Trouble ejecting shells

[Spoc85]

Hi fellas,

New to the forum and shooting game. I’m having issues with raising the bolt of my Tikka CTR 308 after I fire. Have only shot Rifle line PPU bullets and reloaded those shells thinking it would fix the issue when I resized and trimmed the shells.
Could it be the brass? Any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers

[Jorlcrin]

Might need some clarification on when you get the 'Sticky' bolt...

So, it happened with BOTH the factory PPU loads, AND your reloads?
Does it happen with other brands of ammo?
Does the brass show any signs of over-pressure?

If it happens with all ammo you fired through this gun, I'd be wondering if the chamber has been scored enough to 'grip' the brass during firing.
[Might require the chamber being polished if this is the case..]

Other possible (to my mind) would be that both the PPU factory loads AND your reloads were too hot.

So, maybe try out a box of another brand of factory ammo and see if they do the same?
If YES, then the problem is more likely to be something wrong with your CTR's chamber.
If NO, then I'd suggest revising your reloading recipe before loading any more.

The above are suggestions only; others here will likely be able to give you more insight.

[in2anity]

Lots of good points by Jorlcrin. Normally a sticky unlock indicates oversized body with the cartridge in question. It usually happens when cartridge has been once fired in chamber B, and then recycled again for use in chamber A (without adequate body/shoulder sizing). Sometimes even your standard full length sizing die won't suffice in sizing down an oversized shoulder and body, to at or below SAAMI.

I suppose the factory PPU brass might be too big for your chamber from the get-go (never heard of this; but there's a first for everything), you may never fix this issue by subsequent full length sizing. My only "free" suggestion is to perhaps try increase the cam-over on your press when sizing, if top dead center is before the end of the stroke, like the style of a modern hornady press.

The proper remedy is to use a small base body die and perhaps a taller shell holder like the +.002″ holder from the Redding Competition Shellholder Kit #1. If you do that, and it's still sticking, then either the loads are too hot, or there's something up with your chamber (as Jorlcrin said). There are other shoulder bumping solutions also, google around.

I would love to see a nice closeup of the primers, to see what sort of pressures we are dealing with here.
In2.

[bladeracer]

Hi fellas,

New to the forum and shooting game. I’m having issues with raising the bolt of my Tikka CTR 308 after I fire. Have only shot Rifle line PPU bullets and reloaded those shells thinking it would fix the issue when I resized and trimmed the shells.
Could it be the brass? Any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers

That's extraction, not ejection. How hot was the load you made yourself - powder, charge, bullet type and weight, overall length? Have you measured the lands in the rifling to ensure the bullets are not jamming into it in the chamber?

If the load is not hot and if even factory ammo is difficult to extract I'd have a look at the chamber, maybe it's pitted or scored and gripping the brass. Would also be worth getting a box of some different ammo to see whether that does the same.

[mchughcb]

Take the tikka back to store and get new one under warranty

[deanp100]

Doesn’t reloads have an impact on warranty.

[Blr243]

I have found 308 factory ppu to be a bit hot