The extractor may be bent too much in the center, or at the tip. It should not stick out 'sideways' past the diameter of the bolt.
Check with the bolt out of the gun. Put a cartridge on the bolt face, hooked under the extractor.
Probably need to remove it and carefully straighten. Lots of junk to clean out of its groove, I'll bet.

Also smooth/polish the face of the extractor (curved, 45 degree, angled surface). The rim should slide across this surface easily.

 

Polishing the extractor makes sense. Once you put the round into the bolt face it opens and closes smoothly. The extractor doesn't appear to be sticking out at all.

 

Take the rifle out where you have a safe distance of down range .

Just in case . Load it full with five steel case rounds . Cycle them

by working the bolt . Do this numerous times . This generally will

loosen the extractor . I've done this on numerous Mosins I have

owned . So far it has worked for me .



FIVESHOT

 

There could be way too much tension on the extractor also. It should gently hold the cartridge in place, and move with a finger.

I don't see how cycling some rounds would loosen it, it's a 'spring'.
I have jammed a small screwdriver way up under it to bend it outward a bit. Easy to do too much, then remove and re-adjust.

 

I just stoned the extractor and polished the surface. It's cycling dummy rounds a lot better. It's still stiffer than my others but a lot better. I'm going to run it some more and see how it does.

 

Are you putting the cartridges down into the magazine, or just sticking them in the chamber with your finger and trying to close the bolt?

Les

 

Into the magazine.

 

I had te same problem with an M44 which resulted in a broken extractor hook while I was investigating the problem and trying to fix it. A new bolt head/extractor took care of the entire problem. The fact that the new bolt head was an Ishy and replaced the Hungarian bolt head that came on the Ishy M44 was just an added plus.

 

An Ishy? Really? As if Izzy isn't cutsie enough, not we've soften it to Ishy. Just write Izhevzk, and say it out loud in a strong manly Russian Voice. Izhevsk strong like bull!

 

Also check the cutout in the stock. If it is filled with dirt or debris, there will not be enough room for the extractor to snap over the rim.

 

I think part of the issue is from tight head space created by the head of the bolt. I don't have gauges to check it. This bolt cycles in other rifles and other bolts cycle in this one. I think the polishing and clean up I did to the extractor has helped a lot.

 

What's the proper way to correct tight head space in these rifles? Did they simply change the bolt head until they find one works?

 

That could work, if you had a bunch of spare parts to try. I think the Russians just made the parts to the size they were supposed to be.

Might be a good opportunity to lap the bolt lugs for full contact. That would make a little more room for a slightly thicker cartridge rim.

I've never seen a Mosin that didn't function, or wasn't safe due to a 'headspace' issue.
I have run across out-of-spec ammo that caused the bolt to not close though. (Because the cartridge rim was too thick.)

 

I always hate it when people try to headspace a rimmed cartridge centerfire weapon, it head spaces on the rim of the cartridge, the rim is what controls the headspace ... so with this in mind .. take a 7,62x54R mm cartridge, go out to your range, load it up and fire away, then keep doing it.

 

I always hate it when people try to headspace a rimmed cartridge centerfire weapon, it head spaces on the rim of the cartridge, the rim is what controls the headspace ... so with this in mind .. take a 7,62x54R mm cartridge, go out to your range, load it up and fire away, then keep doing it.

That's a good diagram. The rimmed cartridge is why I was wondering if the Russians simply head spaced by changing or fitting the bolt head.

 

Excellent diagram. Very difficult to explain that with words.

 

Just make them all the same...and they all work.