Reminder for bolt-action rifle hunters: check and clean those bolts!

Mr. Hill · September 6, 2017, 08:37 PM

On a whim, I had a gun smith break down and disassemble the bolt of my Remington 700 just to check it out and examine the firing pin. This is something that I've never done over the 10 or so years that I've owned this rifle. He disassembled the bolt, took a quick look, and said, "looks pretty gloppy."

And it did. There was a thick layer of what looked like very dirty oil covering everything. It was bad enough that he took it to a separate part of his shop and dunked it in a cleaning tub. Then he sprayed out the firing pin channel with something and used compressed air on the channel and the rest of the bolt.

It was so filthy that I could imagine it turning to sludge and preventing the bolt from firing in very cold temps, which happen a lot at 9,000 feet in the Rockies.

So disassemble that bolt (or have a smith do it for you) and inspect and clean the bolt and firing pin! And go easy on the oil when oiling the bolt. Just a suggestion before elk/deer season.

jmr40 · September 6, 2017, 09:09 PM

Good idea. One of those things easy to overlook.

mete · September 6, 2017, 09:22 PM

Cheap oils will oxidyze time to produce a varnish ! Cheap oils also precipitate paraffin .Most shooters use too much oil !
These three things will all cause serious problems !

Blindstitch · September 6, 2017, 09:28 PM

I usually do this when taking in new to me guns. Type 38 Arisakas are really easy.

Screwball · September 6, 2017, 09:49 PM

It is fun doing it on used Remington bolts, when you buy one...

I actually sent mine (stripped) to CCR. Had them plate all the parts in CPII, which is along the lines of NP3. Little easier to clean, but also less of a chance of corrosion setting in. Very happy with it. Definitely recommend the tools to completely take down a Remington bolt.

Saying that's fun, do an Enfield bolt from a gun that wasn't completely torn down and cleaned. Love the cosmoline, and dried dirt. Just like SLIP-2000. Think my Yugo M48A was similar. I know I've had a Mosin Nagant or two like that.

Mobuck · September 8, 2017, 08:37 PM

Just hose it out with brake parts cleaner, blow it dry with compressed air, and re-lube with one of the numerous (and highly advertised) products.

burrhead · September 10, 2017, 11:29 AM

Not much to field stripping a 700 bolt; all you need is a bootlace, a dime and 30 seconds. Removing the extractor and ejector is a little more involved but still not much of a thing. All you generally need for those is some spray solvent and a drop of lube unless there's a problem. Certainly no need for a smith but YMMV.

tangolima · September 10, 2017, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by burrhead

Not much to field stripping a 700 bolt; all you need is a bootlace, a dime and 30 seconds. Removing the extractor and ejector is a little more involved but still not much of a thing. All you generally need for those is some spray solvent and a drop of lube unless there's a problem. Certainly no need for a smith but YMMV.

Separating the striker assembly from the bolt body to clean the striker channel is pretty easy. Taking out the ejector is not bad. But I will not remove the extractor if I don't have to. Disassembling
the striker assembly is not hard, but not trivial either.

-TL

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

burrhead · September 10, 2017, 12:19 PM

Quote:

But I will not remove the extractor if I don't have to.

Yep. As I implied, no reason to remove unless there's a problem. I've never removed a 700 extractor but once had to replace an ejector spring on a 722. Not much to it, just used a cut down case and a big C-clamp, to hold the plunger in place, and a punch. As to breaking down a striker assembly, again never had to but see how it'd be fiddly.

Pretty sure we're on the same page.

tangolima · September 10, 2017, 03:17 PM

The extractor is way more difficult. It requires special tool and even fitting. It mostly needs to go to a smith. Not something an user with simple tools can handle.

-TL

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

Sure Shot Mc Gee · September 10, 2017, 10:31 PM

Only once I have taken a hunting guns bolt apart. Was due to a light hit on its primer which caused a nice spike walking beneath my deer stand to bolt and disappear out of my site and run directly to my neighbors deer stand to which he filled his deer tag that day with >my deer. ~~Oh well such is hunting.

Being a brand new rifle the factory set its bolt. It was deliberately screwed tight to its shroud. Took the bolt apart cleaned all its parts well. Re-oiled with kerosene and screwed its shroud tight to its bolt as I found it. But then?~~ I unscrewed its shroud one full turn plus near a half turn to line things up.
270 Rem hasn't skipped a firing since.

Tomorrow is again the anniversary of 9-11. A word or two UP in Remembrance~~surely appreciated.

Mr. Hill · September 10, 2017, 11:10 PM

I sighted in the rifle today. The bolt might be clean, but the shooter pretty much blew it. Shotgun patterns at 100 yards. Definitely need more practice. Going back to the range on Wednesday. Tired and not real happy, but I'll keep practicing.

math teacher · September 12, 2017, 06:54 PM

Yes you want to clean your bolt. I shot my last moose with a Remington 700. I fired my first shot into the lungs and the moose seemed unimpressed, so I tried again. The gun, which performed perfectly at the range, went click. "A bad primer," I thought. But the next cartridge also resulted in a click. Fortunately the last cartridge finished the job. I recovered one of the misfires and the primer was hardly dented. That night i tore down the bolt which looked fine, but when I ran a rag down to the end, it came back covered in black gunk. Since cleaning it, I have had no misfires. I discovered that a .410 shotgun brush is just the right size for the job.

Pathfinder45 · September 12, 2017, 09:25 PM

I do it every time I clean my rifle and also before hunting season, mostly because it's just so easy to do on a model 70 Winchester.

