C308 Bolt Stuck Back Problem

Oldbrowngun · January 12, 2017, 10:02 PM

Hey guys wondering if anyone can help me out. I just got a c308, took it to the range today, shot 1 shot, and the bolt was stuck back, opened it up pulled the bolt out, put it back in the gun, shot another 1 shot, bolt stuck back again. Any clue as to what could cause somthing like this to happen?

dakota.potts · January 12, 2017, 10:49 PM

Does the condition happen with the magazine in and out? Does the bolt return on its own when operated with the charging handle?

Oldbrowngun · January 12, 2017, 11:02 PM

Still stuck back with the mag out, chargining handle is useless when in this condition. Just loose. Im not super familiar with the delayed roller system and I was at first wondering if I had reassembled the bolt incorrectly after cleaning it when I first got it, but when I got home and took it apart I really dont see anything I could have done wrong. And I could freely operate the bolt with the charging handle before it jammed back. But once I shot, jammed back.

dakota.potts · January 12, 2017, 11:30 PM

Pictures of the bolt out of the rifle and in the stuck condition may help. It sounds like maybe the bolt is catching on the buffer for some reason or on some part of your trigger pack.

Looking online seems to suggest that it's a possibility that your recoil guide rod is bent. Does it look straight to you?

Oldbrowngun · January 13, 2017, 12:46 AM

You may be right, the guide rod is crooked as hell. Straitened it up, gonna hit the range tommarrow see if that did the trick.

ShootistPRS · January 13, 2017, 01:05 PM

What bent the recoil guide rod? Is your ammo too hot for the action? Is there an adjustment on the gas port?
I'm not familiar with the gun but it sounds like the bolt is coming back hard enough to bend the guide rod and that will require an adjustment to the gas port, to the ammo or a heavier spring.

dakota.potts · January 13, 2017, 02:55 PM

The C308 is a semi rigid roller delayed blowback system and doesn't use a gas rod. I suppose the locking piece could be wrong, but there were far fewer locking pieces made for the CETME than actual HK models which makes it unlikely. It could be too much bolt gap causing the bolt to unlock without dispensing enough energy or shooting ammo too heavy but I doubt it. The recoil rods are pretty sturdy and the bolt rides on a rail so I think it would be difficult for it to happen that way.

Since these guns are built on parts kits by century, my money is on the recoil rod being bent in military use or handling by century.

Check the bolt gap and limit your bullet weight to 168 and below (147 being preferred)

Oldbrowngun · January 13, 2017, 03:07 PM

Defiantly not the ammo. Im banking on the problem being as you said, surplus parts or during handling/shipping/assembling, as I found the guide rod to be quite easy to bend by hand, since it is incredibly long and unprotected. The bolts on the c308 are not ground like on the cetme, these rifles are assembled by PTR. I havent been able to get back to the range yet to see if this fixed the issue. Hopefully so.

dakota.potts · January 13, 2017, 03:27 PM

Never a bad idea to check the bolt gap on an empty and clean chamber as I've shown here https://youtu.be/gRdhyHSDgUo

Feeler gauges are available online for not much money. Your values should be between .1mm and .5mm (.004" and .020")

Oldbrowngun · January 14, 2017, 02:12 AM

As a side note, I can say I was very pleased with the two shots I was able to fire. Most sources I had seen said the rifle has quite a kick and will beat you up, but I found it to shoot very smooth and have what I consider to be mild recoil. Not at all like many .308's i've fired.

Oldbrowngun · January 21, 2017, 08:01 PM

Finally got to the range today. Firearm still has the bolt getting stuck back after firing a round issue. I find it odd as the bolt moves freely when cycled by hand. Took it back to gander mountain where I bought it told them it has to go back to century. First they tell me that century may charge me for parts/labor, which I hope not consider this gun has had 4 rounds put through it with 4 jams. Then they told me all they can do is ship it to their gunsmith and have them fix it and charge me, I again tell them no, its going to century. I've never dealt with century before but I surley hope they stand behind their products and wont screw over a customer on a new gun that doesnt work. In the end, they agreed to send it back to century after I paid them 40$ for shipping, even though I insisted century has a new policy (I read this on centuries website) where shipping is free for warranty guns. Anyhoo, im out 40$, hopefully century fix's the gun without giving me any problems or charging me anymore for something that wasnt my fault.

Model12Win · January 21, 2017, 08:50 PM

Strange. My PTR-91 has been totally reliable through hundreds of rounds. I've had a couple problems but only when I did somethin' stupid like change to the wrong roller sizes and stuff like that.

These guns can be finicky but once you get them set up right they usually run nicely. I just got a folding bipod for mine that collapses into the wide handguard.

dakota.potts · January 21, 2017, 10:13 PM

I'd be interested to know what was causing the problem when you do get it back.

