[Sundance]

Bought it used. Looks like new. Shot 18 rounds through it, then it wouldn't set off the bullet. Took it to a gunsmith. He said the firing pin was working. He fired a new bullet through it...said I must have done something wrong. Got back to siteing it in today. It had been cleaned. I shot 18 rounds and then dead fire, twice. Got a shell from the box the gunsmith bought for me. It fired and also fired the two that hadn't fired before. ( You could see where the pin hit the primer on those two). After three shots, it missed again, twice. I put it away. Do you folks think the firing spring is weak? Or should I go a different route?

 

[zoar]

First---- you are not doing anything "wrong".
Second--- fire your gunsmith. I mean it never go back to that lughead. You can do better.
Third---- you do have mechanical issues with this rifle, either return it or go on a quest to find a good gunsmith.

 

[broom_jm]

I will agree with the First and Second comments, but not necessarily the Third. You may, or may NOT, have a mechanical issue, but you should certainly get a 2nd opinion from a highly-recommended gunsmith.

You could have a slight headspace problem (do you see a bright ring on the head of the brass, just forward of the web section?) and you could have a problem with the firing pin/spring.

You didn't really make it clear if any of the rounds from the gunsmith ever resulted in a FTF. It is entirely possible that your ammo has bad primers or the cases were resized excessively. If they're factory loads, that is not very likely and it's definitely time to see a GOOD gunsmith.

 

[MontyF]

I see you are from Illinois. Many times new guns come with too much grease in the bolt assembly. When it's cold outside (my assumption here) the firing pin slows down and don't get a good strike.Take the bolt appart and clean it, reassemble dry and see if that works.

 

[Sundance]

I really appreciate all of you helping me. All the ammo is factory loads. I have changed back and forth. The imprint on the FTF loads was not as deep as the others. I will clean the bolt, as suggested, and report back. Thanks, Sundance

 

[broom_jm]

Did any of the ammo from the dealer result in a FTF?

One of the great things about reloading is that cases that have been fired from your gun fit the chamber very well, so long as you don't resize them excessively. Be sure to let us know what you find that solves the problem.

 

[Sundance]

broom_jm-----Yes one of the Federal factory loads, from the box that the gunsmith purchased for me, did fire. Then 2 FTF Hornadys Factory loads and then the Federal factory FTF. After that, I put the rifle away until I can figure this out. Now, I've got to get this bolt cleaned up and look at the condition of the internal parts. Looks like I may have to purchase the tool to help me accomplish the task. I will get back to you folks late next week. It sure is neat to have this site and shooters with knowledge, to lean on.
Thanks, Sundance

 

[MikeG]

You can probably do the bolt some good without breaking it down. Get a can of brake cleaner that has a plastic nozzle, and some good, heavy rubber kitchen gloves.

Go outside, hold your nose, keep your face away f rom the stuff, point it downwind... etc... hope I've made my point clear, the stuff can be horribly toxic. Anyway, while protecting yourself, spray the brake cleaner into every crack/crevice/orifice on the bolt and flush it out.

It will evaporate and take all the oil with it. In order to give the inside of the bolt some rust protection, find some very light lubricant / preservative to spray in after the brake cleaner. Birchwood-Casey used to have some called "Sheath" I think.

Anyway a couple of shots without any rust preservative won't hurt a thing. I'd just not neglect that for the long term.

See if that helps. I've taken bolts apart without any special tools, but.... like they say on tv, it might not be a good idea to try at home. Not everyone can do that and get it back together. I'll admit having to study the pieces pretty diligently, at times, to get it back together with no leftover pieces

 

[Sundance]

Thanks, Mike---- I will give that a try.
Sundance

 

[bsn]

You can disassemble the bolt for cleaning without tools on a Remington, just catch the cocking piece on the edge of an old wooden table, bench ect....and unscrew the shroud. To reassemble just screw the shroud back on until the cocking piece snaps into the recess. If you have to replace the firing pin or spring you can either buy a tool or make one out of a short piece of plastic/aluminum tubing. It just compresses the spring so you can install the retaining pin.

 

[Bird Dog II]

Yeah I agree totally with what was said about your gunsmith leaving a lot to be desired. If he IS any good at all, the first thing he would have done is eliminated any gumming in the bolt, as this is the most common cause of your stated problem. In that case, the step MikeG outlined is not needed. Once this has been done, both headspacing or a weak main bolt spring are places to look. And of course any physical damage to the pin itself. Assuming you know what "normal" looks like, do the dents on the primers of your successful rounds look normal? I mean even round dents at or very close to the center of the primer and the same every time? Same depth, shape and location on the primer? This should tell you something of the spring and pin functionality.

If it is a headspacing issue, you need to find someone who has a go-no go gauge or precision mic for that caliber and see if the fired cases are out of spec. If that is the case you have two options. Send it to Remington and have them install a new barrel. (Which you should insist they do for free if the headspace is jacked.) Or, reload and learn how to size for the excessive headspace you have. Personally, I would do both

 

[MikeG]

Reading the original post, it doesn't sound like the gunsmith did anything but grab a box of shells, fire one off, and conclude it was user error. Unless the gunsmith specifically informed you that he cleaned the bolt, you need to do it.

Frankly, if that was the case, the gunsmith did not do any actual gunsmithing.

 

[Sundance]

Here is an update.... I ordered the 700 Remington bolt disassembly tool from Midway USA. It came today. Had the bolt apart in 1 minute. It is a gooooood tool! The brake cleaner had taken a lot of gunk out of it, prior to today. However, I cleaned it good, and I am looking forward to shooting the 700 again. I'll let you know the results. Thanks again to evvryone that has helped. Sundance

 

[264shooter]

I had similar troubles with Ruger MKII about a year after blowing a primer.The heat and shock of the gasses going through the fireing pin hole took the spring out of the striker spring.Hopefully all you need is a good cleaning.Good luck

 

[the blur]

is it a recalled 700?

 

[GDBrown]

I had a similar problem with a friends rifle and it turned out to be a small grain of sand that had wedged in the firing pin slot. We cleaned the bolt in a bucket of solvent before taking it apart and nothing came out. When we disassembled it on a white counter top the sand grain was plain as day.

Turns out that grease and wind do wonders at attracting dirt!

 

[GMFWoodchuck]

Sundance, how'd you make out?