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How To Make A Bolt Action Rifle Smooth

6 min read

The only other thing I have seen is the inside of the bolt body might be a bit rough. Beware of accidentally ordering a two-ounce benchrest competition trigger. My favorites are adjustable to a crisp two pounds, which is heavy enough to prevent negligent discharges and light enough for really precise field work.

At least I won’t have to clean lapping compound out od the lug slots – thanks. If they are very uneven, you can take it to a competent smith and have them lapp the lugs and check the headspace. Not a major deal if there is enough play in the headspace, but if they are very uneven it could require having the barrel setback a turn and the chamber checked/cut again. In that case, unless its a target rifle, just deal with the tightness until it wears in. Take extra care to scrub the locking lugs on the bolt, that area tends to build up more carbon than the rest of the bolt carrier. Gun maintenance doesn’t end with just cleaning your bolt-action rifle.

Top Hunting Rifles Chambered in .350 Legend

It’s stiff when empty as well, I think the firing pin spring is a little too strong, but I’m not sure. If all else looks good, put on a good war movie and sit there and work that bolt for a couple hours. My 2001 GAP .308 is very smooth compared with my 2008 production .308 LTR, although the LTR is getting better with use. It’s stiff when empty aswell, I think the firing pin spring is a little too strong, but I’m not sure. Simply make sure the rifle fires on fire, and doesn’t fire on safe.

Now it’s just a matter of applying some of the Flex-Hone Oil to the bore. Although you could use any good-quality cutting or honing oil, I strongly recommend using the Flex-Hone Oil. It enhances the polishing action of the abrasive, and it makes the Flex-Hone last a lot longer. Looking through it everything seems to be darn slick.

Lubricate The Bolt Assembly

The bottom line is that the shotgun bore should be as smooth and slick as we can possibly make it. The smoother the surface, the less fouling will build up. That’ll make cleaning easier and faster, and it’ll even make patterns a bit more consistent. I would let a gunsmith lap the lugs when/if you ever re barrel. You aren’t really wearing the spring, just working the bolt which will take out the very highest spots on the bolt body/receiver ways. The receiver tends to stay pretty clean on bolt action rifles, but you definitely want to make sure the chamber gets cleaned out nicely.

I have heard of 1911 folks putting toothpaste on their rails, assembling the slide, and leaving the pistol alone until the toothpaste dries. This but you can get dykem pretty cheap and it’s good to have a round. I have some hard dremel buffs I like to use, not stones but not cottony soft like a buff pad. I use the soft ones and some compound to make it mirror like.

Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Smoothing Ruger M77 MkII Action?

If I didn’t force the bolt all the way up, it would sit in this valley and not allow me to draw the bolt back. If that makes sense, but it seems to me like it should be a rounded edge not a sharp corner. But use 600 grit lapping compound instead of 400 grit.

You’ll want to really clean under the extractor and around the ejector on the bolt face. That way you can make it impossible for an accident to happen. However, all of these steps can still be followed if you prefer to use an all in one cleaner/lubricant like CLP or something similar.

Have Something to Hold the Bolt-Action Rifle in Place

Where you keep your gun when not in use also affects the longevity of your gun. Humidity can cause guns to form rust and ultimately affect the effectiveness of your bolt-action rifle. Having a private room makes gun cleaning a lot safer for your kids. The room or area needs to be clean in case the small parts get lost you would be able to find it easier. A clean environment also makes you motivated to clean and maintain your bolt-action rifle.

Boyds Gunstocks offers usable laminated wood stocks, and McMillan offers some top-notch models. Stocky’s Stocks carries most of the good composite versions at good prices. And chassis stocks can be found at myriad online retailers. Some shops that specialized in shotgun work modified honing machines originally used for the automotive trade. This really made the process faster, easier, and more precise.

THE MAGAZINE

On some rifles you may be required to push in the bolt release lever or latch to get the bolt assembly back in, and on others it will just push right in. I like to use a gun cleaner to clean the weapon completely, and then go back through with gun oil to lubricate the parts of the firearm that need it. To clean a bolt action rifle quickly and properly you’ll need the right cleaning supplies and tools. Check out the Best Gear To Clean And Lubricate A Firearm Correctly for a full list and where to find these supplies at a decent price. Bolt action rifles may be the most clean shooting type of firearm there is. But even so, they still need to be cleaned to be kept in proper working order.

I think it has definte promise and I’m glad I bought it. I just bought a Ruger M77 MkII in 6.5X55, and the second thing I noticed is that the bolt isn’t as smooth as my old tang safety Ruger M77, or even as smooth as a new M70. I haven’t even shot it yet, so I don’t know if it’ll be worth working on, but if it is, can the bolt be made to operate more smoothly?

Initial Pass Through The Barrel

After they are lapped in, the bolt will move smoother and the lockup improved, which depending on the barrel, may even improve the accuracy a bit. I had a 5R that was tight to manipulate the bolt and one lug barely had any contact. After a little work, both lugs had decent contact and the bolt was butter smooth, and the headspace was still within a set of go/no-go gauges. Wipe the oil in and get a nice coating over the bolt and locking lugs.

After an inch of travel the bolt frees up and slides freely again for the last third of travel. When I first started gunsmithing, polishing a shotgun bore could be quite an undertaking–in fact, it was a royal pain! It would entail casting a lead lap inside the bore then coating the lap with a fine abrasive. The lap was pushed back and forth, being very careful to stop short of the choke and the chamber.

How To Smooth Up A Shotgun Bore

Exploring areas of concern that are vital for anyone who wants to increase a rifle’s accuracy.

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That price comes in two forms—dollars and pounds—although recent cutting-edge versions from McMillan and Manners have shaved those pounds to ounces. A common tendency is to mount scopes in rings that are higher than they need to be. This exacerbates the struggle to attain a good cheek weld. Choose rings that position the scope as close to the barrel and action as possible­—without actually touching.

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