anyone else have a bolt that opens hard after firing? if it is cocked, the bolt opens and closes smoothly, but once I pull the trigger (snap caps or dry) the bolt is harder to open....
is this common?
I've disassembled the bolt and there are no obstructions, and it doesn't look like there is any damage
Sound like a dirty chamber, Have you gave it a good cleaning ? What are you shooting (brand rifle) ? And what kind of ammo ? Reloads ? This info will help...A.H
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Last edited by ArkansasHunter; 11-20-2009 at 11:58 PM.
find some of the old "bolt" posts and get to work polishing the parts that matter. this question comes up so often i can't believe the solutions haven't been made a "sticky" yet!
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I'm posting as opposed to assuming it's just dirty because it cycles open hard ONLY after it's been fired... and I've not actually FIRED it with live rounds yet, just cleaned like crazy after getting it and "fired" with snap caps
Take your pinky finger and run it inside the bolt locking lug grooves inside the receiver with a patch on it. There could be some stuff in there you may have missed. Dental picks, Qtips can help get some dirt and grime out. You can also use carb cleaner to squirt in there. I would advise removing the stock before doing that if you choose.
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his problem is only with the bolt after the trigger's been pulled. it's the bolt not the lugs or chamber that needs attention.
your mosin's bolt will always be harder to open after the trigger had been pulled. you can manually cock it by pulling the safety straight back to make it easier if you want.
what i've done with some of mine is to polish the "ramps" on the bolt that slide on each other when you open the bolt. it made a huge difference on my m44. like most parts on a russian mosin, they were too rough to work smoothly. the trigger can be vastly improved with a bit of polishing in the right places as well. that's a whole nother post that need to be made a "sticky"!
take your bolt apart and have a good look at it put it back together without the spring and "cycle" it a few times till you're familiar with how it works and what parts are rubbing on each other to re-cock it when you open it. those are the parts you want to polish. a small polishing wheel on a dremel would work great for this, i didn't care about keeping the original finish on my bolt, so i just poilished the whole thing on a metal polisher. only takes one finger, one thumb and no effort at all to open now.
__________________ Badges? We got no badges! i aint gotta show you no stinking badges!
his problem is only with the bolt after the trigger's been pulled. it's the bolt not the lugs or chamber that needs attention.
your mosin's bolt will always be harder to open after the trigger had been pulled. you can manually cock it by pulling the safety straight back to make it easier if you want.
what i've done with some of mine is to polish the "ramps" on the bolt that slide on each other when you open the bolt. it made a huge difference on my m44. like most parts on a russian mosin, they were too rough to work smoothly. the trigger can be vastly improved with a bit of polishing in the right places as well. that's a whole nother post that need to be made a "sticky"!
take your bolt apart and have a good look at it put it back together without the spring and "cycle" it a few times till you're familiar with how it works and what parts are rubbing on each other to re-cock it when you open it. those are the parts you want to polish. a small polishing wheel on a dremel would work great for this, i didn't care about keeping the original finish on my bolt, so i just poilished the whole thing on a metal polisher. only takes one finger, one thumb and no effort at all to open now.
Now we are on track. Good job R5C! I dab of grease helps too.
We need to create a good sticky about the various 'bolt' problems.
1- This issue with the re-cocking cycle.
2- Bolt won't close and how to adjust the extractor that won't snap over the rim.
3- Sticky bolt and chamber cleaning.
3a- Sticky bolt caused by burrs.
3b- Sticky bolt caused by chamber defects.
4- FTFs, duds, hang fires, pierced primers and other issues caused by improper firing pin adjustment.
5- Trigger tuning. (Boy that would be a thread of it's own!)
Did I forget anything?
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Now we are on track. Good job R5C! I dab of grease helps too.
We need to create a good sticky about the various 'bolt' problems.
1- This issue with the re-cocking cycle.
2- Bolt won't close and how to adjust the extractor that won't snap over the rim.
3- Sticky bolt and chamber cleaning.
3a- Sticky bolt caused by burrs.
3b- Sticky bolt caused by chamber defects.
4- FTFs, duds, hang fires, pierced primers and other issues caused by improper firing pin adjustment.
5- Trigger tuning. (Boy that would be a thread of it's own!)
Did I forget anything?
The only thing I can think of that you have forgot is:
6- How to understand women. No wait...that can be summed up in two words..."Ya can't."
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^What they said. I took my bolt apart and polished the ramps that cock the bolt when opening then greased it with some dry graphite. After you fire it, you may have to look into bolt lugs and such, but not now.
his problem is only with the bolt after the trigger's been pulled. it's the bolt not the lugs or chamber that needs attention.
your mosin's bolt will always be harder to open after the trigger had been pulled.
see, THIS was more what I was asking than anything... is a hard opening bolt just plain par for the course or is it a symptom of a PROBLEM...
I'm still going to take it apart again to examine it further and make sure it's deep cleaned... I wanted to avoid taking it to a gunsmith because 1. money is tight and 2. with it being hunting season right now, every smith I've talked to is backlogged pretty deep. If this hard-opening bolt was not a symptom of a SAFETY issue, just "meh, it opens a little harder", then I'm not going to WORRY about it. Check it, sure, clean it again, absolutely.
While I've had blackpowder flintlocks since I was 15, I'm still kinda new to modern guns... I'm still in the "ask LOTS of questions" phase.
and if you really want it to work as it should, take the time to polish the parts that need it. calling the machining on these rifles "rough" is a massive understatement. o.k. by me. that why we can get them so cheap!
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and if you really want it to work as it should, take the time to polish the parts that need it. calling the machining on these rifles "rough" is a massive understatement. o.k. by me. that why we can get them so cheap!
the sequence in Enemy at the Gates where they alternately hand one man a rifle and then the next man a stripper clip... and then throw the MASS of ill-prepared soldiers at the enemy pretty much embodies the Soviet mentality of quantity over quality...
One thing That needs to be Mentioned is Firing Pin Protrusion...It MUST be reset using the gauge on the screwdriver tool each time you disassemble the bolt and if You get it too tight , it will cause problems / and binding when trying to open the bolt...
Rich
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quality you say? what weather is this gun made for? the soviets knew 2 things. cold and dirt. both of which are plentiful in that part of the globe. when "high quality" german rifles seized in WW2 during russian winters and the mosin didnt...guess who was gonna win in that department. when all that snow melted and created the dreaded mud that stopped troop movement for weeks and even months at a time guess whos rifles were working and whos werent?
remember in 'nam when the "high quality" m-16 was being bested by "low quality" mosins, SKS and AK-47's?
the russians didnt make low quality weapons. they made weapons that *gasp* worked! regardless of moisture, dust, dirt or temperature.
the mosin is a very high quality piece of equipment.
besides, how many other guns can you say double as a sledged hammer IF you can figure out how to break it?
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