Rifle fires when bolt closes.....

[Three Bears]

Saturday as I loaded a round to check extraction in my Ruger M77, Mark II .223 stainless... as I load a round and closed the bolt the rifle fired(was in the utility room). I can barely hear and the bullet went thru the walls and outside. Lift bolt handle, work bolt and when bolt handled is pushed down it will fire or lift handle, put on safety, push knob down, take off safety and push down on knob and gun fires.... Contacted Ruger and they are sending a bow to ship it back to them. Anyone had this problem? This could have been real bad..... ears are still ringing.

 

[96/44]

Are you the original owner? The only time I have ever seen that happen is when someone has done a trigger job, and failed at the task. Common on a lot of bolt rifles if there isn't enough sear engagement. Glad you are OK, but why would you load a live round in the house for ANY reason?

 

[Three Bears]

Thanks Six, Am second owner.... shot it five years ago - no porblem it has been been in the safe..... as to having a loaded gun in the house. Hmmmmm

 

[mcknight77]

I'm happy you're OK!

For future reference:

If you can't point the rifle in a safe direction, don't load a live round in the chamber.

Here's how to safely check extraction. Screw the firing pin out of the bolt before you load a live round. You need a punch inserted in the hole under the bolt shroud to hold the spring compressed while the firing pin is screwed out of the back of the bolt. A small nail will also work, or a steel pin of the correct size. Once the firing pin is out, the rifle is safe to load a live round.

You can also use a dummy round with bullet seated and no powder and primer.

Not trying to preach, just trying to educate others. You're not the only one to have an accidental discharge. A .223 is loud in a utility room, but it's louder in a VW beetle. Trust me.

 

[9mmdude]

Go to Lowes or Home Depot and buy a 5 gallon bucket, lid and a bag of sand. Fill the bucket with the bag of sand (don't even have to empty the bag) and you can clear or load your guns at the bucket. Beats shooting someone when an AD happens.

 

[rangerbob]

Back when the M77's had tang safties and user adjustable triggers, I had the same thing happen with a 7 mag that I had adjusted the trigger on. A 7 mag is very loud if you are not expecting it. All I had to do was readjust the trigger to a safe setting. Fortunately, I was on a range and did no damage or injury. Now, at age 62, I learn to shoot the trigger as is. Bob! :wink:

 

[TBear77]

Another possiblity there could be a buildup of gunk on the sear engagement surface. A buildup there won't allow the trigger to reset enough to hold when the bolt is closed to the lock position.

Ted

 

[horseshoe]

More than likely the trigger set too light but there could be rust or gunk as was stated on the sear. I just bought a like new 725 Rem online and when I took it out of the box I noticed when you put the safety in the fire position it would go off. The trigger had not been messed with but there was a coat of light rust on one side of the sear and lots of trash. A good cleaning with varsoal and a coat of oil and it works perfectly now. Good luck.

 

[eveled]

Pretty scary thing to think about the worst case scenario, glad noboby was hurt. Thanks for the reminder. Ed

 

[OldRugerMan]

In addition to trigger work, trigger set too light and crud jamming it, I have experienced the following problem a couple of times - good practice prevented an AD. I live in a dry climate and wood will warp from moisture or dry out. I found that warpage caused the trigger guard to put pressure on the sides of the trigger causing the firing pin to drop when the bolt was closed. This applies to other guns also - not just Rugers. Glad nobody was hurt. A friend had an AD with a 25-06 that almost killed the refrigerator upstairs then out through the roof. When his wife found out there was hell to pay!

 

[rugerjunkie]

Did you oil the bolt assembly? That needs to be clean and dry. Too much oil will cause that problem on accasion...

 

[Buckeye Bill]

These things do happen to good people.

In my view of this situation, the gun must be examined by a Ruger savvy smith that can discover the cause and complete a repair.

I light trigger is a wonderful thing but I would not trade that for a safe dependable rifle.

Until you are confident that the rifle has been repair correctly, you really can not do much with it.

I would seek out the services of a smith that knows his Rugers.

I would take the bolt out of it and get some hands on help rather than advice from the internet.