Remington 700 - Rough Chamber

[dfletcher]

I just bought a Remington 700 Long Range in 300 WM. Took it to the range today and am experiencing rough extraction. Using lighter loads I can feel the case sticking a bit, but still extract. With heavier (but well below max) loads I have to give the bolt a solid "whack" to extract.

My examination of the case shows some slight rub marks just ahead of the belt caused by extraction. Has anyone polished a chamber to correct the problem and can provide any suggestions? I'm inclined to use bore paste and polish the chamber a bit.

[jrpowell3]

I don't own a Rem700, but I believe this is the exact reason why you "true the action" on a bolt gun.

[milotrain]

Truing the action and finding a bur in the chamber have nothing to do with each other. Give it to a gunsmith or send it back.

[ar15barrels]

Remington 700 - Rough Chamber

I don't own a Rem700, but I believe this is the exact reason why you "true the action" on a bolt gun.

Truing the action has nothing to do with extraction.

[ar15barrels]

Has anyone polished a chamber to correct the problem and can provide any suggestions? I'm inclined to use bore paste and polish the chamber a bit.

I polish every chamber I cut with a 600 grit ball hone that's sized specifically to the cartridge diameter range I am working with.

[LynnJr]

Paste won't do anything.
Put the barrel in a lathe and use some 600 grit wrapped around a wood dowel to polish it out.

[dfletcher]

Thanks for the suggestions. Using the fine grit seems to be most recommended, my initial thought was that it was too aggressive. I have some "wet n' dry" and will give it a try. I lighted the rear end of the chamber and a spot of slight "texture" is evident.

[Fjold]

You do not want to polish the chamber with too fine of a grit. The chamber needs to grip the brass when it expands on firing.

[ar15barrels]

You do not want to polish the chamber with too fine of a grit. The chamber needs to grip the brass when it expands on firing.

That's why honing is better than polishing.
Honing leaves the individual ridges that sandpaper does not leave.

[Hateca]

I just bought a Remington 700 Long Range in 300 WM. Took it to the range today and am experiencing rough extraction. Using lighter loads I can feel the case sticking a bit, but still extract. With heavier (but well below max) loads I have to give the bolt a solid "whack" to extract.

My examination of the case shows some slight rub marks just ahead of the belt caused by extraction. Has anyone polished a chamber to correct the problem and can provide any suggestions? I'm inclined to use bore paste and polish the chamber a bit.

This is common with factory belted chambered barrels. The area in the chamber where the case headspaces, in front of the case belt, a small bump or raised ridge formed when they manufactured the barrel. Unfired brass will go in and out of the chamber with no issues but once you fire the web of the brass expands and this small ridge will grab the case and cause extraction issues. You could try lots of "polishing" techniques with the barrel attached but I normally remove the barrel and spin it in the lathe to knock that down. Takes longer to remove the barrel then it does to fix the issue. It is an easy fix however.

[Divernhunter]

My friend bought a new Rem 700 in 7mmRem mag and you had to use a cleaning rod to knock out the brass after using a hammer to open it. This was with my reloads and he looked at me like I overdid it. Then he shot 2 different brands of factory new ammo and same problem. A local gunsmith had to polish the chamber.

Rem quality control has been hit or miss for a number of years now.

[Loopwell]

My friend bought a new Rem 700 in 7mmRem mag and you had to use a cleaning rod to knock out the brass after using a hammer to open it. This was with my reloads and he looked at me like I overdid it. Then he shot 2 different brands of factory new ammo and same problem. A local gunsmith had to polish the chamber.

Rem quality control has been hit or miss for a number of years now.

That's poor QC by the manufacturer if gunsmithing needs to be done on a new gun, especially something like a Rem 700. Out of the box fuctionality should be expected.

[Gofasterdammit]

Google:
The main problem with handloading the 300 Win Mag is case expansion that occurs at the pressure ring "just above" the belt. Conventional resizing dies can't properly resize any belted magnum case in this area. These cases soon develop a slight "bulge" around the case (usually after just 2 or 3 firings). When that happens, these cases will begin to stick in your chamber or they will fail to chamber at all. This is a very common symptom when reloading belted magnum calibers. Handloading the 300 Win Mag with our Belted Magnum Collet Resizing Die will increase the life of your cases and insure a perfect fit in your chamber.

[Gofasterdammit]

If the chamber was improperly cut the cases would be completely stuck and the brass would be destroyed. What kind of brass are you using?

[jrpowell3]

Truing the action has nothing to do with extraction.

Ah, so, I went back and read what JMP wrote a while ago in another Rem700 thread. I was confusing extraction with the whole cycling of the weapon.