Cleaning the bolt on your deer rifle

I've always been one who makes a concerted effort to keep all my firearms clean and lubricated so they perform well and last well beyond my years. During the off season I happened across a YouTube video that showed how to disassemble and clean the bolt on my old Remington Model 700 that I've owned since the late 80's. While I didn't find it caked in powder and dirt, it definitely appeared to need a good cleaning and lubrication after being neglected for so long. It also brought to mind how I'll never understand why so many guys wait so long to clean their rifles and shotguns.

Now before my comments result in anyone suddenly deciding to start breaking apart their bolt assemblies, I strongly recommend you watch the videos first to see if it's a job you can safely handle with you mechanical abilities. Every manufacturer uses a different type of bolt design, meaning they each have different steps in disassembling them for cleaning. We don't anyone to be one of those guys who has to take their gun to a gunsmith to get it back together. And God forbid you let it happen with the season opener just around the corner.

Case in point. I learned through one of the videos that it's important not to let the safety fall out of its middle position when disassembling the bolt on my Winchester Model 70. When it happens, it can be a bear to get it back together. Still, should you let it happen, there's a video that explains how to do it.

My dad has a very similar vintage rifle to yours. He had 3 misfires where he pulled the trigger and it didn't fire and a few seconds later the gun fired. Happened in the blind while hunting. Took it too a gunsmith who cleaned the bolt and said it was caused by old dried up grease on the firing pin spring.

After that I watched a similar video on youtube and cleaned the bolt on every Remington I have.

Seen lots of problems arise due to gunk on the firing pin spring. I'm pretty much to the point that grease is bad, but heavy oil is good. Cleaning the bolt, and action extremely often, while they're getting shot, is a good idea.

A gunsmith taught me that a 20 gauge shotgun mop is just the right size for a common .473" bolt face, action.

I cleaned 4 of them after my dads mishap that were all +/- a year or two 10 years old. They all had good oil on them still I cleaned them well oiled and reassembled and will do it in another 10 years... which reminds me that is coming up soon....

If you pierce any primers or have any blown primers, it is important to clean the bolt out. I have had issues with my 6.5x47 Lapua piercing small rifle primers with my large rifle firing pin. It blows crap back into the bolt and jams up the trigger and gets crude into the bolt to cause firing issues.

Thanks for sharing.

How would you know it's happening other than checking your spent cartridges, which I suspect most folks never do?

It's easy to know when you pierce or blow a primer. Gases escape behind the bolt during firing. If you blow a primer, often times you feel the debris hit you on your face. If you don't see or feel the gases, then inspecting your cases would be where you would find it. I try to pick up all my fired brass to reload, and almost always inspect the case. I recommend everyone inspect their fired cases. It's a simple habit I do all the time.

You can buy a tool from Sinclair International that's made to take a 700 bolt apart. Simple and easy to use.

I see lots of loaders put prepped brass, and fired brass in the box neck up.

Three reasons I don't do this.

1. I can see the case head, which tells me if a primer got pierced, or blew out. I can see if in getting flow back around the primer, and I can see if I've got extractor marks.

2. When brass is at the loading bench I can see if they have fired primers in them, or fresh primers. I might know a guy on here that had his brass neck up in the box, and loaded over 50 rounds of ammo. And not or of them were holding a new primer.

3. Brass in the MTM Case Guard, is easier to grab with the case head up, instead of neck up. I'm talking about brass only, not loaded ammo. Loaded ammo, is of course bullet up.

I use lighterfluid on both my triggers and firing springs. It cleans and lightly oils.

me too

I'm one of those guys that thinks bolt disassembly/assembly is a PITA. One of my friends has a machine shop with a good parts washer. He knows to call me whenever he changes out the solvent with a fresh batch. Takes about 30 seconds to get a bolt squeaky clean. Hit it with some oil and it's good to go.

I don't see how internal components, such as the firing pin and spring, can be properly lubricated without disassembly.

I just received my grand fathers guns they have not been out of the cabinet since the 70s and the old oil is hard as hell to get off I seen were some of you use lighter fluid I am going to give it a try.

Not sure it would be safe and forgiving around wood stocks. Perhaps others here know for sure.

What about non-chlorinated brake cleaner?