newb question: how smooth should the bolt be?

J

jimmythegeek

New member
I've only got one bolt action rifle, a CZ-455. It's accurate, but the bolt feels sticky, maybe to the point where there's a problem.

Is it reasonable to expect the bolt to glide back if you open it and tilt the muzzle skyward? It is binding on the sear, I can tell by the scratch on the firing pin and that it does slide a few inches when I depress the trigger. But it hangs up elsewhere.

I have about 500 rounds through it, plus another few hundred times working the bolt.

It just seems to require far more muscle than I see in video of someone proficient working the bolt. I can feel a bit of a grind, too, and there's a little bit of wear on the bolt where it slides.

I don't mind doing a bit of work on it, but at some point it's a warranty issue. What's your opinion on where that point is?
 
Very few bolts will slide back under their own weight. I doubt you have a problem, put a little oil on a cloth and wipe it, it will get slicker with time.
 
Don't know about that, I got a CZ 452 Military Trainer. The bolt was extremely smooth.

I agree, a rifle bolt should slide back and forth when you point it to the sky and down again.

However, lots of dry firing, working the bolt will smoothen up any of them, including stiff Mosin bolts.

The best off the shelf rifle I ever saw is the new FN Model 70 Winchester. I like Winchesters but this was something else, smoother then a prom queen's thighs.
 
I like Winchesters but this was something else, smoother then a prom queen's thighs.
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I'm with you. I was a little skeptical of the new rifles at first. But after buying one I just can't understand why anyone would even think about anything else. The quaity and accuracy is there. And at a fair price considering the quality.
 
I read the question and picked up the Ruger Mod 77 that lives in the living room. Bolt slid right back under gravity. Hmmm! I never thought to try that. "Course, this rifle was built in 1971, so it couldn't be considered a new rifle, not by any stretch of the imagination.
 
Hello, jimmy..I guess I am kind of spoiled..you see, my first centerfire rifle was a very nice condition 1896 Krag rifle..Talk about smooth!
That glass-hard case hardened "skin" of the reciever is the reason.
 
I'll just have to drop by Sportco or Cabellas and try a few

I can work the bolt and have time to spare in a single breath, which is as fast as I ought shoot anyway, but it'd be more enjoyable if the bolt glided instead of grinding. I'll work it a little more and try not to worry about it.
 
I picked up a CZ 452 in .22lr .
The bolt was incredibly rough at first.
After a good cleaning and a few thousand rounds it's now like glass

AFS
 
Don't mistake loose and sloppy for smooth. I'v picked up many a tired old Mosin where the bolt would rocket backwards if the muzzle was raised, but they weren't smooth - just very loosely fitted bolts with tons of fore, aft, and sideways play. The standard for smoothness isn't what the bolt does under the influence of gravity - it's how the bolt operates when the rifle is level - how much effort beyond that which is required to cock is required, and how closely the bolt is aligned to the receiver all the way through its travel. For my money, no current mass market rifles are better at this than Sako.
 
However, lots of dry firing, working the bolt will smoothen up any of them, including stiff Mosin bolts.
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This. The smoothest bolts I have are on the oldest milsurps I have. No doubt they've been worked a few million times.
 
Find an old Krag and check the action. After that, everything seems bad. :D

A few hours with valve-grinding compound and a cloth and you, too, can have a super-slick action...
 
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