Reassembly Issue With Bolt

[Homerboy]

Originally Posted by Toomany22s

If it works fine with the oem charging handle but not this magically appearing VQ handle, not mentioned in first post. , its the VQ charging handle. And I assume VQ rod and spring. Thats what’s binding up, the spring and the rod are too big to operate with your bolt in your receiver. Or you just aren’t getting them in right. In your effort to. Get the handle into the slot on the bolt the rod is being move out of alignment , or the rod is too long and is sitting at an angle.

I didn’t mention it in the first post because I couldn’t believe it could be the handle. I’ve had it in that rifle with that bolt for 15 years. This all began when I changed out the firing pin, but putting the original pin in place didn’t change it. Then I was advised to try it without the firing pin at all, and even without the charging handle at all, but just the bolt and trigger group. It hung up again, so I figured it must be something with the trigger group. I totally took the trigger group apart and reassembled it.

I don’t see anything wrong with the volquartsen handle, but the fact remains that with the factory handle in, everything appears to be normal. I’m gonna try the Kidd handle and spring I have in my other rifle and see if it works. If it does, it must be the Volquartsen handle, but for the life of me, I don’t see a thing wrong with it. It’s worked fine for 15 years.

[RWT22]

If you want a better trigger you can buy the Volquartsen hammer for ~ 35.00 and it will be the same or a little better than the BX trigger. Mine is 2.5 pounds. It is not a Kidd but much better than stock.

[Homerboy]

I emailed Volquartsen and they're sending me a new handle and rod. Nice of them. If that one hangs up I'll know it's not the charging handle.

[Baby Automag]

The biggest issue is you might have made other issue while fixing the first and now you fixed the first and make a second, then you take it apart and fix the second but induced the first.
I can't believe its the handle after 15 yrs BUT in all this apart and together you have been doing maybe you did bend it a hair.
My thing would be start without the bolt, does it all go together without undue pressure, does the pins go in like they did before?

If it does then, take apart and install just the bolt and install trigger housing without the charge handle. Does it go together easy like before?

Does the bolt slide back and forth without much pressure?

Remember your hammer needs to be cocked and while pushing the bolt back you may have to overcome a slight hardness caused by the hammer touching the bottom of the bolt. If it is really hard, maybe your hammer isn't properly cocked OR jammed up on the sear causing the bolt to push the bolt up against the top of receiver to a stoppage. It must be low enough for the bolt to slide over it like it should properly.

So if all this is working at this point, take you bolt in hand and install your charge handle in the bolt groove and hold it down tight in groove. While doing this looks at the side of bolt and check to make sure the charge handle is fitting properly in the bolt and not sticking above the bolt body. If it is your firing pin may be causing it from properly fitting there.

If it is fitted properly, now install the charge handle and bolt in the receiver, holding the bolt in the receiver can you cycle this without the trigger housing?
Check to make sure your guide rod is sitting properly in the indented step.

If all this works now install the trigger housing, does the pin install as easy as before? If not then the bolt and trigger housing/hammer are rubbing somewhere wrong.
If the pins go in as normal before, then cycle the bolt and it should work. If not, remove that hammer and try this again without the hammer.
If it now works your hammer and bottom of bolt are jamming. So why isn't the hammer lower or allowing the bolt to slide over it?

If you do these steps you will find the issue if you are careful and not causing issues to move from one part not installed properly and then another the next time. Go slow and be patient. It really is not that hard especially if you go slow and check your parts on each step.

Post up what you find or where you get the issue again.

[Homerboy]

I did try a stripped bolt without the handle and the receiver. Once I put the trigger group in it locked up.

Put the bolt back together and put it in without charging handle. Slid easily. Added the trigger group. It binds.

One thing I noticed is when I put the bolt on with the handle, it appears to be slightly elevated on the right side. The side opposite the charging handle. Maybe as I am holding back the charging handle. It rises slightly out of the track on the right. Enough to maybe run against the trigger group.

I’m gonna run through all of your suggestions this weekend. I’m sure with help here I’ll figure it out. Just odd that the factory charging handle doesn’t give me a problem.

[Toomany22s]

We all feel your pain. Sorry if i added to it. We’ve all been there. Had a perfectly working firearm , and we decide to add some parts to make it better.then one fiasco after another and we are taking apart unrelated item cause the dont work, ad infinitum . If the VQ handle worked for 15 years, there is nothing wrong with it. You changed a firing pin and extractor, change them back. But before you do that...

One thingto look at is the ends of the charging rods, if they are uneven then that’s going to affect how they sit in the receiver. So try turning it 180 degrees and see if that gets you going.

[Homerboy]

The Volquartsen extractor has been in for as long as the charging handle. 15 years or so.

The new firing pin I just put in. But I took it out and put the factory back in. Same issue. Could it be where I put the spring for the firing pin was wrong? The videos I watched don’t really show where to put the spring.

One video I watched had a trick to installing the bolt. The poster said holding back the charging handle with your hand before slipping the bolt in can cause the right side; the side across from the handle, to slightly rise up. When I look at my installed bolt, it does appear to be tilted up a bit in the right side. Without the trigger group in, it still functions fine, but the uneven bolt could be running on the trigger group. The poster of the video advises to press in on the retracted bolt with a lunch, use your other finger to press the rod against the receiver, and then pop it in. I’ll try that. I’ll also try turning the rod a bit. Maybe the edge isn’t fully even anymore.

