The Position of the Bolt on the MC

[Walt Cakebread]

Here is a close-up screenshot, from the video posted earlier in this thread, of the elevator. It appears to me to have a wavy shape which would tend to minimize the amount of surface area which actually contacts the last cartridge in the clip. Also the surface appears to be smooth, all of which, in my opinion, would help to make the action smoother and shouldn't easily scratch the cartridge.

At the 10:53 pont of the video the man pushes a clip of cartridges into the magazine ...

NOTICE how hard he has to push to latch the clip in the magazine....   

This is important because if he tried to push a seventh round down below the bolt ....he would not be able to do it.

[Charles Collins]

At the 10:53 pont of the video the man pushes a clip of cartridges into the magazine ...

NOTICE how hard he has to push to latch the clip in the magazine....   

This is important because if he tried to push a seventh round down below the bolt ....he would not be able to do it.

I have noticed that it takes considerable force to push the clip down and get it latched. But I do not believe that it is necessary to push a seventh round down below the bolt. See the diagram I posted above that shows the extractor flush with the face of the bolt. Simply have the seventh cartridge directly above the sixth one and close the bolt. I believe that this would work.

[Jim Hawthorn]

It clearly shows that when the full clip of six rounds is inserted into the magazine there is no room to place a seventh cartridge on top of the stack of six rounds that are in the clip....

But the only thing that interests us here is whether one could place a live round into the chamber when the clip is empty.

IF the gun was used that day up on the 6th floor, isn't it possible that the 4th and last round in the clip was pushed up into the firing chamber, the bold was locked but the round wasn't fired. Then, when the rifle was dropped between the carboard boxes, the bolt got caught by a box edge and popped open?

[Charles Collins]

But the only thing that interests us here is whether one could place a live round into the chamber when the clip is empty.

IF the gun was used that day up on the 6th floor, isn't it possible that the 4th and last round in the clip was pushed up into the firing chamber, the bold was locked but the round wasn't fired. Then, when the rifle was dropped between the carboard boxes, the bolt got caught by a box edge and popped open?

Mr. McCloy. Can you use that rifle without the clip?
Mr. Frazier. Yes; you can.
Mr. McCloy. What is the advantage of the clip?
Mr. FRAZIER. It permits repeated firing of the weapon without manually load-
ing one shot at a time.
Mr. MCCLOY. The only other way you can flre it is by way of manual load?
Mr. Frazier. Yes, sir; one shot at a time.
Mr. MCCLOY. When you say a six-cartridge clip, could that gun have been fired
with the clip fully loaded and another one in the chamber?
Mr. Frazier. Yes, sir.
Mr. M&LOY. The same as the .30-06?
Mr. Faazma. Yes, sir; the weapon will hold a maximum of seven.

               

[Walt Cakebread]

But the only thing that interests us here is whether one could place a live round into the chamber when the clip is empty.

IF the gun was used that day up on the 6th floor, isn't it possible that the 4th and last round in the clip was pushed up into the firing chamber, the bold was locked but the round wasn't fired. Then, when the rifle was dropped between the carboard boxes, the bolt got caught by a box edge and popped open?

IF the gun was used that day up on the 6th floor, isn't it possible that the 4th and last round in the clip was pushed up into the firing chamber, the bold was locked but the round wasn't fired. Then, when the rifle was dropped between the carboard boxes, the bolt got caught by a box edge and popped open?

the bold was locked but the round wasn't fired.

Fair question.... That is what probably would have happened if the shooter had fired three of the four rounds in the clip.  He very likely would automatically ( reflex action) have loaded the fourth round into the chamber..

BUT ....When the bolt is closed and latched it probably wouldn't have been unlatched and retracted about an inch by merely bumping the bolt by dropping it between boxes ......The weight of the rifle would not be sufficient to unlatch the bolt , and the bolt certainly wouldn't have been retracted.

I have an advantage.....because I can actually perform the suggested actions.... and you can rest assured that the fourth round did NOT get loaded into the chamber by being pushed there while being married to the bolt.

[Walt Cakebread]

Mr. McCloy. Can you use that rifle without the clip?
Mr. Frazier. Yes; you can.
Mr. McCloy. What is the advantage of the clip?
Mr. FRAZIER. It permits repeated firing of the weapon without manually load-
ing one shot at a time.
Mr. MCCLOY. The only other way you can flre it is by way of manual load?
Mr. Frazier. Yes, sir; one shot at a time.
Mr. MCCLOY. When you say a six-cartridge clip, could that gun have been fired
with the clip fully loaded and another one in the chamber?
Mr. Frazier. Yes, sir.
Mr. M&LOY. The same as the .30-06?
Mr. Faazma. Yes, sir; the weapon will hold a maximum of seven.

               

No, it will NOT hold a maximum of seven.   Please don't take my word for it ..... LOOK  at the cut away illustration on page 2 of this thread.

[Jim Hawthorn]

BUT ....When the bolt is closed and latched it probably wouldn't have been unlatched and retracted about an inch by merely bumping the bolt by dropping it between boxes ......The weight of the rifle would not be sufficient to unlatch the bolt , and the bolt certainly wouldn't have been retracted.

But the bolt wasn't "retracted" - if by that you mean pulled back towards the stock. The bolt was in the forward position but simply with the knob handle lifted upwards: