rifle wont feed :(

pj1

Well-Known Member
hi everybody

after waiting weeks for my variation i finally got my rifle (parker hale in 308) and went out this evening to sight it in. only to find it struggles to feed the rounds in. on closer inspection at home it seems the extractor claw is very tight. viewing from underneath the bolt when you slide an empty case in the extractor claw seems to move apart a fair way. on some of the rounds i had to wiggle the bolt handle slightly to get the case to slide up behind the extractor claw.

also i have noticed on the empty cases that i can see rifleing for about 1 mm on the case end is this right:scared:

regards pj
 
.....also i have noticed on the empty cases that i can see rifleing for about 1 mm on the case end is this right:scared: regards pj

pj

The indentations on the case mouth are crimping marks and nothing to worry about. If you really are scared, I think you need to get some one-to-one instruction on what you are doing before you proceed any further.

Regards JCS
 
Sorry to hear you're having feeding problems.
Questions:
  • Are you using factory cartridges or reloaded cartridges?
  • Are you aware of anyone removing the bolt from the receiver and accidentally dropping the bolt extractor first onto a hard surface?
  • Does the extractor claw look in any way out of shape?
  • Are the bolt and extractor claw clean and free of debris / swarf from old cases?
  • Is the chamber clean?
Photos might help.
Do you have a decent gun / riflesmith near you?
There's a lot of knowledge on this forum, but a bit more info would help.
PPU (PRVI Partisan) ammunition can feed 'tight' in some rifles so if you're using that then try another brand. What ammo are you using anyway?

Hope you get it sorted soon.
 
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thanks for reply. just had a closer look at an unfired case and would you beleive it. its the same. wife just called me a wombat. cant really say much more than that can i:coat:

any ideas on the not feeding. not had this problem on my other rifles.

regards pj
 
As previous poster said I think what you are seeing on the case mouths are crimping marks, as far as feeding a lot of parker Hale's had feed problems, being built on old Mauser actions,certainly the one I had you had to work the bolt slowly
any attempt to work it quickly caused it to jam, that apart it was not a bad rifle and you did get used to it.
 
Hi pj,
i have a browning .243 and i have feed problems when i dont use balistic tip rounds!
i bought some remington exposed core round that would not feed in to the chamber and when i looked closer the rounds were catching when moving from the mag.
the finner point on the balistic tip round alow the round to slide past the point where the other were catching.

hope this helps?
cheers
ss
 
thanks bogtrotter. know what you mean about the mauser action my 243 was a brno. dont think they have heard of controlled round feed.
mauser66. a bit more info. its a parker hale 1100 light weight. 308. as far as i can work out it was made in the early 80 and looks like new. there are a few marks on the outside of the extractor claw. guess these are where the bolt has been closed at an angle. its quite sloppy when fully drawn back. (typical mauser). the rifle i very clean. both from me cleaning it and from little use. there are some pics on the gallery i recently posted of the rifle i will try and get some on this thread of the bolt. the rounds are rws (dynamit nobel) 150 grain t mantel bullet. tried a 170 grain with the same problem.
the bolt face has machining marks on it and i wondered if this was causing friction but it seems to be stiff when not rubbing across these marks.
 
View attachment 5743View attachment 5742View attachment 5741View attachment 5740
photo 1 and 3 hopefully show how much the extractor claw moves sideways
photo 2 this is how far the bolt will close before it stops. (dont worry this is an empty case)
photo 4 this is how far up the bolt face the case will slide before stopping. its stiff pushing it up by hand but worse as the round feeds into the chamber as it feds slightly up hill and bites into the extractor claw
 
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Probably best to take the rifle back to the gunshop you bought it from and ask them to have a riflesmith look at it. Like many on here I've had a few Parker Hales go through my paws, but don't remember feeding problems as bad as yours. Please do not think of attempting any metalwork on the extractor or bolt face - get a riflesmith to look at it. Very annoying to take a rifle home and onto the target and not be able to get it set up properly, but best to get an expert opinion. It might just need a little bit of work to get it feeding smoothly.
 
thanks mauser66
the gunshop i got it from is a gunsmiths so will be talking to them tomorrow. this is the fifth gun i have had from them all second hand and this is the first major problem. i put the sling on the rifle only to find the stud pulled straight out. one phonecall later and a trip to the shop and all sorted no charge. im sure they will sort it
 
It's the RWS brass which is the problem here. You try putting those cases into a .308 shell holder out of a die set and they won't fit. I have some 7x57 RWS brass which is the same I have to use a 6.5x55 Swedish shell holder.

Try a different make case ;) and let us know if it sorts the problem.
 
thanks brit wondered how long it would be before you came up with something. how tight is the grip of extractors in general. might be a stupid question but i used rws in my brno 243 and didnt have a problem and dont remember it gripping the case that tight
 
Ref the RWS brass - some of the European brass has a thicker bottom 'web' and I find I have to use a No. 3 shell holder instead of a No. 2. This could contribute to your difficulties.
 
A controlled round feed rifle- a Mauser action should not need to babied. You should be able to operate that bolt quickly and in hunting situations you may need to do so. There is a good discussion shot this on the accurate reloading forum in the big bore section.

By the sounds of it this was not an usual problem with Parker hales, but easily fixed by a gunsmith who knows what he is doing - a bit of stoning on the underside of the extractor to remove any machining burrs etc, and a little polish on the bolt face so that the case can slip easily under the extractor. Emphasis on little on bolt face as you don't want to change headspace - don't remove machining marks, just take sharp edges off.

As has already been said try a different brand of ammo as well.
 
i have some RWS and some norma cases sitting here and there is a marked difference in the shape of the extractor groove. The RWS is a much narrower design with a sharper shoulder to the groove and the lip itself is slightly thicker just by holidng them up to each other.

astounding given the application that manufacturers can produce ammo that wont fit in certain rifles!
 
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