bowhunting strick
Member
I don’t post often but when I do it has merit. This forum has outstanding individuals on it that always rise to the occasion to help out fellow members. Case in point over the last couple of years I have sent pms to other members asking for information and knowledge on various questions about reloading. Case in point Sunday I was checking my hunting rifle for zero with some new hand loads when all of a sudden the rifle would not chamber another round after firing. I brought it back home visually inspected it cleaned it retried another hand load bolt wouldn’t close thought maybe my hand loads may be to long COAL nope tried factory nothing tried my fired piece of brass that I had just shot nope bolt still would not close. No brass the bolt opened and closed effortlessly now I’m upset can’t figure out what was going on with my rifle. So what to do as season is less than a week away, call my ole reliable Briar Patch 99 to get some sound advice. Jimmy and I walk thru what has happened and Briar Patch starts the process of elimination step by step I even go so far to let him hear the bolt sound over the phone. Briar Patch says I’ve got to have something inside stopping the brass from allowing the bolt to close but bolt works smoothly without round or shot brass even says if it went in before should still go in again. Remember I have cleaned examined used a flashlight to look as well but I can’t visually see anything wrong but Briar Patch says something is there I just can’t see it then he asks if I have a bore scope which I do not then he asks what’s the biggest brush I have which is 30 caliber he says that’s not big enough to do what he wants to try then he asks if I have a 20 gauge bore brush which I do he says run it in the clean as far as I can which I do while he’s on the phone then he wants me to clean the chamber with spray oil air anything to flush it out which I have spray oil. So I do what ole Briar Patch says the run some dry patches in the bore snake which I already had earlier so I do it again and wouldn’t you know bolt runs smooth loaded rounds run smooth both factory and hand loads plus fired brass as well. After all the cleaning bore brush wet and dry patches visual inspection it took ole Briar Patch a good while on the phone but he got me up and going so rifle doesn’t go to the gun smith or back to the factory and I still do not know what caused the problem as I never saw it come out when I flushed the rifle. So for future reference if in doubt reach out on this forum as it’s loaded with good people who are willing to help other members. Thanks Briar Patch. Bowhunting Strick.
