Remington 700 bolt won't close

[Mark Bailey]

I recently acquired a Remington 700 BDL in .300 Win. Mag through the family.
The gun hadn't been used in about 10 years, needed a little work, and the
bolt was stored with another party.

I repaired the minor issues which included replacing the missing rear
trigger gaurd screw and a new grip cap. When I recieved the bolt from the
other party, I had the stock off for a thorough cleaning. I cycled the bolt
and pulled the trigger and everything seemed fine. Later, when everything
was reassembled I realized that the bolt is not closing all the way. It
closes enough to pull back the firing pin, but I would guess that the lugs
are only half engaged.

I have since taken the stock back off for closer inspection. I've examined
the slot where the lugs are rotated and cleaned it up. I'm sure it is not a
matter of anything being dirty. The bolt stops rotation solidly at the
halfway point.

I'm off to see the gunsmith today, but I'm just wondering if anyone has seen
this before as it has me kind of stumped. All I can think of is that
something is wrong with the safety or the lugs are not lining up with the
slot for some reason.

I did check that the serial # on the bolt matches the gun.

Thanks for any ideas,

Mark

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[Jim Dincau]

Check to see if the front action screw is interfering with the lower locking
lug.

"Mark Bailey" <mba...@xspampalouse.com> wrote in message
news:eumudv$l0o$1...@grapevine.wam.umd.edu...
> ...

.

[Louis Boyd]

Mark Bailey wrote:
# I recently acquired a Remington 700 BDL in .300 Win. Mag through the family.
# The gun hadn't been used in about 10 years, needed a little work, and the
# bolt was stored with another party.
#
# I repaired the minor issues which included replacing the missing rear
# trigger gaurd screw and a new grip cap. When I recieved the bolt from the
# other party, I had the stock off for a thorough cleaning. I cycled the bolt
# and pulled the trigger and everything seemed fine. Later, when everything
# was reassembled I realized that the bolt is not closing all the way. It
# closes enough to pull back the firing pin, but I would guess that the lugs
# are only half engaged.
#
# I have since taken the stock back off for closer inspection. I've examined
# the slot where the lugs are rotated and cleaned it up. I'm sure it is not a
# matter of anything being dirty. The bolt stops rotation solidly at the
# halfway point.
#
# I'm off to see the gunsmith today, but I'm just wondering if anyone has seen
# this before as it has me kind of stumped. All I can think of is that
# something is wrong with the safety or the lugs are not lining up with the
# slot for some reason.
#
# I did check that the serial # on the bolt matches the gun.
#
# Thanks for any ideas,
#
# Mark

Most likely either the front action screw or one of the front scope
mount screws is blocking the bolt. As wood stocks gets old the screw
may go deeper. You may have swapped front and back scope mount screws
which can be different length. Check that you have the correct screws
in the correct place. For the front action screw you can either pillar
bed the stock (good fix) or grind off the screw (klugy fix).

[EbenezerTStarr]

On Mar 31, 8:29 pm, "Mark Bailey" <mbai...@xspampalouse.com> wrote:
# I have since taken the stock back off for closer inspection. I've examined
# the slot where the lugs are rotated and cleaned it up. I'm sure it is not a
# matter of anything being dirty. The bolt stops rotation solidly at the
# halfway point.
#
# I'm off to see the gunsmith today, but I'm just wondering if anyone has seen
# this before as it has me kind of stumped. All I can think of is that
# something is wrong with the safety or the lugs are not lining up with the

# slot for some reason.

It sounds like one of three things...try loosening your front trigger
guard screw...if after doing so, the bolt fully closes, then you need
to shorten your front guard screw by a thread or two. If that doesn't
solve your problem and you have a scope base mounted on the receiver,
then check to see if your front mounting screws are too long. If that
was not your problem and you are trying to close the bolt on a live
round or an empty case then your third possibility would be a frozen
ejector in the face of the bolt. If the bolt fully closes on an empty
chamber but not on a case or round, then your ejector is frozen. If
that is the problem, then it is best to get it into a gunsmith to
correct the problem.

[lstoker]

My guess is that the stock bolt that is just forward of the magazine well
was overtightened. This will put everything in a bind and not allow the bolt
to fully rotate closed. Try loosening it up by a turn or two.

[Mark Bailey]

Thanks for all the quick replies. I had put the rear scope base screw into
one of the front mounting holes. Just long enough to keep the lugs from
rotating. Couldn't see it and it wasn't through enough to snag a q-tip, but
I did eventually feel it with my pinky.

I wish I could take credit for figuring it out myself, but I can't. The
owner of the Sure Shot sporting goods store in Moscow Idaho knew the answer
immediately from the description. As did many of the folks here.

I've only had Winchesters and Mausers previously and have never encountered
this. I'm going to have to see if their mounting holes go all the way
through to the lug channel.

Thanks,