Howa problems...

[ironcowboy]

So i picked up a used howa 1500 .243 (nice condition, with a sweet Leopold scope) and it was shooting great. Then all of a sudden, when i worked the bolt, it would feed the shell and eject the old one, but it would not re-cock the bolt, took it to a local shop (trout-run), and the guy pulled it apart, the little screw that holds the trigger assembly in place was loose, so he tightened it, and it cycled fine, re-cocked and dry fired good.
Took it out yesterday, and on my first shot, it shot fine, and hit right where i was aiming, but then i went to rack the bolt, it wouldn't budge, it felt like someone had super glued everything together... i took it apart from the stock, but couldn't figure out anything, and i dont want to take it way apart.
My local gun shop is crazy busy, so i thought i'd post up here and see if anyone has any ideas before i drop it off their for a month...

[mrnyman]

Put the Gun back together, then back off little by little the screw that the Gunsmith tightened up and see if the action loosed up.
Then post back the results.

Nyman

[ironcowboy]

Thought of that, but even with the trigger assembly removed (screw all the way out) the bolt wont budge...
Thanks though, any other ideas?

[mrnyman]

Is the empty shell still in the chamber? How clean were the Chamber? Was it a factory round or handload?

The bolt could be locked up in the chamber and empty shell, try turning the barrel up and spray some WD40 down the barrel and let it sit for a while then try working the bolt.

Nyman

[ironcowboy]

I had just gave the gun a good cleaning... The empty shell is still in the chamber, it was the first shot after cleaning... It does not budge at all, does not feel like its stuck or anything WD-40 would fix (plus i dont like that stuff in my guns)
I think the shell was factory, but it might have been a hand load in a factory box, i got them with the gun when i bought it... It looked fine when i loaded it, and it said .243 on the round...

[mrnyman]

Yes, if the base of the shell expands too much it can lock up the extractor thus locking up the
gun.

WD 40 will not hurt your gun , its actually better for your gun than some of the Harsh "cleaners" i see out there . The WD in WD 40 means water dispersent. Its actually 80% Kerosene. Wont hurt anything.

I think that empty shell is what is locking up the Gun.
Can you roate the Bolt? Does the Bolt feels tight when you rotate it?

Nyman

[ironcowboy]

The more i think about it, the more i think your right.
I'll give WD40 a try. But i dont see how it will help that much, since its not a rust issue, nor a lack of oil...
As i said, nothing will budge, the bolt is as locked down as it gets, and nothing moves at all, i was pulling on it pretty hard, but i didn't want to bust anything, so i stopped.

Thanks for the help man, this is really bugging me...

[mrnyman]

No dont bust up anything, be Patient, WD40 works wonders, there is a reason why every Gunsmith have it on thier shelf, its a good lubricant, thin enough to get in tight areas regular Gun oil cant go . Give it a shot.

If that doesnt Work try tapping it with a cleaning rod down the Muzzle then try turning the Bolt.

If you force it you will either rip out your Extractor or rip off the Case head in which case you will now have astuck headless shell to deal with.

If that doesnt work You might have to freeze it , put it in the freezer for a couple of hours, freezing will shrink all the metals slightly thus creating a little tolerance to deal with ,it worked for me one time with an sks.
Nyman

[ironcowboy]

Thanks man, will give those a shot, and post back.
So you think this was all caused by a hand loaded shell, that failed...

[mrnyman]

Yes i think the shell were handloaded too many times and got soft so it overexpanded in the chamber.

The Japanese are meticulous about tolerances in thier products so i dont think it was caused from an out of spec chamber.

Nyman