I had the same. As some suggested, it does get better after a few hundred cycles. I've gone from "binding every flippin' time" to "having to try hard to make it bind". I guess it will improve still.

Frans

Allen's description is very close to early military doctrine that allows for working the bolt when your fingers are frozen, bloody or missing.

The most interesting method I recall was a British rapid rife technique for the Enfield, in which the ball is grasped with the thumb and forefinger and not let go of. The trigger is then pulled with your middle finger.

Personnally, I gently grasp the slender butterknife handle with...

Good post Allen,

I am in the bad habit of de-shouldering my rifle then working the action for my next shot, then re shouldering (I do not know how I picked this habit up, no one ever told me any different I suppose.....I will now practice working the bolt while my rifle is shouldered. Actually the only gun I do not do this with is my under and over 12 g

Aaahhh, now I get it.

Those that are opposed to the Remington M700 and it's "prone to fall off bolt handle" are that way because they are used to slapping, smacking, yanking, twisting, and forcing those "never fail" Mauser bolts, and need the "toughness" that goes with them.

It's all so clear now.

(Now before anyone goes flying off the bolt handle, I'm just playing with you. I *do* think it's ironic though that there is a "specific" or "recommended" method of manipulating a bolt handle, that everyone has basically agreed will bind if not done correctly, on a favored DG rifle. So, I guess CRF works upside down & inside out, but only if you're holding the bolt handle correctly! )

So it will only work if you cycle it slowly, from the shoulder and make a point of using a perfectly straight forward stroke?..........If it's a rifle for dangerous game you might as well throw it away. My push feed Weatherby action cycles from any position, whether it's clean or dirty and I can slap the bolt around like a garden gate. It's never jammed or given me any problems whatsoever despite a great deal of abuse and rough treatment.............whoever said the mauser action is the only one worth having!

And I'll give you another criticism of them. Fully load the mag, chamber a round, put the safety on and then tip the rifle forwards and backwards a few times.......most, if not all, go CLUNK. doesn't matter much till you're 10 yards from something big and ugly.....then it becomes very important!

LONG LIVE PUSH FEEDS!!!!

......Damn, but I've waited a long time to get that one in!!

OT here but I personally feel that my Mauser rifle (the only one I have) cycles better with cartridges in the magazine than when I am working an empty action. Wonder whether this is typical?

Best wishes,

I agree with Allens post, however I do slick up, tweek, polish or whatever you want to call it all of my Mausers, Winchesters or whatever...

I hone the rails and all the internal parts of the bolt body, then the bolt itself, then I work it several hundred times and polish the wear area, until its like Ice on oiled glass...I polish the cocking piece, and its case hardened notch, and hone out the safty....I start with about 220 and progress to 400 or 600....

I never use anything except hones as to use anything else is counter productive IMO....Perhaps some 400 to 600 grit wet and dry used with oil, and followed by working the action 500 times with Jewlers rouge to finish it out...then be sure and clean with a solvent, oil and and work the action another 500 times, just keep going until I have the desired effect.....

I think I know Allen well enough to know all his actions have been polished.

CZ has been complaining to the factory about the rifles of late being a bit rough. Has nothing to do with it being a Mauser action. Sit in front of the TV and cycle it about a 1000 times and see if that fixes it.

First of all, the action must be worked from the shoulder. In other words, after the shot, keep the rifle in position, and work the action with the butt of the stock at your shoulder. This might take some diligent practice with an unloaded rifle at home if you're not used to it, but it's the only proper way to cycle the bolt. I ALWAYS cycle the bolt immediately after the shot. NEVER stand around and admire your shooting, work the bolt quickly and get ready for a follow-up shot if one is necessary.

When I have guys over who aren't really practiced riflemen or used to Mauser-type actions, I notice that many of them want to fight the bolt, and when you fight that bolt, it wants to fight back and bind to a degree. The most important thing to remember is, LET THE RIFLE DO THE WORK, and DON'T FIGHT THE BOLT. When I work a Mauser-type rifle, I don't actually grasp the bolt knob. I bring my hand up with the inside edge slapping the bolt handle up smartly, then I turn the palm sightly up and slap the bolt handle back smartly (the hand goes with it and follows thru as a guide) clear to the end of it's travel when it meets the bolt stop, then I slap it ahead fully with the hand following thru, then down smartly. I do this very quickly, in one fluid motion, and the entire cycle takes just a split second. There is no hesitancy, and there is no binding. Again, I don't fight that bolt! This concept is bedrock in its importance.

Some people think that the apparent play in a Mauser 98 or Model 70 bolt is some sort of a defect. In reality, it's a carefully calculated design feature that allows these actions to work and cycle properly under all possible environmental conditions, even freezing or extremely dusty conditions. It's a concept that the benchrest sycophants don't quite get, but it's just another good reason to go with the Mauser system in my estimate.

And you know what? If you don't fight the bolt, you never notice that built-in play.........

AD

The bolt must be made to work almost no matter what. Since this is posted in the African and Big Bore forums it must be a gun for potential dangerous game.

As far as I am concerned when there is a hurry the gun better work no matter how I hold the bolt.

For now just grease it up and cycle it a few hundred times and it may work better. If that does not fix it then send it back as it's under warrantee.

I've experienced binding in some Mauser actions, most notably an older Interarms Mini-Mauser I used to own, whose bolt rattled around significantly at the back of the stroke.

The technique I was trained to use is to grasp the ball of the bolt handle firmly between the side of the curled index finger and the thumb and maintain that hold through a brisk cycling of the bolt up-back-forward-down. Smooth is fast, so you don't have to apply excessive force to do this quickly. Start slow, feeling the dynamics of the stroke to avoid any possible points of binding, then gradually increase your speed until you've got it down smoothly and quickly without undue tension or force.

It also helps, I think, if you cycle the bolt while the rifle is still at your shoulder. I think that it's easier to pull the bolt straight back and push it straight forward in that position rather than in a lowered position.

Thanks,
I think we're on the right track with trying to get a smooth cycling and not "fighting it" as you indicate. We both seem to want to push upward on the bolt when rapidly cycling from the shoulder. If I slow down and try not to rush things it works much smoother. The action doesn't seem rough when the bolt is worked slowly and deliberately.

Hi and happy holidays,
Is there any instructional material on how to properly operate a Mauser style bolt action? A friend just got a CZ and we noticed when cycling the action the forward stroke MUST be dead straight and level with the action or the bolt binds up at the begining of the forward stroke. We were cycling it using what we thought was the appropriate technioque (using the open palm to lift and pull back and pushing forward with the fleshy part at the base of the thumb, open hand also) but the bolt would bind if not pushed back perfectly level. We were wondering if we had to modify our technique or just adapt to the level bolt return.
I also posted this on the big bore forum.
Thanks fo rthe help.