Remington 700 bolt disassembly

[SpeedAKL]

So I've tried disassembling the bolt using the instructions in Remington's owners manual. What a pain in the you-know-what!

Is disassembling the bolt assembly necessary for keeping the rifle in good shape and, if so, how often? Does anyone have a good technique for doing so?

 

[NCsmitty]

The Remington is a bit more involved than Winchesters or Mausers, but not much. You do not need a bolt disassembly tool unless you are changing the spring or firing pin. For cleaning, you need a vise and a 1⁄8 drift punch. Remove the bolt from the rifle. Either hook the sear on the edge of your vise, or clamp it in the vise jaws. Pull on the bolt, compressing the firing pin spring. The firing pin extension will protrude further from the cocking piece, and you will see a cross hole through the extension. Push the drift punch through the hole and relax your pull on the bolt. You may now unscrew the bolt from the firing pin assembly.
I would say a once a year cleaning is enough unless you've hunted in real bad weather and soaked the rifle.
Light oiling, not any greases will keep them in shape.


NCsmitty

 

[MCMXI]

A couple of years ago I bought the Kleinendorst bolt disassembly tool and the Kleinendorst firing pin tool since I have three 700s and I clean the bolts (internals) every few months. 700 bolts often come shipped with a bunch of grease in them so it's a good idea to clean them out and lightly oil them. The Kleinendorst tools work very well and make bolt maintenance/repair easy.

 

[Gator 23]

Similar to NCsmitty, I use a vice. Remington instructions have worked for me. Tightly clamp a small steel plate bracket in the vice (a flat steel bracket plate you can buy from the Home Depot hardware section), exposing an ample edge of the plate. Holding a flat washer or quarter in one hand and the bolt in the other, hook the the notch of the firing pin head (notch is to the rear of the bolt) to the edge of the metal plate, pull to expose the notch at the end of the firing pin head, hold the compressed spring while you place a washer/quarter in the exposed slot - then slowly let the bolt/spring relax with tension put on the coin/washer. Now, with the coin/washer wedged in the slot, you can unscrew the bolt and firing pin for cleaning. Then reinstall oppositely. I'll make it a point to clean the bolt once a year or before I head out on a hunting trip - leaving nothing to chance.

 

[Iansstud]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDy2GrIx6p8