Jammed .22 Rifle -- Ideas?

[TAT2D]

Was at the shooting range this morning, but the session ended when the rifle jammed and I couldn't clear it. Brought it home for a closer look. It's a .22 Remington FieldMaster pump, tube magazine. We were shooting some relatively higher power Aguila ammunition. I haven't shot this gun very much myself, but this is the first problem I've had with it.

Upon closer inspection, it appears that the firing pin isn't retracted back into the block (right word?) preventing the fresh cartridge from being lifted into alignment with the chamber. In the photo, you can just see the firing pin in the cutout in...the ejector, I suppose? In person, it's clearly extending a 1/16" into the track the cartridge rim wants to slide up in.

I tried breaking the action open. There's one screw on the opposite side that, when pulled out allows the tail stock and action to separate from the chamber. It didn't seem to want to come apart; either I wasn't pulling right, or it won't come if the action isn't cycled to the correct condition. ???

I tried fiddling around with the firing pin pressing it back with a pick, while trying work the cartridge up into position but gave up on that pretty quickly when it occurred to me that while I judge the risk of it going off in my face to be low, the penalty if it does pretty high, so decided the 'risk/reward' just wasn't there.

I think my options at this point are to
o find out what I need to do, to break open the action so it's easier to work on,
o get some sound advice on how to proceed with it myself from y'all, or
o turn it over to a gunsmith, who could also confirm whether there are problems with the mechanism, that it's broken now, or this may be a problem occasionally in the future.
o I didn't really try working the cartridge back down into the magazine, to see if I could clear the reloading mechanism that way. That might be another course to pursue.

Also, am I using the correct terms in my description? I'm still trying to learn.

MrB

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[jordanvraptor]

Well be careful but I would just get a good set of leather gloves and some pliers to remove the round first. Just have the port facing away from you when you try to pull the round out. Its not a stuck .50 BMG round It could frag your fingers so wear the gloves but a round detonating outside a barrel does very little besides shooting little slivers of brass.

 

[Grizzly_A]

I think your last note is the way to start. If it got that way from the magazine, pull out the plunger so there's no resistance and try adjusting the slide so that you can get the round back into the magazine since it's clearly not in the location it needs to get into the chamber. It might take 3 hands, but you should be able to get it to release the cartridge, either into the magazine or so you can eject it normally.

Then I'd go ahead and work the action so you can see if the firing pin is moving like it's supposed to, and disassemble the action and give it a good cleaning, and inspect it for burrs in the metal where those parts interact. You might find something that needs a little touch up with a diamond file.

 

[turq]

The pic doesn't give me the picture of where that round is.
Is the round down on the level of the feed tube?
Is the round AT/IN Contact with the bolt face?
If it is at the bolt face level; you could try 'fishing' an 80lb. dacron fishing line behind it; then tie it off; then with safety glasses/googles pull the rifle at the muzzle and buttstock to pull it away; removing the round.
I do not get the pic that, that round is under the EXTRACTOR...?
Is the firing pin IN the cartridge?

Just trying to help.

 

[bcp]

I don't know about this rifle, but some rimfires use the firing pin as the ejector. When the bolt is back, the firing pin will be sticking out of the bolt face and can't be pushed back.

The best place to ask is Rimfire Central, in the Remington section.

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/

Bruce

 

[TAT2D]

> Is the round down on the level of the feed tube?

The round is *between* the level of the feed tube and chamber. It can't slide higher up the C-channel that is holding it by the rim, as the firing pin is extended into the slot, preventing the round from moving up any higher. It can be moved down some; pulling the fore-stock back lowers the 'lift.' The next thing to try, I think, is seeing if I can chase the round back down out the bottom of the C-channel into the magazine feed.

> Is the round AT/IN Contact with the bolt face?

Yes, unless I'm misunderstanding the definition of 'bolt face.' This round is unfired (not an FTF.) It was about #3 of a 11-12 round load in the magazine. We were just shooting normally, when the action jammed. It wasn't until I got home and looked more closely that I realized it was the firing pin that was keeping the round from moving into position. This C-channel is *on* the bolt-face. (Which also kind of leaves me wondering just how the extractor tips the spent casing out, if it's still captured in the C-channel. (?!?)

> If it is at the bolt face level
> I do not get the pic that, that round is under the EXTRACTOR...?

I may be mistaken calling the part I am, the extractor. And 'behind' might have been a better word? I think the extractor is the tab that sticks out along the cartridge, with the two overlapping screw holes and the little 'bite' off the upper corner.

> Is the firing pin IN the cartridge?

No, the pin is above the round, extending into the C-channel, preventing the cartridge from moving further up, into alignment with the bore.

In this mechanism, the round isn't tipped up towards the chamber, but rather stays axis-aligned and is lifted up to co-axial as the bolt is run forward. The round slides up the bolt-face, captured in the C-channel, as the bolt moves forward.

There is a little travel in the pump, enough to lift or drop the cartridge some. I haven't taken time yet to try working the cartridge back down into the magazine, nor have I fiddled trying to get the firing pin retracted so as to allow the cartridge to move up fully into position.

