Thread: Fixin stuff

Who's a good gunsmith for actually fixing a gun? My Sako .223 goes click instead of bang occasionally. Lots of firing pin protrusion, and it's maybe 1 in 5 rounds with every type of ammo I've tried, always goes bang after I re-cock it and try again. Would like to get it sorted. Figure it's a spring issue or something weird and dumb like slightly excessive headspace?



customrifles.txt also

Have you had the bolt apart/spring out for a proper clean and lube up

Excess oil in the bolt gives those symptoms as it hydraulics occasionally

Originally Posted by 7mmsaum

Have you had the bolt apart/spring out for a proper clean and lube up

Excess oil in the bolt gives those symptoms as it hydraulics occasionally

Yep.

Have you measured the headspace on your fired brass?

Have you noticed if only partial neck sizing or just touch ammo solves the problem?

Have you made 10x ammo with a 10 thou jam and fired it to see if that eliminates the headspace issue ?

Is it possible that your FL die is pushing the shoulder too far back ?


If all seems well then replace the firing pin Spring, age has softened it or it has spent a little time in the cocked position which is common for some bolts stored out of the rifle, which can soften some springs

Should of bought a T3

Probably just need a new main spring. Have a Kar98 that did it regular. Replace main spring, 100% bang. What's a sako spring worth? 200?

Originally Posted by 7mmsaum

Have you measured the headspace on your fired brass?

Have you noticed if only partial neck sizing or just touch ammo solves the problem?

Have you made 10x ammo with a 10 thou jam and fired it to see if that eliminates the headspace issue ?

Is it possible that your FL die is pushing the shoulder too far back ?

I've tried 4 or 5 different factory loads with the same problem, am not handloading for it. Have not measured headspace on brass.

What is the primer hit like on one that goes click?

I have a sako vixen that has had a few thousand rounds through it and is on its second barrel. I had to have the bolt spring replaced a few years ago for a similar problem. It is an easy fix to do as long as you have the right spring.

Originally Posted by Gillie

What is the primer hit like on one that goes click?

I have a sako vixen that has had a few thousand rounds through it and is on its second barrel. I had to have the bolt spring replaced a few years ago for a similar problem. It is an easy fix to do as long as you have the right spring.

Haven't bothered to look honestly, just been re-cocking it and shooting whatever I am trying to shoot.

Originally Posted by gimp

I've tried 4 or 5 different factory loads with the same problem, am not handloading for it. Have not measured headspace on brass.

New spring will fix it, if you ever store a bolt out of a rifle make sure it's de cocked, and make sure you know how to re cock it before reassembly.


Storing your bolt in a rifle at least allows it to be de cocked and removes some Spring compression pressure

New spring is 8 bucks so I suppose that's an easy thing to try

Originally Posted by gimp

New spring is 8 bucks so I suppose that's an easy thing to try

That will fix it.

Originally Posted by gimp

New spring is 8 bucks so I suppose that's an easy thing to try

Where did you get the spring from for 8 bucks? Sounds too good $ to be a Sako part.

I was told by someone who knew a lot about metallurgy that it doesn't matter if springs are stored compressed, it's the number of cycles that wears them out.

He was mainly talking about magazines though. I'm no expert in this area, or any area for that matter.

Lots of jumping to cause, and it well may be a tired main spring, but the first thing to check with any misfire is primer indentation. After assessing that then head off on the potential causes, easiest ones first. Some pictures of the misfired case heads/primers would be useful.
Potential causes (mostly already covered in thread) primers not seated correctly, excessive full length sizing, dodgy primers, weakened main spring, damaged firing pin tip (rare), firing pin protrusion incorrect (had this happen progressively on an LSA Tika), crap inside bolt/congealed snot/oil. And so on.
A weakened main spring is less inclined to give misfires and more inclined to give inconsistent primer ignition and high ES of velocity. On later model Sakos it is easy to check main spring - if you can easily decock and recock by hand the spring is getting weak. And Savage1 is correct.