Quote Originally Posted by LDVolunteer View Post
This has been a great learning experience. Thanks to all for your most helpful suggestions. It had been many years since I bought a surplus rifle. First lesson re-learned. Inspect and make sure all the parts match. On this rifle they don't. It's an Eddystone barrel and receiver, but it has several Winchester bits. Not until I'd had it for a week did I notice a fix on the stock. My own fault for not looking more closely. I ordered and got a beautiful used replacement from Gunparts.
Why would I chamber a live round if I didn't intend to fire it? Before I take any old weapon to the range, I always find a safe place and make sure everything functions before firing. I was also very suspect of the rifle itself, having seemingly been assembled from different parts. It's scary for me when someone brings out an unfamiliar antique at the range and begins gunsmithing on the line.
Thanks agains for the suggestions. I was hung up on the edge of the magazine being the problem, but now I will re-examine the slit on the bolt face for the cartridge rim to make sure it's seating properly and the round is going into the chamber straight. I have a feeling that's why the cases dented going in - and I think the bullet itself was going in on an angle and getting jammed. Yes, I had to knock them out with a cleaning rod. mw
MW,

Look and see if the rifling is engraved upon the bullets, which I suspect it has. If that is the case then, besides whatever concerns that you may, or may not, have with the extractor or magazine, you definitely have a problem with either the ammo you're using or there's something wrong with the chamber of the rifle. A key test would be to drop an M-2 spec round (a standard USGI 30.06 ammo would be ideal ) into the chamber, close the bolt and then eject it. If the bullet is pulled from the case, or if the rifling is engraved on the bullet but you do somehow manage to eject the round out as one assembly anyway , then you have problem with the chambering and it's time to see a good gunsmith. The fix could be as simple as a bit of additional "finish" reaming.
If an M-2 spec round can be DIRECTLY chambered and ejected WITHOUT problem then the defect will be found elsewhere, such as the matter of a burr on the backside of the extractor. A weak magazine spring is also a common problem; they simply don't provide enough "push" against the bottom of the round to force it upward and behind a serviceable extractor as the bolt is being moved forward. This results in jams and/or the round otherwise not being in the proper postion to enter the chamber properly, which can cause the dents you're experiencing.

kcw

kcw
As to the issue of mixed parts on your rifle, that's normal as those rifles have been put through at least one rebuild program, or more, by the Army. No effort is made to to use the parts of only one manufacturer at such time. A rifle having all original parts (no replacement parts) is fairly rare.