I did think about just wrenching the round out of the mechanism, but am worried about damaging the c-channel on the bolt-face.

Thanks for helping me wrestle this out.

MrB

Here's another general 'operational' question that has been nagging at me. The gun is a Remington Fieldmaster model 121. It appears that once the pump has been cycled, and a round chambered (or not, snapcaps, too) the action CAN NOT be cycled again until the gun is de-cocked, i.e. fired. Am I missing something obvious? Something subtle? That seems like an odd restriction or limitation.

 

[xtratoy]

here is a link to the factory manual for your rifle. maybe this will help. If it is a model 572. http://stevespages.com/pdf/remington_572.pdf

 

[bmw2]

You might try to use two pair of pliers, use one to hold the case and the other to try and pull the bullet from the case. Might be tough to do at an angle but .22 bullets pull out of the case pretty easy. If you can get a pair of dykes/wire cutters in there, just cut the end off of the bullet(the actual lead slug), that might give you a little wiggle room.

 

[Grizzly_A]

I think you might damage the "C-Channel" if you start pulling at an angle.
Not sure if this helps...


And I think you said that you can't break it apart, but if you needed a video on how to do it:
Fieldmaster Disassembly

 

[TAT2D]

here is a link to the factory manual for your rifle. maybe this will help. If it is a model 572. http://stevespages.com/pdf/remington_572.pdf

It's actually a model 121 Fieldmaster, but on a lark I tried changing the 572 to 121 in the link, and it worked -- the 121 manual is also posted. Thanks very much for that!

From this manual,
"Indications the rifle is cocked:
1: The safety can be pushed on.
2: The action is locked closed and the fore-end cannot be moved rearward.
3: The carrier is exposed in slot at bottom..."

...so I guess unless there is some other caveat somewhere in the manual, once a round is chambered, the only way to unload it really is to fire it. (Wow.)

I think you might damage the "C-Channel" if you start pulling at an angle. Not sure if this helps...

It also occurred to me that if I do wrench the round out of the channel that is holding it by the rim, that it'll likely mangle the rim. I'm guessing there's a better than even chance that that might be sufficient to excite the primer. I'm back to either gently working the cartridge down, back into the loading mechanism, or getting the firing pin retracted so the round can be lofted and chambered.

Thank-you all for the advice and suggestions. I'll try to find some time this weekend to get to the bottom of it. If you don't hear from me again, you'll know it turned out badly.

(I really liked the earlier suggestion, too, that if I do wind up having to wrench the round out of the channel, to loop a piece of wire around/behind the cartridge, and tie to something, then turn the port away from my soft parts and pull the gun towards me to lever the round out.)

MrB

 

[TAT2D]

2: The action is locked closed and the fore-end cannot be moved rearward.

...

If you don't hear from me again, you'll know it turned out badly.

Was out in the garage just now, and finagled the round up into alignment with the chamber almost w/o effort. Pump forward and -- voil'a -- the round is chambered. Umm, how do I eject this cartridge, again? Action will free up after the smoke is released...

I think the round was canted nose down, such that the rim was able to get past the extended firing pin, and was slid on up into position, perhaps pressing the pin back.

Rather than 'unload' the gun in the garage, here in a nice sleepy neighborhood, I'll tote it out to TCGC at my earliest convenience and fire it there with appropriate safeguards.

MrB

 

[bcp]

Top of page 3 on the instructions tell how to open the action when cocked.
http://stevespages.com/pdf/remington_121.pdf

"Press upwards as in Fig. 4 upon the exposed part of the carrier which releases the action bar. (not necessary if the gun is not cocked) Now pull fore-end rearward until it stops..."

The carrier is exposed at the bottom of the receiver in front of the trigger. See attachment.

Bruce

 

[TAT2D]

Top of page 3 on the instructions tell how to open the action when cocked.

Well, thank you. That's what I get for stopping at pg. 2 and assuming there'd be a footnote for exceptions.

Yes, press upward on the exposed part of the 'carrier' to unlock. Niiice. Round ejected. That just seemed too weird that there'd be no way to eject a chambered round.

Note to self, print out entire manual and read while holding (now unloaded!) gun to make sure I've absorbed everything it has to offer.

Thanks again, everyone, for helping me down this road.

-- Also, BTW, the firing pin seems to now be retracted completely back out of sight. It was clearly protruding into the channel the cartridge rim wanted to slide up through before. I'll break the gun open and clean, and make sure that part of the mechanism is working right before heading off to the range again.

MrB

 

[TAT2D]

So, I finally took time last night to break the gun open and clean it. Found the rear end of the firing pin, where the hammer strikes works fine, I can press it forward, and the spring smoothly returns it rearward when I release pressure.

The forward end of the firing pin extends forward from the bolt face when I push on the back end, but often remains extended forward when the pressure is removed and the rear part of the pin moves rearward.

I think the firing pin is broken.

MrB

 

[bcp]

The parts list in the manual shows a one-piece pin, so it the ends move independently, it must be broken. I have no idea on a parts source. Maybe check at Rimfire Central's Remington forum.

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/

Bruce