I thought I read around here that Century's warranty extends only a year after it is sent out of their shop, not a year from the time it is bought. Maybe that's only their VZ2008s.

Either way, please report back. Could be useful information.

Oldbrowngun · January 21, 2017, 10:41 PM

I will indeed report back. If I have to pay for them to fix something they sent me broken, i'll pay for it to be fixed, sell it, and wash my hands of any future purchases or anything associated in any way with this company. I'll write to them and tell them just what I think about them, and i'll make sure every gun board I can find will hear about what happens when you give them your money. hopefully it doesn't come to that. I've had to send guns back before, I understand that happens, but i've never had to pay for any company sending me a lemon before. Also for anyone interested in how Gander Mountain choses to do business, I argued with the guy who was accepting it to send back that century sends a free shipping label, but the man forced me to pay gander mountain its 40$ shipping fee, the dealer return form clearly states free shipping label provided http://www.centuryarms.com/media/wys...erPolicies.pdf

Model12Win · January 21, 2017, 11:58 PM

Unfortunately you are experiencing what many have experienced when it comes to Century.

Hopefully they make it right for you but if not, your "plan B" is a good one.

joeb · January 22, 2017, 09:00 AM

Kind of sounds like the receiver is too tight when assembled. I've seen and heard of some being slightly out of spec and squeezing in to cause carrier binding when assembled even though sliding smoothly with the recoil assem. removed.
I had this issue twice building off home rolled receivers. It really doesn't take much to cause binding in this area. Other than the guide rod this is the only thing which can cause problems.
Your bolt head is not locking in when this happens is it? If so it still leads to a receiver spec issue.

Oldbrowngun · January 22, 2017, 06:42 PM

I know century has a dubious reputation but the c308 was supposed to be built by PTR, using a mixture of surplus and PTR parts, that combined with centurys improving reputation, and the fact that almost all accounts i read say these guns just simply work, made me roll the dice. Hopefully everything comes out alright in the end as I like the rifle.

dakota.potts · January 22, 2017, 06:50 PM

In addition to the receiver possibly being too tight at one place, it could have been folded out of square or crooked, causing tightening or flexing at the back. HK had a factory mandrel meant for flaring, squaring and straightening receivers after being folded. I wonder if PTR does.

Wonder if it could be a buffer issue too.

Oldbrowngun · February 15, 2017, 12:14 PM

I received my rifle back today. Haven't got a chance to test fire it yet, though the paperwork claims 20 rnds was fired and it functioned correctly. Under "reason for repair" It says Safety selector broke, though it appeared to be functioning normal when I had the rifle, under services rendered it states: Replaced extractor spring, ejector spindle, polished bolthead, adjusted support gap, polished mag catch." Sounds to me like they just did all the normal stuff hoping one of the fix's would take. I do notice now that my trigger is a hell of a lot stiffer then it was before, its a crazy hard trigger pull. I'll report back as to weather the rifle is functioning correctly when I am able to shoot it.

dakota.potts · February 15, 2017, 01:31 PM

Most of the trigger packs are very stiff to begin with. If this bothers you, Bill Springfield will do a trigger job to lower it from around 12 lbs to 4 lbs.

With new parts, they may also need time to wear in and become smooth which may make an effect on how it feels even if the weight remains the same.

Let us know what happens when you shoot it. I could see the support gap being the issue and causing binding somehow, but I'd be curious what actually caused/fixed the issue.

January 12, 2017, 10:02 PM	#1
Oldbrowngun Member Join Date: January 12, 2017 Posts: 16	C308 Bolt Stuck Back Problem Hey guys wondering if anyone can help me out. I just got a c308, took it to the range today, shot 1 shot, and the bolt was stuck back, opened it up pulled the bolt out, put it back in the gun, shot another 1 shot, bolt stuck back again. Any clue as to what could cause somthing like this to happen?

January 12, 2017, 10:49 PM	#2
dakota.potts Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2013 Location: Keystone Heights, Florida Posts: 3,084	Does the condition happen with the magazine in and out? Does the bolt return on its own when operated with the charging handle? __________________ Certified Gunsmith (On Hiatus) Certified Armorer - H&K and Glock Among Others You can find my writings at my website, pottsprecision.com.

January 12, 2017, 11:30 PM	#4
dakota.potts Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2013 Location: Keystone Heights, Florida Posts: 3,084	Pictures of the bolt out of the rifle and in the stuck condition may help. It sounds like maybe the bolt is catching on the buffer for some reason or on some part of your trigger pack. Looking online seems to suggest that it's a possibility that your recoil guide rod is bent. Does it look straight to you? __________________ Certified Gunsmith (On Hiatus) Certified Armorer - H&K and Glock Among Others You can find my writings at my website, pottsprecision.com.

