds go in easily, you do not need to enlarge the chamber. It might be rough. Need more info.

Chambering and bolt lift are fine. It's the extraction that's tight. Three different factory loads are hanging up. Unfired rounds chamber and extract smoothly. Thinking polishing might be in order.

In that case definitely do not use a reamer on your chamber; it is already to spec if it chambers and extracts live rounds. Look inside for a ring or roughness; best to remove the barrel for that, but you can use a drill and some 600 grit paper wrapped around a slotted dowel but go slowly and don't grind your rifling any.

I had a 7mmSTW in a Winchester CRF model 70 that would have extremely hard to extract issues with factory Rem ammo. The first round fired would have very hard bolt lift, the second round I would have to beat the bolt open with the butt of my hand and the third round I would have to use my foot to extract the case. I had the dealer I bought it from try to smooth the chamber walls with a Fordum (sp) and steel wool and it might have helped a little but it was so little it was almost indistinguishable. I didn't reload then (started immediately after trading this rifle), but think the ammo was loaded too hot for my chamber. That seems to me like the same trouble you are experiencing.

If the rifle is covered by Ruger's warranty, send it back.
If it isn't, email them with the problem & if they say send it back, then do just that.

We are under a time crunch for a July departure to SA. We have located a shop with a bore scope and will do an inspection this weekend. Hopefully it is a n easy fix. I doubt the gun is still under warranty due to having it glass bedded and refinished.