Am I "beating a dead horse?"

[JimP]

Many a many years ago I read a article in a shooting magazine that had a how to smooth up the action on a bolt action rifle.

It was really quite simple. You placed some automotive valve grinding compound into the channel that the bolts lugs run in. Then work the bolt back and forth in the channel but never locking it. Then once it started to smooth up quite a bit you switched to automotive paint rubbing compound and worked this the same way. The valve grinding compound did the hard work and the paint rubbing compound did the finish work.

I did this to a few of my rifles and it smoothed up the action considerably. But remember never lock the bolt into the action by turning the handle to lock it in. If you do this could affect the bolts locking lugs strength and head space.

 

[nztimb]

The one thing that makes the 98 bolt less likely to slide compared to tubular type actions,when the action is tilted is the very attribute that makes the 98 action unstopable in the worst conditions that it was expected to encounter on the battlefield, that is mud, dirt, and dust, rain and snow. With the bolt all the way to the rear check how much vertical and horrizontal play there is in the bolt and then think about how the bolt is basically hanging with only the top front and the lower rear edge of the bridge and guide rails in contact with the bolt. No matter how slick the actions is when worked by hand (and they can be very smooth indeed) expecting the bolt to slide when the action is tilted denies the engineered impediment of the action type that makes it so effective in the first place.
If your action runs smooth when worked by hand as it is designed to do, then you have all that is ever needed in the way of a fully functioning CRF rifle

 

[bruce moulds]

well said von gruff.
let's live in the real world.
bruce.

 

[John P.]

A tool of this type is great for polishing the raceways. I made it about 30 years ago. A socket head cap screw tightens the arms after the emery cloth is inserted.