January 13, 2017, 02:55 PM	#7
dakota.potts Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2013 Location: Keystone Heights, Florida Posts: 3,084	The C308 is a semi rigid roller delayed blowback system and doesn't use a gas rod. I suppose the locking piece could be wrong, but there were far fewer locking pieces made for the CETME than actual HK models which makes it unlikely. It could be too much bolt gap causing the bolt to unlock without dispensing enough energy or shooting ammo too heavy but I doubt it. The recoil rods are pretty sturdy and the bolt rides on a rail so I think it would be difficult for it to happen that way. Since these guns are built on parts kits by century, my money is on the recoil rod being bent in military use or handling by century. Check the bolt gap and limit your bullet weight to 168 and below (147 being preferred) __________________ Certified Gunsmith (On Hiatus) Certified Armorer - H&K and Glock Among Others You can find my writings at my website, pottsprecision.com.

January 13, 2017, 03:27 PM	#9
dakota.potts Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2013 Location: Keystone Heights, Florida Posts: 3,084	Never a bad idea to check the bolt gap on an empty and clean chamber as I've shown here https://youtu.be/gRdhyHSDgUo Feeler gauges are available online for not much money. Your values should be between .1mm and .5mm (.004" and .020") __________________ Certified Gunsmith (On Hiatus) Certified Armorer - H&K and Glock Among Others You can find my writings at my website, pottsprecision.com.

January 12, 2017, 11:02 PM	#3
Oldbrowngun Member Join Date: January 12, 2017 Posts: 16	Still stuck back with the mag out, chargining handle is useless when in this condition. Just loose. Im not super familiar with the delayed roller system and I was at first wondering if I had reassembled the bolt incorrectly after cleaning it when I first got it, but when I got home and took it apart I really dont see anything I could have done wrong. And I could freely operate the bolt with the charging handle before it jammed back. But once I shot, jammed back.

January 13, 2017, 12:46 AM	#5
Oldbrowngun Member Join Date: January 12, 2017 Posts: 16	You may be right, the guide rod is crooked as hell. Straitened it up, gonna hit the range tommarrow see if that did the trick.

January 13, 2017, 01:05 PM	#6
ShootistPRS Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2017 Posts: 1,583	What bent the recoil guide rod? Is your ammo too hot for the action? Is there an adjustment on the gas port? I'm not familiar with the gun but it sounds like the bolt is coming back hard enough to bend the guide rod and that will require an adjustment to the gas port, to the ammo or a heavier spring.

January 13, 2017, 03:07 PM	#8
Oldbrowngun Member Join Date: January 12, 2017 Posts: 16	Defiantly not the ammo. Im banking on the problem being as you said, surplus parts or during handling/shipping/assembling, as I found the guide rod to be quite easy to bend by hand, since it is incredibly long and unprotected. The bolts on the c308 are not ground like on the cetme, these rifles are assembled by PTR. I havent been able to get back to the range yet to see if this fixed the issue. Hopefully so.

January 14, 2017, 02:12 AM	#10
Oldbrowngun Member Join Date: January 12, 2017 Posts: 16	As a side note, I can say I was very pleased with the two shots I was able to fire. Most sources I had seen said the rifle has quite a kick and will beat you up, but I found it to shoot very smooth and have what I consider to be mild recoil. Not at all like many .308's i've fired.

January 21, 2017, 08:01 PM	#11
Oldbrowngun Member Join Date: January 12, 2017 Posts: 16	Finally got to the range today. Firearm still has the bolt getting stuck back after firing a round issue. I find it odd as the bolt moves freely when cycled by hand. Took it back to gander mountain where I bought it told them it has to go back to century. First they tell me that century may charge me for parts/labor, which I hope not consider this gun has had 4 rounds put through it with 4 jams. Then they told me all they can do is ship it to their gunsmith and have them fix it and charge me, I again tell them no, its going to century. I've never dealt with century before but I surley hope they stand behind their products and wont screw over a customer on a new gun that doesnt work. In the end, they agreed to send it back to century after I paid them 40$ for shipping, even though I insisted century has a new policy (I read this on centuries website) where shipping is free for warranty guns. Anyhoo, im out 40$, hopefully century fix's the gun without giving me any problems or charging me anymore for something that wasnt my fault.

January 21, 2017, 08:50 PM	#12
Model12Win Junior member Join Date: October 20, 2012 Posts: 5,854	Strange. My PTR-91 has been totally reliable through hundreds of rounds. I've had a couple problems but only when I did somethin' stupid like change to the wrong roller sizes and stuff like that. These guns can be finicky but once you get them set up right they usually run nicely. I just got a folding bipod for mine that collapses into the wide handguard.

