Tikka T3x Bolt jammed closed

[Shootermcgavin308]

Hey hoping someone can help with this issue please. After firing five rounds with a Tikka T3x in .223 I had a round not fire and I couldn’t extract the cartridge at all. The bolt handle is rotated fully up but won’t go back down and won’t pull back at all. I've never had this happen before on any rifle. Removed trigger but made no difference. Will take to a gunsmith to sort of need be but given the round is still in there keen to try and sort asap.
Thanks very much

 

[PinesAndProjectiles]

Can you tap the bolt handle near the bolt with a soft faced mallet?

Never seen an unfired round get stuck in a chamber.

Was the bolt hard to close on said round?

 

[ACard]

Steel cased ammo?

 

[rustyinbend]

The "unfired round" thing makes this harder. I'd put it in a gun vise pointed (duh) in a safe direction, grab a 6-inch 1x2 piece of wood, place it against the bolt and the rifle chassis, and give it a few good whacks with a rubber mallet, moving to a real hammer if that doesn't work. The closer to the barrel and further from the bolt head, the more effective your whacks will be. At some point, it'll move the bolt, even if it means case-head separation in the round ... at which point you have to solve that problem too.

 

[Shootermcgavin308]

Can you tap the bolt handle near the bolt with a soft faced mallet?

Never seen an unfired round get stuck in a chamber.

Was the bolt hard to close on said round?

Thanks, had no problem closing the bolt which made this even more surprising

 

[Shootermcgavin308]

Steel cased ammo?

Brass factory ammo

 

[Shootermcgavin308]

The "unfired round" thing makes this harder. I'd put it in a gun vise pointed (duh) in a safe direction, grab a 6-inch 1x2 piece of wood, place it against the bolt and the rifle chassis, and give it a few good whacks with a rubber mallet, moving to a real hammer if that doesn't work. The closer to the barrel and further from the bolt head, the more effective your whacks will be. At some point, it'll move the bolt, even if it means case-head separation in the round ... at which point you have to solve that problem too.

Thanks very much, will give this a try. I thought maybe something had failed with the bolt but I guess either way I still need to whack it out!
Thanks again

 

[david walter]

Don’t do any of this tapping or beating on the bolt handle stuff. Tikkas are not robust at the bolt handle. Do not beat on it or the bolt (not the handle) will break. Ask me how I know.

Pull the barrel and tap out the round or, point the barrel down, soak in Kroil for a few days until the bolt comes free, or better yet, point it up and put kroil down the barrel. The stuck round is a sacrifice at this point.

Search “Tikka broken bolt” for threads here and elsewhere (including mine) on why bearing on the bolt handle results in disaster.

Can you tap the bolt handle near the bolt with a soft faced mallet?

Never seen an unfired round get stuck in a chamber.

Was the bolt hard to close on said round?

 

[mtnhunter22]

Don’t do any of this tapping or beating on the bolt handle stuff. Tikkas are not robust at the bolt handle. Do not beat on it or the bolt (not the handle) will break. Ask me how I know.

Pull the barrel and tap out the round or, point the barrel down, soak in Kroil for a few days until the bolt comes free, or better yet, point it up and put kroil down the barrel. The stuck round is a sacrifice at this point.

Search “Tikka broken bolt” for threads here and elsewhere (including mine) on why bearing on the bolt handle results in disaster.

Not everyone has access to a vise. And even then a vise and wrench that can pull a tikka barrel. I don’t see many other options besides giving it a few taps

 

[Shootermcgavin308]

Don’t do any of this tapping or beating on the bolt handle stuff. Tikkas are not robust at the bolt handle. Do not beat on it or the bolt (not the handle) will break. Ask me how I know.

Pull the barrel and tap out the round or, point the barrel down, soak in Kroil for a few days until the bolt comes free, or better yet, point it up and put kroil down the barrel. The stuck round is a sacrifice at this point.

Search “Tikka broken bolt” for threads here and elsewhere (including mine) on why bearing on the bolt handle results in disaster.

When you say to pull the barrel do you mean unthreading from the action?

 

[mtnhunter22]

When you say to pull the barrel do you mean unthreading from the action?

Yes that’s what he means.

Takes a vice, a special action wrench for a tikka, and if a factory barrel, a whole lot of effort and or frustration.

 

[david walter]

Or you can break the bolt by tapping and pay $300+ to get a new one, or $100 to repair the existing when the bolt breaks.

real question is have the others experienced this problem WITH A TIKKA and do they know what happens?

Again, search these forums and you'll see me and others know the result first hand.

Muzzle up, kroil, wait two days, wiggle but do not force the bolt, and for dam sure don't hit it hard.

tap, like tappy-tap, OK. Strike with force, I wouldn't.

or if you do whack it and break the bolt, which still won't get the stuck cartridge removed, you have to go back to removing the barrel to fix the stuck cartridge.

 

[Shootermcgavin308]

Or you can break the bolt by tapping and pay $300+ to get a new one, or $100 to repair the existing when the bolt breaks.

real question is have the others experienced this problem WITH A TIKKA and do they know what happens?

Again, search these forums and you'll see me and others know the result first hand.

Muzzle up, kroil, wait two days, wiggle but do not force the bolt, and for dam sure don't hit it hard.

tap, like tappy-tap, OK. Strike with force, I wouldn't.

or if you do whack it and break the bolt, which still won't get the stuck cartridge removed, you have to go back to removing the barrel to fix the stuck

Thanks for the advice. I got the rifle off my old man and there was a sticky brown residue in a lot of places, which was fairly baked on in some spots. I’m guessing the chamber wasn’t clean enough and this stuff (maybe old bore cleaner?) maybe holding the case hard stuck. I had completely stripped everything but may not have cleaned the chamber enough

 

[david walter]

PSA: Don't let your bolt gun fall with the bolt open while cleaning it. **UPDATE: FIXED**

Because this happens when you have your sexy Tikka T3x Tac A1 on the work bench, on the bipod, then you bump it, and it falls to the ground... landing on the bolt handle....

www.snipershide.com