[Ulysses]

I have a 391 that suddenly developed a sticking problem with the originial bolt. The gun is unloaded and clean, but when the bolt is closed, it is difficult (sticky) to open at the end when the extractor is engaged. When easing the bolt closed, it will hang up right before the extractor is engaged.

It is just this particular bolt and when I swap it out from one with another gun (390), it works as normal. The 391 bolt that seems to be problematic works smooth in the 390

The 391 has a new recoil spring, firing pin and spring in the bolt.

I am assuming my problem is with the extractor, which I want to remove, and check that something did not get lodged in it, and maybe just replace the extractor and spring to see if that is the problem but I am not sure how get the extractor out of the bolt. I tried tapping out the pin from the bottom, but nothing is budging.

Any ideas on what the hangup might be, and how to remove the extractor would be helpful. THanks.

I don't really understand your problem (specifically). How does the gun work/operate when you load it and shoot it? Does it shoot, eject, and load the next round from the magazine OK?

When did the problem start and what did you do to the gun immediately before the problem started? Again, I'm just not understanding what the gun is doing and what it's not doing.

Yeah, if you want to remove the extractor, you punch the retaining pin upward. Maybe you're not doing it right, or maybe it's a roll pin. I don't recall and I'm not going to disassemble my 391 or 390 to find out.

Edit: Oh, one other thought. Maybe it's the locking block that is not disengaging easily from its notch in the barrel extension. Maybe the new firing pin or f.p. return spring has got the locking block somewhat bound up and not releasing like it should. Just a thought.

Thought #2: Is the gun properly assembled and the forend nut tightened down snugly?

 

[Ulysses]

I suggest you send the complete gun to a good gunsmith. It sounds like a fitting/tolerance problem, or something that needs smoothed out or fitted. I can't diagnose it any further over the internet. Anything more would just be a guess.

However, I'm still confused about your statement about replacing the part where the extractor meets the barrel. What part did you replace? If it was the extractor, then surely you must know how to remove the existing extractor. EDIT: Never mind. I figured out that you were talking about replacing the locking block/bolt.

 

[Ulysses]

Thanks for your thoughts on the issue. I replaced the locking block (#64) when it broke,

I was just commenting that the groove on the barrel were the extractor meets the barrel is rough and scored. I was trying a DIY fix since it is my main competition gun and did not want to do without it for weeks.

The puzzle is the 391 bolt works smooth and fine in the 390, but does sticks in the 391. The old 390 bolt works fine in the 391 and does not stick. So the easy fix is to just swap the bolts and forget about it....but it is still bugging me.

I think it is a tolerance issue.... probably having to do with the locking block. If you do some careful investigative work, you might be able to identify where the parts are not mating together real well. A little judicial "smoothing" in these places just might fix the problem. However, it might be better to leave it to a gunsmith to do this. It's up to you.

Question: You said you had replaced several parts, among them the recoil spring. Was the recoil spring replaced before or after you started having difficulty opening and closing the bolt?

Also, when you swap bolts with the 390, do you swap connecting rods too or do you leave the 391 connecting rod in the 391? There's a possibility, IMO, that the problem could be related to a bad fitting connecting rod or perhaps some roughness or problem inside the recoil spring tube. Also check the pin that connects the connecting rod to the bolt slide. On my 390's, that pin has been known to come loose and fall out when I have the bolt assembly out of the gun.