Cleaning the bolt of Bolt Action Rifles

[elktrout]

In looking for my next bolt action rifle, one of my major considerations is the ease of removing the firing pin and cleaning the pin/spring as well as the inside of the bolt body. I like to do this once each year after hunting season is done.

I really like the feel and fit of the Browning A-bolt and its light weight; but, my enthusiasm for the rifle waned when I examined the bolt. It is a multi-piece affair that quite honestly looks like I would never want to take it apart for inside cleaning.

What do all of you current or former a-bolt owners say? Should I just take it to a gunsmith every year? And, it also looks like it could easily fail under hard use. Is that true?

Is the Model 70 a better option?

 

[osteodoc08]

I don't know about the Abolt in particular, but I do like my ultrasonic cleaner followed by compressed air and gun oil.

Eds Red is awesome in the USC.

 

[herkyguy]

i recently removed the pin from my winchester model 60 after falling in a creek bottom trailing a deer i'd shot. i was not too excited about having to remove all the gunk and mud, but it was impressive how easy it was to disassemble the whole bolt and clean.

 

[1911 guy]

Stripping a bolt easily is a plus, but not a deal breaker for me. If I can't take it apart, I just flush it with naptha and re-oil. Dries quickly, leaves no residue and won't harm the finish on anything I know of (other than plastic).

 

[USSR]

Is the Model 70 a better option?

Just one of the reasons that all of my commercial boltguns are Model 70 Winchesters.

Don

 

[taliv]

Never taken an a bolt apart but rem700 are very easy...not that I clean my rifles...

 

[twofifty]

The 700 bolt spins apart by pulling on a boot lace loop to separate the cocking surfaces.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

There are some simple 700 tools for taking it apart. I had not for a long time and was startled at how rusty and dirty it was inside. Lesson learned, clean and lube at least once a year.

 

[ole farmerbuck]

I took apart the bolt apart and replaced the pin and spring on my model 25 Savage. Pretty easy even for a farmer.

 

[Slamfire]

What amazes me is the number of people who never clean their firearms. The President of my Gun Club is one of these, unless the rifle malfunctions, he does not clean, grease or oil anything.

I take stuff apart and clean them. I bought NRA disassembly books to figure out how to disassemble the bolt. I frequently change the old mainsprings, as I have noticed just how worn out old mainsprings often are. I also grease the cocking cams in my bolt rifles.

It is easy to remove the firing pin assembly in the Ruger M77’s with the wing safety. The M70 is very easy to take down. I thought the M700 a bit more complicated. It is usally easy to take the bolt down on actions based around the M98 Mauser.



Some bolts were puzzles which were not easy to solve: For over three decades I had been wondering just how to change the mainspring on a Stevens M416, and I finally figured it out.

 

[sage5907]

The Model 70 Winchester is an excellent design. To remove the firing pin assembly you start with the firing pin in the cocked position, place the safety in the middle position, open the bolt, depress the bolt latch, remove the bolt, push on the button on the left side of the cocking piece and the firing pin assembly screws easily out of the bolt. About once a year I clean the spring and inside of the bolt by spraying them with Browning gun oil and wiping them clean. After every shooting session or hunting season I spray the outside of the bolt with Browning gun oil and wipe it clean. This oil is very fine and acts like a solvent to remove the powder residue that gets into the action.

 

[Walkalong]

It is amazing how many people never grease locking lugs etc.

Sooner or later, depending on use and conditions, the bolt needs to be cleaned.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

I don't grease lugs, they do get lube but not grease (CLP)...I do disassemble and clean the bolt every year after hunting season...Winchester model 70, the bolt is very easy to take completely apart, even in the field if need be.

 

[sage5907]

Walkalong, there are those of us who hunt in very arid conditions with lots of dust in the grass and blowing in the air. The last thing I want is a mixture of grease and dust in my rifle action. It works better to lube the bolt lightly with gun oil and wipe it down often to remove the dust. This was a dry hunting season here in Oklahoma and the dust was particularly bad. In western Colorado it can be snowing one day and blowing dust the next.

 

[gamestalker]

I don't recall from memory exactly how to do it, but I do know they are very simple.

As for people that don't take care of their firearms, don't get me started. It reminds me of people who just drive their cars until they stop running due to lack of oil and other necessary maintenance. My rifles get thoroughly cleaned after each shooting session. I don't grease the lugs, but I do clean the recess's and a small drop of lube on the lugs.

GS

 

[Walkalong]

Walkalong, there are those of us who hunt in very arid conditions with lots of dust in the grass and blowing in the air. The last thing I want is a mixture of grease and dust in my rifle action. It works better to lube the bolt lightly with gun oil and wipe it down often to remove the dust. This was a dry hunting season here in Oklahoma and the dust was particularly bad. In western Colorado it can be snowing one day and blowing dust the next.

Makes sense. We don't have that problem here. That doesn't put you in the category of those who never lube or clean though.

 

[788Ham]

When I inherited my Pop's Rem. 700, the first thing I did was dis-assemble the bolt…whew! It needed it too. Rusty looking spring, the whole inside was terrible need of a cleaning. Brake Kleen, small dab of RIG grease, smooth as ever now, he'd probably be amazed at how fast that '06 shoots now. lol

 

[elktrout]

Like a few of you have noted, I learned the hard way 42 years ago. I bought my first ever rifle, a Model 700. After the Pennsylvania deer season, a wet one at that, I did not disassemble the bolt until about a month later and found the firing pin spring beginning to rust.

As I stated in the original post, being able to disassemble the bolt for cleaning (whenever) is important to me. When I examined an A-bolt at the local Sportsmans Warehouse on Sunday, I asked the young salesman about disassembling the bolts. He replied that he has an A-bolt in .243 that he has shot hundreds of times since buying it and has never tried to disassemble the bolt.

I did not have the nerve to tell him that he has a surprise coming some day.

 

[dak0ta]

Try taking apart a Mosin Nagant bolt... get strong hands

 

[BCRider]

For those that just want to "dunk n'go" I'd suggest the wonderful Ed's Red mix. Dunk it a few times then allow to drain by tipping it this way and that. Then when it dries out the solvent portion you're left with a nice light coating of ATF to protect against rust and to lube the spring and firing pin. Back that up with some other spot applications of oil or grease as desired.

For those like sage and others in a dry and dusty area bare metal will tend to remain fine since the low humidity that generates all that dust means a low risk of corrosion. But a safer idea would be a dry film protectant and lube such as EEZOX or something along that line.