Are the FN SPR enthusiasts extinct?

Won’t fall on an empty chamber?

Exactly, won't fall on an empty chamber.

The one that does is such a smooth action in comparison and now i see it's because absolutely nothing drags or adds friction to it.

Pull the extractor off and recheck

As in the extractor claw?
 
If it’s a new barrel and the stripped bolt wont fall, you have something interfering on the front end. Boltface to barrel or extractor cut
Interesting. It is indeed a custom barrel. However, i have swapped stripped bolts just to see if it was indeed the extractor cut.

I am now trying the bolt from the rifle with the custom barrel on the rifle with the factory barrel, this one always free falls. This time, with the other bolt, it won't free fall. So I'm guessing maybe it's something on the bolt itself?
 
Or the one hanging up might be longer in the measurement from the back of the lugs to the front of the bolt or extractor. Cover the front of the bolt and extractor and back of the lugs with sharpie. Then try and close the bolt a few times and see what’s rubbing
 
Or the one hanging up might be longer in the measurement from the back of the lugs to the front of the bolt or extractor. Cover the front of the bolt and extractor and back of the lugs with sharpie. Then try and close the bolt a few times and see what’s rubbing
It's really hard to tell with the sharpie method. It appears as if one of the lugs may have had minimal contact. I used silver sharpie by the way, but again, it's very tough to tell.

I want to assume the bolt body rotating on the extractor mechanism is where the drag/friction is happening. Perhaps it's dirty or there's dirt/grime etc.

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