[Toomany22s]

Originally Posted by Homerboy

I’ve taken my 10/22 down hundreds of times. I just installed a new extractor and firing pin in the factory bolt. All looks fine. I put the bolt back in and the action cycles fine. Until I put the trigger group in. With the trigger in(factory trigger), the bolt will hardly move back and forth. It gets stuck midway and I can’t free it until I take the trigger out again. It was working fine before I put it back together.

What the hell is going on?

If it was “working fine before you put it back together “ then take it apart

[Homerboy]

I think I have it figured out, but since it’s 10 o’clock I’m not about to take the rifle out of the safe to check tonight.

On the front of the charging handle rod, at the top next to the charging handle, the end piece that lies up against the top of the receiver near the chamber, the piece is flat on two sides, and has kind of a ridge on the other two sides. I can rotate the rod to change the position of the flat spots. the little ridge sides were on the top and bottom of that piece, at the 6 and 12 o’clock spots. I can rotate the rod so the flat parts are at 6 and 12 o’clock. Since the ridges were at 6 and 12, the rod would have been slightly elevated as it sat in the receiver, which would mean the bolt would not be flat in the receiver. It is slight enough that I would be able to cycle the bolt without the trigger group in. Put in the trigger group and the bolt would run against the trigger group. It’s why the factory charging handle and rod work. No little nubs at 6 and 12.

I’m gonna try it tomorrow but it makes sense. It would also explain why putting the pins in would be difficult. The trigger group would be pressed against the bolt making the holes slightly out of alignment.

I think I have it now. I’ll post again tomorrow. By the way, I now know why it’s like to be bitten by the upgrade fever of the 10/22. My son is old enough now that we go shooting and he wants a .22 of his own. I started upgrading mine and got carried away. The new rifle won’t have one factory Ruger part in it, meaning my old rifle will be put back together and become his. We can have some fun upgrading his as time goes on but I just spent nearly a grand making a new rifle out of all Kidd parts except for the ER Shaw barrel. Maybe at some point he’ll want a better barrel and he can my Shaw and I get one a little more upscale. Until then, we have plenty of ammo to shoot. I’ve been stockpiling .22 for years and with the ammo drought going on now, I hate to even shoot my hand loaded ammo.

I’ll update as soon as I know. Thanks to everyone for their help.

[Baby Automag]

WOW, really can't believe that caused the issue but since you never posted any pics (yet, hint hint) maybe your rod has a very pronounced nub on that rod AND maybe your receiver at that spot/section is very loose on spec, meaning a little thicker that would allow the nubs to hit it.
I'm assuming the "nubs" you speak about is the part where they pressed the rod into a flat section to prevent the spring and rod barrel guide from sliding off the rod. Must be quite a good press to do that or again a receiver top a lot of extra material to allow it to press against it.

[Homerboy]

Originally Posted by Baby Automag

WOW, really can't believe that caused the issue but since you never posted any pics (yet, hint hint) maybe your rod has a very pronounced nub on that rod AND maybe your receiver at that spot/section is very loose on spec, meaning a little thicker that would allow the nubs to hit it.
I'm assuming the "nubs" you speak about is the part where they pressed the rod into a flat section to prevent the spring and rod barrel guide from sliding off the rod. Must be quite a good press to do that or again a receiver top a lot of extra material to allow it to press against it.

Tried it and it still didn't work. This has to be something with the bolt. I took the extractor out since I was changing the firing pin to a Volquartsen. The extractor was put in like 15 years ago. It is also a Volquartsen. The bolt looks right. The extractor moves as it should. The firing pin looks good, too. Is there a certain spot the spring has to be for the firing pin?

With the factory handle in, the gun operates as it should. With the Voluartsen handle in, it hangs up. I did take the trigger group apart to clean it, but it was doing the same thing before I took it apart.

So it's either something I screwed up with the bolt, or the bolt handle is somehow slightly out of spec. Volquartsen is sending me a new one, free of charge. If it does the same thing at least I have zeroed it in to something with the bolt.

I'll get pics up this weekend. Do I have to use a third party picture adding site or can I just insert them directly into the post here?

Thanks for all the help so far. I've never had this issue in the dozens of times I've taken this down.

[jam_ppp]

Originally Posted by Baby Automag

WOW, really can't believe that caused the issue but since you never posted any pics (yet, hint hint) maybe your rod has a very pronounced nub on that rod AND maybe your receiver at that spot/section is very loose on spec, meaning a little thicker that would allow the nubs to hit it.
I'm assuming the "nubs" you speak about is the part where they pressed the rod into a flat section to prevent the spring and rod barrel guide from sliding off the rod. Must be quite a good press to do that or again a receiver top a lot of extra material to allow it to press against it.

I’ve had that issue where the nub of the rod where it seats in the receiver interfered with the bolt. It was a JWH handle. Ended up filing the hole in the receiver a bit to move the rod out more, and ran fine after that.

[Homerboy]

Could the spring in the bolt be in backwards? Didn’t notice any difference but a video I just watched said the tapered end should face backwards and the square end should face forward.

[Baby Automag]

The firing pin spring sits in the angle spot below the firing pin and yes the small tapered end goes into the bolt. I usually just sit the spring in the general area, then starting with the firing pin where the ledge for spring catch is 1/2" behind the spring, insert firing pin down in groove and gently slide the firing pin forward. Depending on your bolt you may have to start firing pin further back to get it under the pinched/pressed/stacked metal over firing pin groove. Then insert firing pin crosspin to lock it in the groove area.

[Homerboy]

The issue is the charging handle. The factory one works as it should. I took the new Kidd one out of my new rifle and put it in the old rifle and reassembled it. It works as it should. There's some issue with the Volquartsen charging handle. Don't know what but they are being kind enough to send me a new one.