Winchester 52C Bolt Removal

[257Roberts]

Hey folks, digging out a smallbore position rifle from the safe that I haven't shot yet. Its a 52C built by C.O.Audette, McMillan stock, custom barrel, 20X Unertl. Super nice gun, time to get her out so I can work on position practice.

Anyways, I was going to clean the barrel once before I started, and I cannot get the bolt out. This thing has a super light, I assume custom trigger, and the safety has been removed. I was reading that you need to dry fire the 52, then push the trigger forward, and then remove the bolt. This one wont do that. I despise cleaning from the muzzle unless absolutely required...

Any thoughts?

 

[SBS]

The method you describe is correct for a factory trigger; you must push forward very hard (after dry firing) to remove bolt. If it's a custom trigger, it depends on the make and a picture would help identify it.

 

[Esabatm]

On some 52's with modified triggers you can't remove the bolts. If that's your case use a pull through.

 

[ms6852]

Depending on year and trigger here are a couple of ways to remove it. Copied from some where else.
The trigger IS supposed to work this way. the sear and the trigger are not connected. The sear has to be released (fired) to allow it to be pushed down (whether by the firing pin or something else), then if you want it to stay down, it has to be held down until the trigger, which now has to be reversed in direction, can be used to hold the sear down from the back side. If you study the pictures(cutaway pics, like out of the Houze book) of the MM trigger and see how it operates, you will see that this is correct and by design.

When I reinsert the bolt on my C, I just stick my right pinkie finger in the loading port, push down on the sear, pull the trigger to release it and then push the trigger forward to hold the sear down. grab the bolt and stick it in the hole and fully close it and release the trigger.

Hope this helps,

Close bolt (w/ firing pin cocked).
Pull trigger… and immediately push it forward.
Hold it there and remove bolt.

Re-install…

IF you have not placed something to hold the trigger forward as above, then…
Pull trigger to rear… reach into action and push sear down, when it drops… push trigger forward
Installl the bolt… in one smooth action, whilst holding trigger forward.
If you slip (trigger moves, which allows the sear to rise up)… start over.
It's a fussy process (for me).

Also go to Winchester siite and download manual for 52 B sporter, should be the same it has pictures and instructions on how to remove.

 

[MrG52D]

If your C is like my D's, it done pretty much the way as described above, assuming it is a Winchester trigger. I do not dry fire mine, I just open the bolt, engage the trigger, then slowly close the bolt with the trigger engaged. I then wedge the trigger forward, open the bolt, then pull the bolt out. It slides right back in as long as the trigger is wedged forward. Most likely you will want to strip the bolt to clean it and change out the spring.

Look at the stickys on RFC in the Winchester 52 section
https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=d870eac40e0f60a9af1ea4a00c95f90f&f=265

Lots of valuable information there, including how to strip the bolt and Keynon and Canjar trigger instructions.

 

[Walt Krafft]

I rarely clean my 22lr rifle, but when I do it is with a bore snake. Drop it in the breech and pull out the muzzle.

 

[67gt350]

There should be a "knob" extending from the stock on the underside of the action. Open the bolt, pull on the "knob" and then pull the trigger rearward..then pull the bolt out.

pulling the knob allows the trigger to go back when un-cocked which then enables the bolt to be removed. My C has a kenyon trigger and removal does not require the trigger to be pushed forward but rather to the rear

 

[flatlander]

I had a very good friend re-stock a 52D that I'd had re-barreled with a Broughton match grade blank in sporter contour. He had to make a new trigger guard to work in the sporter stock, but didn't cut the trigger slot quite far enough forward to allow the trigger to hold the sear down when pushed forward. Don't know whether it made any difference in how far forward the trigger had to be held, but Karl Kenyon had done his modifications to it. I have a manual knee mill, so a few minutes of setting the TG up in the mill vise and using a 3/16" carbide end mill resulted in a simple solution to being able to remove the bolt without having to remove the TG every time I wanted to wipe the bore clean.

 

[Nicktheshooter]

Glad I found this thread. Inherited a 52b and could not figure out how to remove the bolt.

 

[MrG52D]

Glad I found this thread. Inherited a 52b and could not figure out how to remove the bolt.

Nick, The B model is different, all you need to do is, pull the trigger all the way, hold it while removing the bolt. Same goes for putting it back in. The B has a much simpler trigger.

 

[dc.fireman]

Hey folks, digging out a smallbore position rifle from the safe that I haven't shot yet. Its a 52C built by C.O.Audette, McMillan stock, custom barrel, 20X Unertl. Super nice gun, time to get her out so I can work on position practice.

Anyways, I was going to clean the barrel once before I started, and I cannot get the bolt out. This thing has a super light, I assume custom trigger, and the safety has been removed. I was reading that you need to dry fire the 52, then push the trigger forward, and then remove the bolt. This one wont do that. I despise cleaning from the muzzle unless absolutely required...

Any thoughts?

Is there any chance that Audette installed a Kenyon trigger in the rifle?

 

[promach]

If there is a wire hanging in front of the trigger it is probably a Canjar. In that case, you have to pull the wire down while moving the bolt back and out of the action. I have an older 52 that has a Leon Thomas trigger that had the wire missing, that took a little head scratching.

 

[SBS]

If there is a wire hanging in front of the trigger it is probably a Canjar. In that case, you have to pull the wire down while moving the bolt back and out of the action. I have an older 52 that has a Leon Thomas trigger that had the wire missing, that took a little head scratching.

IF it's a Canjar in a C or D model, you have to pull the trigger and hold it to the rear hard, push UP on the wire hard and pull the bolt out -- doesn't work the same way as the Canjar in an A or B model.