I've got a new Remington 700 KS in .375 H&H. I've fired less than twenty factory rounds through it.

The effort to raise the bolt seems excessive. This condition exists even when dry fired and the chamber is empty.

I've polished the cocking piece and cocking ramp, and the inside of the bolt.

The bolt, when installed in the receiver without the firing pin assembly, operates with near zero effort.

Thanks.

Obviously without the spring to compress there will be no resistance to lifting the bolt...so lets look for the things that happen when that resistance is added in.

This is always hard to pin down over the internet...but here’s some things to look for.

What does the mainspring look like when you remove the firing pin assembly? Does it look like a catapillar on the move or is it straight and symetrical? If it’s the former it is rubbing/binding inside the bolt when being compressed. J-Lock firing pin assemblies are famous for this. The spring when compressed looks like it is way too long for the assembly. Sort of like using a LA spring on a SA bolt. Replacing the J-Lock system with a non-locking assembly will cure that quick.

Did you apply a dab of good grease or oil to the cocking cam surfaces?

These things can also loosen up sometimes just after shooting a few boxes of ammo through them if the condition causing the binding isn’t too much.

Lubrication?

Rick 0311 and Mousegun,

Thanks for your responses. The firing pin spring is lubricated with some type of dark grease. I used alot of FP-10 to lubricate the bolt and the cocking surfaces, hoping to facilitate break-in.

It is a J-lock assembly, and the spring does look too long for the pin. When the bolt is lifted you can hear the spring rubbing on the inside of the bolt.

Who makes a good replacement? I was thinking of getting rid of the j-lock anyways.

This is my first Remington so this is all new to me. Thanks for the help.

quote:

Originally posted by direwolf:
Rick 0311 and Mousegun,

Thanks for your responses. The firing pin spring is lubricated with some type of dark grease. I used alot of FP-10 to lubricate the bolt and the cocking surfaces, hoping to facilitate break-in.

It is a J-lock assembly, and the spring does look too long for the pin. When the bolt is lifted you can hear the spring rubbing on the inside of the bolt.

Who makes a good replacement? I was thinking of getting rid of the j-lock anyways.

This is my first Remington so this is all new to me. Thanks for the help.

Brownells sells the factory Remington assemblies and also Gre-Tan and Holland units. I prefer the Gre-Tan and/or Holland because they have better springs, lighter firing pins and the cocking pieces and shrouds are made to closer tolerances than the factory models.

Rick 0311,

Thanks, I'll check Brownell's.

A little wire wheeling on the threads of the bolt shroud will help a lot too for smoothing that up......After that, simply apply some good grease to the threads and locking abutment surfaces.

triggerguard1,

Thanks, I'll give that a try also.

I can't believe Remington and that convoluted-firing-pin-spring-J-lock-thingie. Obviously, a lot of other people couldn't either, thank gawd Remington has dropped it.

I replaced the firing pin assembly on the two J-lock rifles I own, and yes it made a difference in bolt lift. One was from Sinclair, a PIERCEision (or something like that), about $65-70. The other is a Taylor from Midway, $40-45. The less expensive Taylor works just as well as the Sinclair one.

Casey

quote:

Originally posted by CaseyC:
I can't believe Remington and that convoluted-firing-pin-spring-J-lock-thingie. Obviously, a lot of other people couldn't either, thank gawd Remington has dropped it.

I replaced the firing pin assembly on the two J-lock rifles I own, and yes it made a difference in bolt lift. One was from Sinclair, a PIERCEision (or something like that), about $65-70. The other is a Taylor from Midway, $40-45. The less expensive Taylor works just as well as the Sinclair one.

Casey

The J-Lock is a very good example of what happens when liability lawyers are given authority in firearms design.

It is possible to harden and polish the cocking cam on a 700 bolt. This is best done with a small tip on an oxy-acetylene torch. Carefully heat only the cocking cam surface to afairly bright red then quench in oil. Smooth up prior to hardening then polish afterward with fine crocus. This will improve the bolt lift dramatically.
The flame should be a slightly carbon rich flame and heating and quenching done quickly to avoid affecting the silver solder joint of the handle. Regards, Bill.