New Rifle Won't Chamber Rounds!!!

timbeech

Well-Known Member
Need some help/advise.

I brought a Remmy 700 SPS about 4-6 weeks ago. Just been setting it up with the scope Santa brought me for Xmas ready for a range day tomorrow. As part of my checks I chambered some brass I've prepared and it won't chamber, goes really tight at the end, I can force it in but it's not right and certainly does chamber in normal conditions.

My test round was a dummy round I created to check my length etc. (no primer or powder) I then also checked a factory round and this too wouldn't chamber!! It sounds like a problem with the rifle but can't see how.

My dummy round was full length sized with hornady dies, trimmed to 1.746" the bullet is a 55grn VMax seated to an OAL of 2.220"

I'll phone the gunshop where I purchased it from tomorrow and see what they say, the rifle has never fired a round.
 
Check the chamber is clean, I've had it when just a piece of cotton from a cleaning patch is enough to stop a round from chambering. Likewise make sure the bolt face/lugs are clean.
Will the gun chamber full length full sized brass without the bullet seated?
 
A fellow rifle club member had a similar problem with his new .300wm only a few weeks ago. We couldn't see what the problem was on the range but I did a search on the internet when I got home. Apparently swarf and other debris in the bolt is a well known problem with recent new Remington rifles but stripping the bolt and cleaning it normally solves the problem. In the case of the fellow club member it was a slightly different problem and the magazine wasn't lined up properly leading to poor presentation of rounds for feeding into the chamber and some shaving of brass.
 
Check the chamber is clean, I've had it when just a piece of cotton from a cleaning patch is enough to stop a round from chambering. Likewise make sure the bolt face/lugs are clean.
Will the gun chamber full length full sized brass without the bullet seated?

Gave it a good clean and it still doesn't chamber properly, it also won't chamber a piece of FL sized brass with no bullet. I don't believe it's the brass getting stuck as it falls out the chamber when the bolt is removed, when things have been right in previous rifles you have to tap the stuck brass out from the muzzle end.

It bolt gets stuck on the last 1/8" of travel just before it moves down to lock in place. When I forced it to lock in place the brass had a nasty mark on it from the extractor claw.
 
One of the members of the target club had a problem with a new remmy 700 a few moths ago it was spliting cases. I had exessive headspace. The dealer refused to sort it out as the guy had used his own reloads so he must have over presuresed it! My mate was going off the hogdon realoding data and had only fired the minumum recomeded as he was going to build up his loads.

Might be worth taking it back pefore they try and say you caused the problem?
 
definitely take it back. Let the gundealer sort it before you fire it, then he has no comebacks and if it needs to be replaced there is no argument.
 
How did you "prepare" the brass? Screw the FL sized down a bit more, resize, and see if that works. Some thirty aught-six new brass closes tight in my Savage I need to put an extra 1/8 turn on the die to get it to chamber cleanly. ~Muir

And just a thought: Have you tried chambering a round without the scope mounts in place?
 
Muir may have hit it on the head, try with scope mounts removed, I had it on a remmy once had the screws from the leupold bases the wrong way round, one is longer than the other and it was preventing the bolt closing .
 
I had the same problem and the solution was as Muir describes, turning the die down a bit more.

What does it do with a factory round? Ooops, swaro beat me to this one.
 
I then also checked a factory round and this too wouldn't chamber!! It sounds like a problem with the rifle but can't see how.
He's already tried Factory load.
I'm not sure about the rem bolt but if possible strip it down and remove the firing pin assembly and retry.
 
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I've fitted a one piece rail to it so will see what removing the front screws does.

The brass has been full length sized in two dies, my hornady and my friends lee dies. My dies were set so with the press fully up screwed to touch the shell plate then turned in another half turn. The brass goes all the way into the die.
 
Is this by chance a .223? I've heard Remington has had more than a few issues with their small bolt face 700's of late...
 
Right it's nothing to do with the scope mounts.

I think it's something to do with the bolt, as it will close with nothing in the chamber however unlike my other rifles the bolt isn't smooth and feels tight. My 308 Remmy 700 bolt runs freely ie when placed vertical it's ***** itself, this 223 Remmy 700 doesn't it runs to where the bolt enters the chamber (just after the loading/magazine slot)

I've notice some marks on the bolt probably from when I've managed to force it close on the tight cases, photo below.
 

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Looks like crap in where the bolt locks up, best take it back as the bolt is now damaged. See if they've got a Tikka to replace it with ;) Best of luck with it.
 
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