Broken Bolt Actions?

[Jaywalker]

Every once in awhile, I read that this modern bolt action or another will have a better availability of parts than another make if something breaks. Does this matter? I've been shooting for over 40 years and I've bent some scope rings, stripped some mounting screws and the like, but I've never had any broken any parts on a modern bolt action rifle. Granted, I don't shoot thousands of rounds a year as some do, but have I just been lucky?

Who has had broken parts of their bolt action rifles (not counting mounts and rings) and, if so, what parts?

Jaywalker

 

[Hutch]

I snapped a bolt handle clean off a friend's Rem 788 while he was standing there watching me. That's pretty much a catastrophic failure, in my book.

 

[Jaywalker]

Thanks, Hutch.

Nobody else has broken ANYTHING on a modern bolt action? No extractors, ejectors, nothing?

Okay, has it failed on you, such failure to fire, feed, extract/eject?

Jaywalker

 

[Art Eatman]

Nuthin' ever broke.

Art

 

[Joe Demko]

Well, there was the time...no, wait..errr
I guess I never had anything break, either.

 

[Hutch]

No problem, but I'm the exception to most rules. I've had a Glock break a part, snapped that damned bolt handle off, et endless cetera. Heck, I could screw up a 2-car funeral.

 

[Mike Irwin]

Extractor, ejector, and firing pin on different rifles.

I hope to never break the extractor on my Remington 722.

They're hard as hell to find.

 

[Badger Arms]

I got a Remington 788 through an auction that had a broken bolt handle that had been repaired. This was pure fraud. The auction didn't mention it and the 'repaired' handle was simply some bar stock that had been turned into sort-of the shape of a bolt handle and silver-soldered on. The picture in the auction was of the LEFT SIDE of the rifle. I was lucky to get my money back on that one.

Apart from that, you hear about a Remington 700 bolt coming off every once in a while. Remington would do themselves well to reexamine how their bolt handles are attached.

 

[13xx]

i broke the firing pin on my marlin .22lr . i think it was due to shooting way too much and not letting it cool

 

[Jim K]

Not to say it can't or hasn't happened, but Remington 700 bolt handles are on pretty tight, and I am rather inclined to put their coming off in the "urgun legend" category. Of course, any bolt handle can bend or break under enough pressure. I have seen several DIY weld-on bolt handles come off, one in the middle of a deer hunt. This is why I always forged bolt handles down rather than using the "weld-on" units.

I have never a Remington 700 handle come off and wouldn't worry about it.

Jim

 

[Mannlicher]

Only rifle I have had a part break on was an FN Mauser, where the safety fell off. The old wing type on the bolt just fell off. Ruined my hunting that day. At least I had the .45 Ruger, and could hunt the thickets.

 

[Jaywalker]

Mannlicher, I used to take a spare rifle with me deer hunting, but after so many years when nothing broke, I stopped. I did drop my Ruger on its scope once, and took a practice shot to make sure it was reasonably zeroed. Not surprisingly, I saw no deer after that.

Jim Keenan, I've heard about those Remington bolts for years, but Hutch's was the only first-hand evidence I've seen, and it isn't a 700. I tend to agree with your urban legend categorization. It would seem that if something were going to break, it would be something less massive. I did have a S&W M19 hammer break off at the spur while dry-firing, but it's not bolt action-massive.

Extractors, ejectors, and firing pins are reasonable wear items, and we can just hope Mike Irwin's 722 remains intact. (BTW, a 722 .257 was my first centerfire experience.) I did have it go off by itself one day when taking off the safety. I guess that counts as "malfunction."

These things really do look like they'll last for 50 or a hundred years if they're taken care of. What's not to like? They're simple to operate and clean, they lend themselves to accuracy and maintainability, and they last forever.

Jaywalker