how to smooth the bolt?

[Bigeclipse]

Guys...my wife is having a hard time recording the bolt on her savage 110 if she is standing free which could present a problem if she shot and missed or needed a follow up shot. Can there be anything done to smooth up the bolt cycle on the rifle? If so are there options I can try before going to a gunsmith?

[EFBell]

Cleaning Thoroughly, lubing properly, some moly on pressure points and cycle the bolt several hundred times. I had a couple of bolts that dragged a lot. On one a respected old timer that offered me a lot of advice over the years recommended a bit of ultra bright toothpaste in key areas and a few hundred cycles. That did the trick on that one. Another I had to polish the daylights on the bolt body until I could see myself in it. the actual bolt body was parkerized or some thing like that and it was just too tight in the receiver. That did the job on that one. So there are several methods depending on your issues with the individual rifle.

[ScoutSnyper]

My 10T has a bit of a rough spot in the cycling I figured over time it would smooth out. Maybe just cycle it in front of the TV one night?

[Bigeclipse]

Cleaning Thoroughly, lubing properly, some moly on pressure points and cycle the bolt several hundred times. I had a couple of bolts that dragged a lot. On one a respected old timer that offered me a lot of advice over the years recommended a bit of ultra bright toothpaste in key areas and a few hundred cycles. That did the trick on that one. Another I had to polish the daylights on the bolt body until I could see myself in it. the actual bolt body was parkerized or some thing like that and it was just too tight in the receiver. That did the job on that one. So there are several methods depending on your issues with the individual rifle.

Thanks for the advice. Hopefully this doesn't sound dumb but what toothpaste is "BRIGHT" toothpaste?

[Hotolds442]

http://c2.q-assets.com/images/products/p/acp/acp-011_1z.jpg

[spdu4ia]

I cycled mine about 10,000 times dry in front of the tv . Lapping compound on the wear spots helps as well as a good lubbing. I added the ptg bolt body and it tightened things up as well and smoothed it out even after that too by getting rid of the "slop". Tell your wife dry cycling will really smooth out the action as well as develop muscle memory on the movement so if she needs to crack off a follow up that it will be second nature.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3946/15483802058_6773224eda_z_d.jpg

[Twinsen]

Be careful around that little slot the baffle's ball bearing rides along. I polished it slightly and now there's enough slop in the baffle that the bolt can't close.

Lesson learned and PTG bolt body is in the mail. $100 mistake.

[EFBell]

it says ultra bright... that's the brand.

[Mach2]

Cycling the bolt is like revving an engine that coughs. All you are doing is damaging the engine and making your neighbor mad.

Polish the bolt surfaces that ride on the black pin. You will see a diagonal cut in the bolt body. This diagonal surface is smooth and very hard, heat treated steel. If the pin and the bolt surface don't meet properly it causes excessive friction thus a sticky bolt. Look at the surfaces. They may be rough or angled wrong.
Make sure you know the difference between polishing and filing. Make sure the bolt metal you polish is polished so that it meets the black pin at the best angle which is 90 degs.
You can replace the bolt but what that does to fix the problem is change the surface rubbing up against the black pin.

If those two surfaces on the black pin and the bolt don't meet flat then cycling the bolt is just sawing into the black pin. The surfaces must meet flat.. Cycling the bolt will get you nothing but a sloppy. clunky bolt action rifle. Basically you are just weqring out your rifle.

Take the bolt apart to polish these surfaces. Polishing case hardened steel takes patience and a little skill. You need the right polishing tools because the surfaces are tough to reach. Dremels can cause uneven surfaces. That is a linear diagonal cut. You don't want bumps or hills in it.

In a nutshell the 45 deg cut in the bolt that meets the black pin is improperly machined. (rough or not meshing properly to the black pin)
These are your options: replace the bolt or pin or both. Polish the 45deg cut in the bolt. If the 45 deg cut isn't meeting the black pin at a 90 deg angle you have to form a 90 deg angle first. Then polish the new surface.
If you see any cutting or wear marks on the shaft of the black pin get a new pin. The black pin should be flawless. The 45 deg cut in the bolt rides on the surface of this pin.

Sitting in your lazy boy cycling the action 500 times will do nothing but cut a groove into the black pin. You are also wearing out the lug surfaces. Don't do this. Do you really think a good gunsmith would do this?

[Bigeclipse]

Cycling the bolt is like revving an engine that coughs. All you are doing is damaging the engine and making your neighbor mad.

Polish the bolt surfaces that ride on the black pin. You will see a diagonal cut in the bolt body. This diagonal surface is smooth and very hard, heat treated steel. If the pin and the bolt surface don't meet properly it causes excessive friction thus a sticky bolt. Look at the surfaces. They may be rough or angled wrong.
Make sure you know the difference between polishing and filing. Make sure the bolt metal you polish is polished so that it meets the black pin at the best angle which is 90 degs.
You can replace the bolt but what that does to fix the problem is change the surface rubbing up against the black pin.

If those two surfaces on the black pin and the bolt don't meet flat then cycling the bolt is just sawing into the black pin. The surfaces must meet flat.. Cycling the bolt will get you nothing but a sloppy. clunky bolt action rifle. Basically you are just weqring out your rifle.

Take the bolt apart to polish these surfaces. Polishing case hardened steel takes patience and a little skill. You need the right polishing tools because the surfaces are tough to reach. Dremels can cause uneven surfaces. That is a linear diagonal cut. You don't want bumps or hills in it.

In a nutshell the 45 deg cut in the bolt that meets the black pin is improperly machined. (rough or not meshing properly to the black pin)
These are your options: replace the bolt or pin or both. Polish the 45deg cut in the bolt. If the 45 deg cut isn't meeting the black pin at a 90 deg angle you have to form a 90 deg angle first. Then polish the new surface.
If you see any cutting or wear marks on the shaft of the black pin get a new pin. The black pin should be flawless. The 45 deg cut in the bolt rides on the surface of this pin.

Sitting in your lazy boy cycling the action 500 times will do nothing but cut a groove into the black pin. You are also wearing out the lug surfaces. Don't do this. Do you really think a good gunsmith would do this?

Well little too late. I cycled it about 200 times already. I will admit it is much smoother...but hopefully I didn't wear it out like you stated. Even my wife says it's much easier for her to cycle it now.

[EFBell]

Don't worry, you didn't wear it out.

[spdu4ia]

Yea that's a little dramatic, your fine. Cycling the rifle will smooth it out like breaking in a new pair of shoes.

[Robinhood]

Mach2's solution may be in the stratosphere but thats where I want to be. While a "broke in" rifle is good for most situations and most people, some folks like it right and tight.

I hope you get it where you want it.