Advice needed ... bolt opens on firing!

[303Guy]

I've been looking at my rifles and what I see is that if the bolthead lifts the striker too much and with some wear on the cam and striker lug the bolt handle will lift freely far enough to reach the camming faces of the locking lugs and recesses. That could provide the impetus to cam the striker into the short groove. I have one that lifts the striker too far and that one has a lot of free bolt lift but is still short of the camming faces. However, comparing yours to mine, when mine lifts half way as yours sometimes did, the cam faces are reached .

[jmoore]

Photo #13 from Post #48:



Versus (sorry for the old fuzzy photo):



But not too different than 303Guy"s photo in Post #61:



At this point I'm wondering if it's a combination of wear, loose fits and an oversized cam groove. If matching, it's a 1948 Indian bolt. Probably not the happiest time in the Ishapore arsenal...

[Peter Laidler]

All this hypothesis just goes to illustrate how important it is to set the bolt up correctly, especially in this case, bolthead lift, overturn to a lesser degree and cocking piece clearance. But to be honest, I think all these ideas are just that, ideas! And red herrings at that. I am convinced that it is a totally worn out body and bolt. The bolt is simply acting as an interrupted two-start screw thread when subject to a massive blow of inertia caused by the recoil of the cartridge case

[spentprimer]

My bolt dis-assembly tool should be here before the week is up ... I hope. I found a complete bolt and it should be here early next week. As soon as the tool gets here I will take the bolt apart and get some photos and dimensions. I will need to look up the CHS dimension.

[gew8805]

Maybe the simplest solution is to just buy a new rifle and retire this one.

[Peter Laidler]

Spent primer. Your rifle is knackered. Listen and learn. No bolt stripping tool or new bolt is going to cure what you have. PLEASE listen. You and all of those others offering pure horse shi......., er...... manure explanations are just flogging a dead horse. We don't need any more, we have seen a rifle bolt opening up on firing and there is only ONE thing that has caused this. All this pure crap about long cam grooves and......... and....... is totally irrelevant too. The FACT is that the opening bolt has already OVERCOME the striker spring tension keeping the safety stud in the............. Look........ Listen......... GEW8805 and the remainder of the technical bods here have told you in diplomatic language what's happening.

That the bolt remains closed during firing is paramount in ANY firearm. Even the cheapest crap Sten gun. And yours doesn't. It is S H A G G E D / K N A C K E R E D/ S C R A P.

Forumers out there.............. please, please, please DO NOT encourage this, er.......... ill advised person, to pursue this stupidity.

[Robert303]

Whilst I have a lot less knowledge than most on this forum I have found this a very interesting thread. All I can add is that I would strongly advise Spentprimer to give up on this rifle. If he must carry on then Peters suggestion of a hammer applied to a rod backed into a fired case is the best test he can do. If it fails that test call it a day.

[Peter Laidler]

To be honest Rob, he don't need the rod and hammer test. He's already done it with a live round - and guess what? Yep! And anyones schoolboy physics will tell you that wear DOES NOT, EVER improve with age. He needs a dose of reality. And a veterinary surgeon to finally kill that dead horse he's flogging to death!

[Robert303]

Thanks Peter but the rod and fired round test is one I'll remember when looking at old rifles.

[spentprimer]

Fear not gentlemen, a dead horse is a dead horse. I have been known to take clocks aparts just to see what is wrong with them even if they are not repairable. I am still going to measure the CHS on this rifle just to satisfy my curiousity. The bolt/receiver locking surfaces show some wear that I have nothing to compare to, but, seems abnormal.

Thank you all for your concerns, advice, and good humor!