Thread: Bolt action smoothness

You can lap the bolt with very fine valve grinding paste , but never lap the lugs, including the rear lug if your action has one , as you can increase the headspace . Using wet and dry works in places but you have to be very careful not to polish it unevenly . I use a very fine little stone on rails etc . You can degrease the whole thing and use flitz or some such polish and sit watching TV and work the bolt for a few hours . Some rifle designs will never slick up .

A bolt is designed to be pushed straight in and pulled straight out and needs proper guidance for this to happen. When you work the bolt hold the bolt nob between your thumb and forefinger , like a ball and socket , and push the bolt straight in and pull it straight out ,holding the nob at all times ,with no upward or downward pressure, do not use the palm of your hand to work the bolt as it can push the bolt up causing friction and sometimes causing a jam . My old training Sargent used to call palming "waving at the enemy "