Check the inside of your bolts!

[MagnumManiac]

Just received a new barreled action for another customer, even though I can't do anything due to lockdown, I thought I would strip it down to go over a few things and knock the pins out holding the trigger assembly.
First thing was to disassemble the firing pin assembly from the bolt….what a mess it was inside that bolt! There was a black greasy substance that was coated all through the coils of the firing pin spring and upon flushing it with solvent there was a lot of cutting chips caught in the coils and in the bolt body itself. Ran the Hawkeye in there and there was a chip still attached in the cone part of the bolt body cut. Was able to knock it off and polish the area lightly just with a shaped piece of brass rod. Flushed everything again and oiled it up and re-assembled it.
If I hadn't removed those chips or the goo that the factory had smeared in there, I think this rifle would have had problems down the track with misfires and other nasty happenings.
Check your bolts! This is not the first time I have seen this.

Cheers.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I've been shooting for the better part of 50 years, mostly Rem 700 rifles. It wasn't until just a few years ago that I decided to get a bolt disassembly tool. I went over every bolt rifle that I had and expected to find some really gummed up firing pins & springs. To my surprise, things weren't all that bad and nothing was in the condition MM found, thankfully.

However, all of them benefitted from a good cleaning and a light lubrication. Recently I have been loaning the tool out to my friends so they can do the same.

Good point to inspect those bolts MM.

 

[ShtrRdy]

Yikes! Sounds like a mess.

 

[MagnumManiac]

Yikes! Sounds like a mess.

It was! Actually have never seen so much factory lube inside a bolt before.
Looked like the firing pin assembly had been dunked into a grease pot, pulled out and assembled with zero cleaning!

Cheers.

 

[Hugnot]

Also look for shiny areas on spring that would indicate spring is rubbing against inside of bolt. I clean the innards of my bolts including bolt face holes after each use, I use Hornady One Shot and a pistol cleaning rod with a .25 or so with paper towels wrapped around a .25 or so bronze brush, tor the bolt face hole, pipe cleaners (fuzzy). Finish the job with a light coat of wheel bearing grease on bolt lug faces and bolt handle root.