Thread: A sad day

I was out at the range today having blast with a mate. All was well and I decided I'd let rip with my old trusty 303. Prepared it for firing and put some light hand loads through. Stoked with the results I decided to test it against some factory ammo. First round gave a hell of a whack, sticky bolt but no hard extraction or real issues. Thought to myself they must have overcharged that one. Chambered the next something didn't feel right. Had a good soldiers 5 and nothing I could see wrong. Had a shot, crack, safety glasses smashed, bloody sore head and a shattered bolt. It snapped just forward of the bolt handle and sent shit flying everywhere. I've got a few garks on my trigger hand and forearm on the other. By my account I'm lucky to have walked away from that. Better trust my instinct next time. Poor 303 will be getting put to sleep I think.

Shit thats lucky mate!

You need an old tyre and a long piece of string, go buy a lotto, make it next week cos I got this one won

Shit thats lucky you are ok. Wonder what the issue was?

I'd call that a lucky day and not a sad one.

soldier's five?
Is that like a butcher's hook = look?

Count your lucky stars Eion

Lucky. What caused the failure do you think?.

Can you post some pics please.(no Im not a sadistist i am interested for my own safety)

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I wouldn't have a clue what did it. It's a bloody queer place for it to go. I'm at work but I'll get photos up tomorrow.

lucky boy

Have a real good butchers at the first factory case you fired. Any evidence of excessive headspace? I'm thinking that the first factory round bent the bolt a tad, and on the second she let go. The LE bolt is basically free floating up at the breech end and wobbles around like R93's todger in a Kathoey... The perils of a rear locking system, unlike the Mauser style, which locks the bell-end nicely into the labia.

am I on about. Musta been the home brew...

That made perfect senseless

Originally Posted by ishoot10s

The perils of a rear locking system, unlike the Mauser style, which locks the bell-end nicely into the labia.

And as easy as that a new technical term for rifles is born. LLS = Labia Locking System. If you rifle doesn't have this "it's flaps everywhere"

Ok, I'll put my serious hat on.

Imagine standing a length of wooden dowel upright on a hard surface like a concrete floor. It's supported only by its contact with the floor. Now hit the top of the dowel with a hammer. The dowel will likely vibrate, bend, split or fracture depending how hard you hit it. That's what a rear locking LE bolt has to tolerate on every firing because the bolt head is not locked to the breech.

Now imagine the bit of dowel still standing upright, with its base on the floor, but with its top end also held in a vice. Hit that with a hammer and there's not much going to happen except a bit of mushrooming around the top. That's a front locking bolt.

In the LE 303, if its heavily tapered case is given room to move through excessive headspace, it's like a several ton hammer smacking the unsupported top of a slim steel dowel standing on the floor.

That makes sense.