January 21, 2017, 10:13 PM	#13
dakota.potts Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2013 Location: Keystone Heights, Florida Posts: 3,084	I'd be interested to know what was causing the problem when you do get it back. I thought I read around here that Century's warranty extends only a year after it is sent out of their shop, not a year from the time it is bought. Maybe that's only their VZ2008s. Either way, please report back. Could be useful information. __________________ Certified Gunsmith (On Hiatus) Certified Armorer - H&K and Glock Among Others You can find my writings at my website, pottsprecision.com.

January 21, 2017, 10:41 PM	#14
Oldbrowngun Member Join Date: January 12, 2017 Posts: 16	I will indeed report back. If I have to pay for them to fix something they sent me broken, i'll pay for it to be fixed, sell it, and wash my hands of any future purchases or anything associated in any way with this company. I'll write to them and tell them just what I think about them, and i'll make sure every gun board I can find will hear about what happens when you give them your money. hopefully it doesn't come to that. I've had to send guns back before, I understand that happens, but i've never had to pay for any company sending me a lemon before. Also for anyone interested in how Gander Mountain choses to do business, I argued with the guy who was accepting it to send back that century sends a free shipping label, but the man forced me to pay gander mountain its 40$ shipping fee, the dealer return form clearly states free shipping label provided http://www.centuryarms.com/media/wys...erPolicies.pdf Last edited by Oldbrowngun; January 21, 2017 at 10:52 PM.

January 21, 2017, 11:58 PM	#15
Model12Win Junior member Join Date: October 20, 2012 Posts: 5,854	Unfortunately you are experiencing what many have experienced when it comes to Century. Hopefully they make it right for you but if not, your "plan B" is a good one.

January 22, 2017, 09:00 AM	#16
joeb Senior Member Join Date: August 11, 2007 Location: Coastal South Texas Posts: 135	Kind of sounds like the receiver is too tight when assembled. I've seen and heard of some being slightly out of spec and squeezing in to cause carrier binding when assembled even though sliding smoothly with the recoil assem. removed. I had this issue twice building off home rolled receivers. It really doesn't take much to cause binding in this area. Other than the guide rod this is the only thing which can cause problems. Your bolt head is not locking in when this happens is it? If so it still leads to a receiver spec issue.

January 22, 2017, 06:42 PM	#17
Oldbrowngun Member Join Date: January 12, 2017 Posts: 16	I know century has a dubious reputation but the c308 was supposed to be built by PTR, using a mixture of surplus and PTR parts, that combined with centurys improving reputation, and the fact that almost all accounts i read say these guns just simply work, made me roll the dice. Hopefully everything comes out alright in the end as I like the rifle.

January 22, 2017, 06:50 PM	#18
dakota.potts Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2013 Location: Keystone Heights, Florida Posts: 3,084	In addition to the receiver possibly being too tight at one place, it could have been folded out of square or crooked, causing tightening or flexing at the back. HK had a factory mandrel meant for flaring, squaring and straightening receivers after being folded. I wonder if PTR does. Wonder if it could be a buffer issue too. __________________ Certified Gunsmith (On Hiatus) Certified Armorer - H&K and Glock Among Others You can find my writings at my website, pottsprecision.com.

February 15, 2017, 12:14 PM	#19
Oldbrowngun Member Join Date: January 12, 2017 Posts: 16	I received my rifle back today. Haven't got a chance to test fire it yet, though the paperwork claims 20 rnds was fired and it functioned correctly. Under "reason for repair" It says Safety selector broke, though it appeared to be functioning normal when I had the rifle, under services rendered it states: Replaced extractor spring, ejector spindle, polished bolthead, adjusted support gap, polished mag catch." Sounds to me like they just did all the normal stuff hoping one of the fix's would take. I do notice now that my trigger is a hell of a lot stiffer then it was before, its a crazy hard trigger pull. I'll report back as to weather the rifle is functioning correctly when I am able to shoot it.

February 15, 2017, 01:31 PM	#20
dakota.potts Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2013 Location: Keystone Heights, Florida Posts: 3,084	Most of the trigger packs are very stiff to begin with. If this bothers you, Bill Springfield will do a trigger job to lower it from around 12 lbs to 4 lbs. With new parts, they may also need time to wear in and become smooth which may make an effect on how it feels even if the weight remains the same. Let us know what happens when you shoot it. I could see the support gap being the issue and causing binding somehow, but I'd be curious what actually caused/fixed the issue. __________________ Certified Gunsmith (On Hiatus) Certified Armorer - H&K and Glock Among Others You can find my writings at my website, pottsprecision.com.