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Bearcat
I got a Mk IV Hunter 11 months ago. I put about 200 rounds through it most weeks.
I had read the horror stories about the stock firing pins breaking and damaging the breech face, so I got a Volquartsen Bolt Tune-up Kit (firing pin and extractor claw) and put that in within the first month. Everything was fine until...
...at about 6 months or around 5000 rounds, the VQ extractor claw snapped in half. Had a devil of time getting it out, but got it out and put the factory extractor back in the bolt. Everything was fine until last week (now I'm at around 10,000 rounds), when I started getting stovepipes like crazy. Like 3 or 4 jams per 10 rounds. Very frustrating!
But then every once in a while, I would have 1 or 2 mags of ammo function flawlessly, then the next half dozen mags have jams again. During all this, I don't think it's an ammo problem. I've used MiniMags, Federal red box from WallyWorld, Aguila, Remington, and Winchester. Behavior is similar regardless of ammo.
Took it home, did some more online reading, thinking it was the mags that were giving me trouble. But working the bolt slowly by hand and watching the extractor under a magnifying glass, it appears that I have now worn out the factory extractor. Some of the time, it appears that the extractor won't hold the expended casing securely for the bolt to travel rearward far enough to make contact with the ejector pin.
I now have 2 Tandemkross extractors on order to see if that fixes it.
Sorry for the long post, but is anyone seeing similar extractor life in the Marks?
I had read the horror stories about the stock firing pins breaking and damaging the breech face, so I got a Volquartsen Bolt Tune-up Kit (firing pin and extractor claw) and put that in within the first month. Everything was fine until...
...at about 6 months or around 5000 rounds, the VQ extractor claw snapped in half. Had a devil of time getting it out, but got it out and put the factory extractor back in the bolt. Everything was fine until last week (now I'm at around 10,000 rounds), when I started getting stovepipes like crazy. Like 3 or 4 jams per 10 rounds. Very frustrating!
But then every once in a while, I would have 1 or 2 mags of ammo function flawlessly, then the next half dozen mags have jams again. During all this, I don't think it's an ammo problem. I've used MiniMags, Federal red box from WallyWorld, Aguila, Remington, and Winchester. Behavior is similar regardless of ammo.
Took it home, did some more online reading, thinking it was the mags that were giving me trouble. But working the bolt slowly by hand and watching the extractor under a magnifying glass, it appears that I have now worn out the factory extractor. Some of the time, it appears that the extractor won't hold the expended casing securely for the bolt to travel rearward far enough to make contact with the ejector pin.
I now have 2 Tandemkross extractors on order to see if that fixes it.
Sorry for the long post, but is anyone seeing similar extractor life in the Marks?