A sticky bolt pull with a custom bolt shroud (???)

[VaniB]

I just finished buying a really nice used short action Remington 700 in 221 Fireball. The first thing I did was clean up the little bit of powder residue from out of the action with Hoppes, and then lube everything. The bolt shroud that came with this barreled action is a PTG replacement for what had originally been manufactured with a J lock. I've noticed that when you lift the bolt straight up (either with or without a case in the barrel), and you try to proceed with the natural motion of pulling the bolt straight back, it hesitates a little right there before it moves backward. It doesn't take much muscle to get it to pull back, but it is sticky and does not make for a smooth bolt action. I've never owned a Remington 700 with a sticky bolt like this, and figure the replacement shroud might be causing the problem. I experimented and cammed the bolt into the chamber without the shroud on the bolt, and the bolt pulled out smoothly. So, I know it's not the bolt lugs causing the problem.

Has anybody experienced this with a replacement shroud? Any minor adjustment I can make to eliminate this without getting my smith involved?

 

[BoydAllen]

Remove the striker assembly from the bolt and cycle it in the action. That should tell you if there is something about the assembly that is causing the problem. How is the clearance between the bottom of the shroud, and the bottoms of the lug raceways? Perhaps the cocking piece is hanging a bit too low. It may be hanging on the trigger. With the striker assembly in, remove the trigger and test again.

 

[VaniB]

What your prescribing is a process of elimination as we go through the list of components and try to expose the culprit. That makes sense! I'll try that and see if I can determine anything. Originally I had thought that perhaps this was a common problem with a well known cause that somebody out there may immediately be able to identify. But, from your experience, I see that this is not the norm. Thanks for the help.

 

[jonbearman]

Could it be the rear screw may be sticking up just enough that it could be causing this?It should be slightly below flush.

 

[VaniB]

Thankfully it was a simple enough fix, which also had nothing to do with the shroud. I really know nothing about the mechanical workings of a Remington 700 other then how to disassemble the bolt to clean the insides, or change out the trigger. So the only thing I knew to do was to swap out the trigger with an identical old style spare trigger that I had stored away, and see if that made a difference. Problem solved......no more sticking!!

 

[rayjay]

Most likely the back of the end plates were bent inward when the rear pin was tapped in. You may see wear marks on the side plates of the suspect trigger assy.