If you were interested in the stuck case saga in the unfired barrel, perhaps you might care to comment on the actual firing of the rifle afterwards. After about four rounds the apparent light hits became misfires, and we were talking new cases in a tight Sammy chamber with bullets contacting the rifling. Since I have fired this action approximately 2500 times with the original barrel, I remain suprised. To compensate for the malfunction I disassembled the bolt cleaned for any debris from the re-brazing of the bolt handle, and polished the firing pin etc. So a few more trys and same misfiring continued. Any opinions on what may have occured to cause this disparity?

I don't recall that discussion... Are we talking about a Sako? If so, misfires are not uncommon with a weakened firing pin spring or a wrongly adjusted firing pin - with only 6 mm stroke on a relatively light firing pin, it needs all the "ummphh" it can get. You mentioned rebrazing the bolt handle, I exchanged the spring on an A-series Sako where some shade-tree "gunsmith" had swept back the handle a bit (don't ask me why), apparently w/o disassembling the bolt - I guess the heat killed the spring. Still not the dumbest I've seen - the rebarrel job with monkeywrenches beats it by a country mile. Yup, monkey wrenches w/o any leather inserts...

Firing pin protrusion should be .050-.055", this is adjusted by screwing the firing pin in or out of the cocking piece. The lock screw is situated at the bottom of the cocking piece.

However, being in your situation I'd probably haul out the Prussian blue and check for high spots/warpage of the bolt body - but not before I had taken a few swipes down the hole with a brake cylinder hone or similar to clean it out. I can't say that I own a hone small enough to fit in a Sako bolt, but maybe in America..?

-- Mats

Make sure the protrusion is correct. Seems that I recall the Sako has a firing pin that screws into the cocking piece. Check the length of the firing pin fall. To short and you get a weak strike, too long and you won't get enough momentum. Is there any chance it is screwed in to deep or to shallow?? Try assembling the mechanisim with out the mainspring. Check to be sure it is moving freely. If it isn't, make it so. If all this checks out get a new spring.
The bolt handle modification makes me nervious. If something was changed to lessen the firing pin fall, that would cause it.

[This message has been edited by scot (edited 04-20-2001).]

A poor-boy hone can be made with a small dowel. Saw a cross-slot in one end, place a strip of emery cloth in it and spin it with a hand drill. It will shine up the inside of the bolt.

I suspect you are right about the weakened spring due to heat. It takes all kinds. I would replace the spring after a comnplete inspection, then set the protrusion as per Mats' directions.

Don

[This message has been edited by Don G (edited 04-20-2001).]

Duh! It's too late for me now (10.45)...

Rebrazed the handle, huh? Please check the cocking cam surfaces on the bolt and cocking piece, I wouldn't be the least surprised to see something there stopping the action...

-- Mats

If we are talking about the 40X Rem with the stuck case I still am curious to why the case was stuck in a new match chamber? As to the light hit/misfires please tell me the bolt was dissasembled before the rebrazing of the handle.If not the firing pin spring is probably history and needs replacing

If a case got stuck, there had to be a reason. Hope one of the other fixes work. But a high pressure round could have set the bolt lugs back -- more headspace - longer travel for the firing pin.

just a thought - I am NOT a gunsmith.

Trigger has a valid point, I think-especially if the rest of the bolt was not protected from heat during the bolt handle reshaping. The rest of the posts are valid and very possible, too.

An addition--check the firing pin hole for burrs or nicks, or a piece of foreign matter stuck inside. Over oiling the firing pin and spring might also build up a type of hydraulic cushion that prevents firing pin impact.

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Happiness is a 200 yard bughole.

Yes this was the 40X, not a Sako, never a problem there... The firing pin and spring were not in the bolt body at brazing, and with some clean up and polish, the problem has disappeared. Thank you all. The stuck case was my fault for mixing some fired elsewhere brass with the new stuff.