Remington 700 Bolt Sticking

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PawDaddy

New member
My friend has a Remington 700 in .30-06. The bolt is extremely hard to pull back and to close. It appears to be in a bind. Could the bolt be bent or warped? You can lift up on the bolt as you slide it forward and it seems to help a bit.

He hasn't dropped or abused the gun in any way. Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong? Thanks!
 
Has he tried some oil or light grease? Has he had the bolt apart? Did he just acquire the gun? Has the gun worked OK in the past and now is binding, or has it always been that way?

Jim
 
He bought the gun new and it has worked in the past. At one time it was hang-firing. He took it to a smith that cleaned it and it worked okay after that. He didn't hunt with it for a couple of years and he took it out last season and it was hanging up. He has not taken bolt apart, but has oiled it.
 
Some oils become tacky as they age. If it feels like you're pulling your bolt through sludge, you probably are. Remove the bolt, clean it and the receiver and use a high quality synthetic oil like Eezox.
 
I worked the bolt and it feels like it is just stuck. You can wiggle it and it will go in. It doesn't feel sludgy, it feels like it is in a bind. Like something is warped or bent. I suggested that he find someone else with the same gun and see if the bolt from it will work. He nor I know of anyone with a 700.
 
Try cleaning the bolt lock lug recess in the receiver and lightly grease the locking lugs on the bolt.
 
Try an experiment and remove the barreled action from the stock and work the bolt without the magazine box in place. Does the bolt still bind?

Were extremely long scope mount screws installed? Could they be preventing bolt movement?

ETA: Also examine the rear action screw. If it is too long, it will bind the underside of the bolt.
 
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I will have to try these things tomorrow. I do not believe that the scope mount screws are the culprit because the gun has been working fine and the scope has been on it a long time. Nothing has changed from that standpoint.
 
Did he mount a scope? If so, check the length of the base mounting screws. If they protrude they will cause the bolt to bind.

Addendum: Looks like someone already addressed this issue. Should have read the whole thread.
 
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