September 6, 2017, 08:37 PM	#1
Mr. Hill Senior Member Join Date: November 21, 2015 Posts: 384	Reminder for bolt-action rifle hunters: check and clean those bolts! On a whim, I had a gun smith break down and disassemble the bolt of my Remington 700 just to check it out and examine the firing pin. This is something that I've never done over the 10 or so years that I've owned this rifle. He disassembled the bolt, took a quick look, and said, "looks pretty gloppy." And it did. There was a thick layer of what looked like very dirty oil covering everything. It was bad enough that he took it to a separate part of his shop and dunked it in a cleaning tub. Then he sprayed out the firing pin channel with something and used compressed air on the channel and the rest of the bolt. It was so filthy that I could imagine it turning to sludge and preventing the bolt from firing in very cold temps, which happen a lot at 9,000 feet in the Rockies. So disassemble that bolt (or have a smith do it for you) and inspect and clean the bolt and firing pin! And go easy on the oil when oiling the bolt. Just a suggestion before elk/deer season.

September 6, 2017, 09:09 PM	#2
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,805	Good idea. One of those things easy to overlook. __________________ "If you're still doing things the same way you were doing them 10 years ago, you're doing it wrong" Winston Churchill

September 6, 2017, 09:22 PM	#3
mete Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2004 Location: NY State Posts: 6,575	Cheap oils will oxidyze time to produce a varnish ! Cheap oils also precipitate paraffin .Most shooters use too much oil ! These three things will all cause serious problems ! __________________ And Watson , bring your revolver !

September 6, 2017, 09:28 PM	#4
Blindstitch Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2013 Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin Posts: 2,692	I usually do this when taking in new to me guns. Type 38 Arisakas are really easy. __________________ NRA Lifetime Member

September 10, 2017, 11:29 AM	#7
burrhead Senior Member Join Date: July 6, 1999 Location: Chihuahuan desert, Texas Posts: 1,148	Not much to field stripping a 700 bolt; all you need is a bootlace, a dime and 30 seconds. Removing the extractor and ejector is a little more involved but still not much of a thing. All you generally need for those is some spray solvent and a drop of lube unless there's a problem. Certainly no need for a smith but YMMV. __________________ Join the GOA, SAF and the TSRA I'm offended by people that are easily offended.

September 6, 2017, 09:49 PM	#5
Screwball Senior Member Join Date: May 16, 2012 Location: ME Posts: 771	It is fun doing it on used Remington bolts, when you buy one... I actually sent mine (stripped) to CCR. Had them plate all the parts in CPII, which is along the lines of NP3. Little easier to clean, but also less of a chance of corrosion setting in. Very happy with it. Definitely recommend the tools to completely take down a Remington bolt. Saying that's fun, do an Enfield bolt from a gun that wasn't completely torn down and cleaned. Love the cosmoline, and dried dirt. Just like SLIP-2000. Think my Yugo M48A was similar. I know I've had a Mosin Nagant or two like that.

September 8, 2017, 08:37 PM	#6
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	Just hose it out with brake parts cleaner, blow it dry with compressed air, and re-lube with one of the numerous (and highly advertised) products.

September 10, 2017, 03:17 PM	#10
tangolima Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2013 Posts: 3,816	The extractor is way more difficult. It requires special tool and even fitting. It mostly needs to go to a smith. Not something an user with simple tools can handle. -TL Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

September 10, 2017, 10:31 PM	#11
Sure Shot Mc Gee Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2012 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,876	Only once I have taken a hunting guns bolt apart. Was due to a light hit on its primer which caused a nice spike walking beneath my deer stand to bolt and disappear out of my site and run directly to my neighbors deer stand to which he filled his deer tag that day with >my deer. ~~Oh well such is hunting. Being a brand new rifle the factory set its bolt. It was deliberately screwed tight to its shroud. Took the bolt apart cleaned all its parts well. Re-oiled with kerosene and screwed its shroud tight to its bolt as I found it. But then?~~ I unscrewed its shroud one full turn plus near a half turn to line things up. 270 Rem hasn't skipped a firing since. Tomorrow is again the anniversary of 9-11. A word or two UP in Remembrance~~surely appreciated.

September 10, 2017, 11:10 PM	#12
Mr. Hill Senior Member Join Date: November 21, 2015 Posts: 384	I sighted in the rifle today. The bolt might be clean, but the shooter pretty much blew it. Shotgun patterns at 100 yards. Definitely need more practice. Going back to the range on Wednesday. Tired and not real happy, but I'll keep practicing.

September 12, 2017, 06:54 PM	#13
math teacher Senior Member Join Date: February 5, 2012 Location: Southwest WA Coast Posts: 558	Yes you want to clean your bolt. I shot my last moose with a Remington 700. I fired my first shot into the lungs and the moose seemed unimpressed, so I tried again. The gun, which performed perfectly at the range, went click. "A bad primer," I thought. But the next cartridge also resulted in a click. Fortunately the last cartridge finished the job. I recovered one of the misfires and the primer was hardly dented. That night i tore down the bolt which looked fine, but when I ran a rag down to the end, it came back covered in black gunk. Since cleaning it, I have had no misfires. I discovered that a .410 shotgun brush is just the right size for the job.

September 12, 2017, 09:25 PM	#14
Pathfinder45 Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2008 Posts: 3,224	I do it every time I clean my rifle and also before hunting season, mostly because it's just so easy to do on a model 70 Winchester.