308 MVP Bolt lock up doesn't seem tight enough

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garry owen

New member
I recently bought a mossberg mvp patrol rifle with the tan stock and iron sights and like it very much. It shoots well and with 150 gr. Remington coreloct, I shot a 3 round ragged hole at 50yds open sights from a bench, which is very good for me. Now my question is for those who know as I am not very familiar with bolt actions is that bolt when closed, ready to fire, seems too easy to open. I can easily raise the bolt lever with my thumb,. Is this ok? I checked my dad's old Remington 721 and it closes up nice and tight.My mvp closes up alright just not as nice as his.
Is this something that should be checked? Or is it something I can fix? I googled this and couldn't find a thing.Thanks for the replies.
 
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garry owen,

Love the cavalry reference :)

Also, your bolt is fine. Essentially you have a push round feed action and with the striker held back there isn't anything to keep the bolt tightly push down. Nothing to worry about though, as even if you pull the trigger with the bolt slightly up the falling firing pin will push the bolt fully into battery. At most you'll get bad ignition and bad accuracy, but it's not unsafe.

Jimro
 
If you're doing this check with an empty chamber and striker cocked, there shouldn't be much resistance.
If you have a round chambered, there should be a little more resistance.
With the bolt close/locked with a factory round chambered try pushing the entire bolt forward. If this happens, you have a problem.
You're using factory ammo so this is not your scenario but on a "precision rifle" using tailored hand loads, you would expect the case to fit the chamber snugly-hence more resistance.

Comparing an old Rem 721 is apples to oranges. The older rifle should be well broken in but also may have gunk or debris in the works. On the other hand, it is/was a top of the line rifle of it's time while the Mossberg MVP isn't in that category(sorry, just being honest).
 
I understand the 721 is just a better made rifle and I can tell more effort was put into making it. Different era then when it was made. Thank you all for the replies.
 
I recently bought a mossberg mvp patrol rifle * * * It shoots well and with 150 gr. Remington coreloct. I shot a 3 round ragged hole at 50yds open sights from a bench, which is very good for me.
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Dude, a ragged hole from 3-rds @ 50yds, even with irons, proves zippo about your rifle's accuracy, especially with a Mossberg. :rolleyes: If it does that @ 200-yds with a scope, well, then we've got something to talk about.

Now my question is for those who know * * * is that the bolt when closed, ready to fire, seems too easy to open. I can easily raise the bolt lever with my thumb,. Is this ok?
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's okay.
 
I told a young fellow once that my name is not, "Dude". He apologized and said that he meant no disrespect. I said, "I know and it seems that everyone throws that word around these days. But try not to call people that, at least not me, because I really don't like being called, "Dude". And no, it's not really respectful.". Of course, when young people drink, they can hardly help themselves, so I had to remind him a couple more times before the evening was over. At least his apologies were respectful....
But a ragged hole for three shots at 50 yards proves that the rifle is ready to be tested at 100 yards.
I would say that a 5 shot group at 100 yards of one inch doesn't mean that it will shoot the same 5 shot group in less than a foot at 300 yards. It might do 3 inches, or it might destabilize into a 16 inch group. You can't know until you try it.
Still, three shots touching at 50 is encouraging.
 
I meant it is good for me. I wasn't bragging.I haven't shot a rifle in 8 years. Besides I have neither the time or the place to be able to see what it is capable of. But for right now it'll do dude.
 
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The MVP is made with a floating bolt head and a barrel nut like the Savage 100 type.
Such rifles can be made fast and inexpensively and they seem looser than (for example the Rem 721) which may make you believe the older Remington is "better"
Not so!
The Savage system copied by Mossberg is excellent for it's intended purpose.
The cartridge is free to seek center in the chamber and throat easier then it is on other designs. The bolt head is the part that is doing the locking, and it is just as strong as one machined into the bolt body.

I own one myself and other than the MIM cast extractor I think very highly of it. In fact, if the extractor was made of machined 1082 steel I would rank it better in every way over the Remington, but not in the same class as a CZ Mauser, a Winchester M70 or a Ruger M77.
Still I have been very pleased with my MVP considering the asking price.
I didn't like the stock shape so I shortened it 3/4" and slimmed down the forend, but overall I like the rifle a lot.
If the extractor ever breaks I will hand make a new one from solid stock and do my own hear-treatment. I have had to replace 4 MVP extractors since the rifle came out (all 223s) so I believe that part will be the Achilles Heal of the rifle if one developed, but time will tell.
Some enterprising young gunsmith could do well setting up to machine extractors for such rifles and selling them. MIM is not a good way to make such parts, and with a bench top mill you could make such parts in numbers worth doing by simply milling out the ears from a strap, drilling the pockets, cutting them to length and then milling the extractor hooks. Heat treatment can be done fast and fairly easily in Niter Salt and you could produce a few hundred every day.
Anyway....rambling.
But some of you young men may want to pay attention. The set-up would be fairly cheap and easy and the extractors would sell easily for $22 each. Such parts would be FAR better than what is offered now by Marlin, Mossberg and maybe Savage too.
Remember when Winchester stopped making the "pre-64 70? The new ones had the "T" style extractors, but they were milled not cast.
I have seen them stick because of neglect, but those milled extractors seldom if ever broke.
MIM extractors break fairly often.

Here is an opportunity to make something that will sell very well and be a good money maker for some young gunsmith.
 
I don't post here often and when I do it's usually to ask a question. I do appreciate all the knowledgeable detailed information and it makes me feel better about my purchase.
 
Gary, I think lots of bolt guns close like that. I've also watched as the bolt handle will lift slightly on ignition. Most 700s do that.

Also I think one ragged hole at 50 yards with irons is pretty good—better than most can do when they are not on the internet.
-SS-
 
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