Help! I did something dumb with my Kar98 and now it's stuck

xsquidgator · January 7th, 2007, 11:16 AM

I did something careless while cleaning my Kar98 today - I took the bolt apart, but when I reassembled it I forgot to put the extractor back on, and the bolt is stuck in the rear receiver now, won't go in, won't come out, and I can't tell where it's stuck. I may have made it worse trying to unstick it, I rotated the safety one way and the firing pin spring and the pin released, so the bolt is uncocked now, and I can't move the safety back. I took out the bolt release lever, but that didn't do any good, that's not where it's stuck. It's not hung up on any part of the trigger either.

The bolt went in as far as it would normally go into an empty Kar98, that is, it went in about to where the bolt would have gone and then run into the floor of the empty magazine that you usually have to push down. I again removed the magazine from the rifle, with no effect.

The bolt does have wiggle room, a little, so it's not wedged tight. I'm theorizing that maybe some projection got stuck in one of the two gas relief holes in the bolt, or some other place on the bolt that's normally covered up by the extractor.

Has anyone done this or can tell me how to unscrew-up this situation? Embarassed

Worst case I guess I can take it to a local gunsmith but of course I'd like to avoid that. At least the rifle is clean now.

I'm going back to my garage to take some photos which I'll post to more accurately describe my faux paus.

xsquidgator · January 7th, 2007, 11:58 AM

Someone came to my rescue, in case anyone here does the same thing, here's how you fix it:

Quote:

If you left the extractor off, but left the extractor collar on, the extractor collar on is probably caught in the safety lug groove. It happens to me all the time. Just take a small thin screw driver, nail, or something similar(I use something similar to a dental pick with an angle end) and reach in between the right side of the bolt and the inner raceway. There are two extensions(lack of a better word, I can't think of a proper term right now) that hold the extractor on the collar. Put the point of your tool under the bottom one and push it up. If you put it above the top one and push it down, that will rotate the collar so that those two projecitons are now down into the safety lug groove. Pushing up will compress the extractor collar. You can now either push the bolt forward, or pull it out. Since you have decocked the firing pin, you should pull it out so you can recock it.
You will have to use something to pull the firing pin back and then lock it into position with the safety.

Took about 10 seconds to pull the bolt out, and less than two minutes to put the extractor on, recock the firing spring, and put things back to normal. Live and learn I guess. Thank God for the internet!

frankmako · January 7th, 2007, 12:13 PM

don't you hate it when you do things like that.

January 7th, 2007, 11:16 AM	#1
xsquidgator Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Florida Posts: 268	Help! I did something dumb with my Kar98 and now it's stuck I did something careless while cleaning my Kar98 today - I took the bolt apart, but when I reassembled it I forgot to put the extractor back on, and the bolt is stuck in the rear receiver now, won't go in, won't come out, and I can't tell where it's stuck. I may have made it worse trying to unstick it, I rotated the safety one way and the firing pin spring and the pin released, so the bolt is uncocked now, and I can't move the safety back. I took out the bolt release lever, but that didn't do any good, that's not where it's stuck. It's not hung up on any part of the trigger either. The bolt went in as far as it would normally go into an empty Kar98, that is, it went in about to where the bolt would have gone and then run into the floor of the empty magazine that you usually have to push down. I again removed the magazine from the rifle, with no effect. The bolt does have wiggle room, a little, so it's not wedged tight. I'm theorizing that maybe some projection got stuck in one of the two gas relief holes in the bolt, or some other place on the bolt that's normally covered up by the extractor. Has anyone done this or can tell me how to unscrew-up this situation? Embarassed Worst case I guess I can take it to a local gunsmith but of course I'd like to avoid that. At least the rifle is clean now. I'm going back to my garage to take some photos which I'll post to more accurately describe my faux paus.

January 7th, 2007, 12:13 PM	#3
frankmako Distinguished Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Parts Unknown Posts: 1,889	don't you hate it when you do things like that. __________________ An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.

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