Third Cartridge Not Loading

[JacobMHD]

Twice this past weekend I took two shots out of my .270 Remington 7400 and the third cartridge does not get loaded. This results in the bolt being halfway in and the cartridge half loaded and half still in the clip. Anyone have any experience with this? It was after the second shot both times.

[Bucksnort101]

Sounds to me like either the Magazine needs to be cleaned or replaced. You would be suprised how much junk get down into the magazine. They can be torn apart and cleaned, but getting the spring back in can be troublesome.

Most likely the spring in the magazine has gotten weak. Have you tried another Magazine in the Rifle? If a second one works then you know it's the magazine and not the Rifle itself. If a second magazine does not solve the problem then it's hard to tell what's going one. Possible the hole in the barrel that vent's the gas in order to cycle the bolt is dirty. It also needs to be cleaned out periodically as well.

I suspect week spring in the magazine that is not pushing up on the third cartridge enough to fully load it into the chamber.

Clean it, if that doesn't work go pick up another Magazine.

[crothmeier]

im guessing as stated about, its a magazine problem. i have a .280 in this same model. usually a pretty reliable gun.

[Bucksnort101]

I also shoot a .30-06 7400 and it has been very reliable as well. I did notice I get slightly different bullet grouping from one clip to the other.

I had a jam this past weekend myself. Went to register a deer and threw my magazine in my pants pocket, which I normally don't do. Registered the deer, picked up a can of soda and went on my way. Next morning could not get a bullet to load into the rifle, jammed halfway up into the chamber, same as JacobMHD mentions. Get everything out and tried again. Same thing. Then noticed something Copper colored in the chamber/Magazine. Was a Penny from the previous days change from a dollar bill stuck in there. That's precisely why I don't put my magazine in my pants pockets. Thanfully I managed to get the largest Deer I've ever shot about a half an hour later;)

[JacobMHD]

Well, I am now the proud owner of a new clip. Hopefuly I get to take a couple of shots at a deer with it this weekend to check it out. I did oil the old magazine as well as the new one so hopefully I don't have any suprises. I'll update after the weekend with the results.

[Bucksnort101]

Congrats on the new Magazine, I suspect that will solve your problem. Hope you didn't put too much oil down into that Magazine as it will catch all the dirt and dust particles that float into it. If I remember correctly the 7400 manual states not to oil it at all, I'll have to double check that.

I've never oiled mine, but periodically have blown them out with the air-compressor and have never had a problem with them. Only issues I've had is when I've tried to slowly and quietly load a round otherwise they tend to jam up on the top of the receiver. Bolt needs to be cycled pretty quickly for a bullet to load properly.

Good luck, hopefully you only need one shot anyway;)

[lawdog]

I only use Gun Scrubber on mine which evaporates away and doesn't leave a residue... Don't think I've ever put any oil in either clip, but if I did it would LPS 1 which also dries without much of any residue.

[JacobMHD]

I used the new clip on Saturday and it loaded the cartridges correctly. Looks like it was a clip issue. I will use gun scrubber on the old one and blow an junk out of it. I'll have to remember to use it while sighting it in next year to make sure it works properly. Thanks for the help.

[Bucksnort101]

I used the new clip on Saturday and it loaded the cartridges correctly. I'll have to remember to use it while sighting it in next year to make sure it works properly. Thanks for the help.

You might want to try this as well. I read several years ago that two or more different magazines used in the same 7400 rifle cause groupings of bullets to be different. Being skeptical I put numbered stickers on my two magazines and headed to the range. Found it to be somewhat true.

Got magazine #1 zeroed, then switched to magazine #2. Lower group and slightly left. Switched back to magazine #1 and was center again. Not sure what the reason was but it seemed to hold true. I still would not hesitate to use magazine #2, but make sure I use #1 first.

[JacobMHD]

How does the magazine affect how the cartridge sits in the chamber or how the bullet leaves the muzzle? Anybody have any ideas?

[Bucksnort101]

How does the magazine affect how the cartridge sits in the chamber or how the bullet leaves the muzzle? Anybody have any ideas?

Not sure, only thing that makes sense to me is each magazine loads the bullet a little differently and maybe one is gouging each bullet as it loads and affecting its flight somewhat. I vauguely remember them stating that the difference in spring tension from one magazine to another affect each bullet as it loads and causes the bolt to seat a little different each time. Really did not make much sense to me.

I'm going to try the test again next summer, on a good bench rest and see if the results are the same.

[Ferny]

I take off my fore stock and spray foaming bore cleaner thru the barrel until it comes out of the gas port. I shoot a 7400 in 30-06.

It's never been the most accurate but I can put 3 shots in a pop can circle at 100 yards. Seems like the torque on the forearm screw really affects my accuracy. Good tip on the different magazines. I use two also, maybe I should label them as well?

Ferny.

[vister]

ahhh yes, the 'ole jammomatic strikes again! I bought this gun a few years ago for my girlfriend in 30-06, and we had nothing but troubles with it. tried different clips, different brands of ammo, and decided the heck with it. took it to a local gunsmith, he broke it down and the hammer i believe was full of burrs, as the bullet casings were getting scratched lengthwise. he honed it down as much as he could, and it did nothing. half the problem is it is a gas operated auto-loader, and it gets very dirty, which is why we switched ammo. federal was the cleanest burning IMO. now it collects dust in the safe. Anyone want to buy it! by the way, the gun kicks way more than any rifle i've ever shot!

as far as different clips affecting accuracy, I find that very hard to comprehend