Winchester model 70 help

[fasttwitch]

I just aquired a model 70 300 h&h. I have never had a model 70 before. It was in need of some good cleaning. My question is about the bolt, I found on the internet to remove the bolt, unscrew it from the sleeve and clean it. I did that and reinstalled it. What i found when i reinstalled it, is that after it is in cocked and ready to fire if i dry fire it the bolt rotates slightly counterclockwise. I never paid attention to it enough before to see if thats what they do. It doesnt rotate much at all but it does i can watch the bolt checkering and see it. I never owned a winchester and wanted to know if this is what they do? thanks.

 

[modgodcom]

Its a safety feature

On practically all bolt action rifles after the cock on open revolution (Mauser 98), a safety has been inherent to the camming action on the bolts. Basically, the cocking piece must clear the camming surface on the bolt body before the firing pin will contact the primer. What this means is that if the bolt handle isnt all the way down (meaning the rifle is out of battery), the cocking piece will move the bolt into full battery to prevent a Sudden Chambered Load Induced Disassembly (SCLID). I believe on the model 70 this is actually normal on dry fire, just check to make sure your safety lug doesnt have any contact marks and take it to a gunsmith for a headspace check.