Remington 700 Bolt Disassembly

Whether you need to disassemble your bolt for head spacing a new rifle, checking headspace on an old rifle, replacing/upgrading parts, or just simply for cleaning purposes, it can be very difficult without the right tools. I know this first hand because I did it for years before purchasing the proper tools from Brownells Inc. These simple yet effective tools literally takes away the difficulty of the job entirely and I’m upset with myself for waiting so long to purchase these tools. So today I’m going to walk you through the tools in a step by step process.

With the bolt out of your rifle, the first step is to remove the firing pin assembly. Now I used to do this the hard way by clamping the cocking piece in a non-maring vise. Then pulling the bolt body away from the bolt shroud and turning counter clockwise while under spring tension until the firing pin assembly threaded out.

This method is not ideal and can instead be done with ease with the Kleinendorst Bolt Dissassembly Tool. Place the tool over the bolt shroud. The steel hook fits into the notch in the cocking piece. You then rotate the lever to pull the cocking piece to the rear. Lock the lever into place and simply unscrew the bolt shroud and remove the firing pin assembly. Now place the assembly off to the side, we will come back to it later.

If you’re setting or checking headspace, the next step would be to remove the ejector. Again, I used to do this the hard way by clipping a spent casing or the gauge itself into the extractor and then using it to depress the ejector so I could remove the retaining pin.

This task can be made much easier with the use of the Sinclair Remington Ejector Spring Tool. The tool comes with two different sized inserts depending on your bolt fact. Insert the bolt into the tool and compress the ejector. Rotate the bolt to engage the locking lugs to hold the ejector in the compressed position. Place the bolt in Sinclair Bench Block. Then simply drive out the pin and slowly remove the bolt from the tool. You can now remove the ejector plunger and spring.

Now your bolt is stripped enough to check headspace. Factory extractors are riveted in and there is no need to remove them for this process. The extractor can actually help assist you inserting the gauge into the chamber. If your bolt is equipped with a Sako or M-16 style extractor and you wish to remove it, simply drive out the pin to remove the extractor and spring.

If the reason for dissassembling is for part replacement/upgrade or cleaning, now is time to grab that firing pin assembly I told you to set aside. In order to replace any piece of the firing pin assembly you must dissassble it completely. This can be nearly impossible without the proper tool. I’ve done it a few times and it is a complete nightmare. You can end up scuffing up your bolt shroud or even worse damaging the cocking piece.

So do yourself a favor and pick up the proper Firing Pin Removal Tool. Kleinendorst makes this tool as well but I opted for the Brownells branded tool as it has threaded inserts to not only do the Remington 700 but the Ruger M77 MKII as well. The T-Handle feature on the Brownells tool also appealed to me

With the T-Handled bolt backed almost the way out, screw the bolt shroud into the tool. The bolt of the tool is recessed to accept the tip of the firing pin. Once inserted, turn the T-Handle clockwise to compress the firing pin spring. Upon doing so, it will also cause the cocking piece to protrude out past the bolt shroud. With the spring tension relieved, you can now drive out the pin that retains the cocking piece to the firing pin. Remove the cocking piece and unscrew the t handle. Once the tension is off the firing pin spring you can now unscrew the bolt shroud and remove the firing pin.

Now that you’re disassembled, you can replace or upgrade any part of the firing pin assembly you desire. Brownells offers a ton of aftermarket parts for the Remingtons 700. Do your rifle a favor and browse around for a performance upgrade. 

How I Clean A Rifle Barrel

 

I often get questions on how I break in a rifle barrel, if breaking in a barrel is necessary, or just general questions on what I use to clean a bore with. So I thought I’d just do a little write up pertaining to the topic that I could refer people to.

Some say rifle break in process is unnecessary. That the first shot out of the barrel is its best and then its slowly downhill from there until you shoot the barrel out. I don’t necessarily disagree entirely but my thoughts on it is simply, “it can’t hurt.”

That being said, I generally use the “5-3-5” method. I clean after every shot for the first 5 shots. Then I shoot a 3 shot group and clean after the third. Finally I shoot s 5 shot group and clean it one last time. After that, go about your regular cleaning methods. There’s guys that don’t clean again until you see a decrease in accuracy and then there’s guys that keep track of their round count and clean religiously when they get to their number.

I fall somewhere in the middle of the two. Generally for something like a 22LR, I don’t clean until I see a change in my groups. But in a large magnum I clean after a maximum of 15 shots to try and prevent copper fouling. It also depends on the gun, some rifles shoot best with clean bores, others like it dirty. So in that category, my advice is do what’s best for you.

But when I do go to clean a rifle barrel, I have a pretty direct way of cleaning bores that I don’t stray away from much. Above you can see a picture of some of the products I use. I’ll go through each one of these products as I go through then process.

First I like to start with a foaming bore cleaner. The Break Free brand on the far right is my all time favorite. And my second favorite was made by Gunslick. However I don’t believe they make either of them anymore. So any foaming bore cleaner that removes copper will do.

Put the nozzle into the chamber and squeeze the button until you see the foam come out the muzzle. Then let it soak for 15-30 minutes. I then take my Tipton cleaning rod and screw on the appropriate nylon brush for the particular caliber at hand. I like the Tipton Rods because they have a graphite shaft that’s not going to bend or damage your bore. I also like the nylon brushes over bronze brushes because they’re less abrasive. Another reason I like the nylon brushes is because of how I use them in the next step of the cleaning process.

Once your bore has soaked for the required time. Insert the nylon brush. Instead of just pushing the brush the whole way through until it comes out the muzzle and then pulling it back through like you do with a bronze brush. The nylon brush enables you to reverse directions while inside the bore. So that’s exactly what I do. Starting at the chamber, I do a short stroke brushing motion (forwards and back) and work my way to the muzzle. I then do the same motion coming back. I repeat the process about 5 times.

I then unscrew the brush and put on the Tipton nickel plated jag. I like these jags because the nickel plating will prevent you from getting false signs of copper still being present. (The blue you see on your patch, that’s signs of copper.) Once the jags on, I poke a twill patch down over. I prefer twill over cotton because it’s tougher and doesn’t leave behind. Now run a dry patch through the bore to clean out the residue from the foaming bore cleaner. Your patch should look pretty dirty.

From here on out it’s pretty simple, I soak a patch in Butch’s Bore Shine and run it through. I continue this process until the patch comes out clean. This could take dozens of patches, so don’t get discouraged.

If you’re breaking in or just simply going to shoot after cleaning, now you’re good to go. If you’re cleaning before storing, finish off by putting some oil on a patch and running it through. Just remember when you get your gun back out to shoot, your first shot could be off due to the oil. But generally, one shot will dry that oil out. Happy shooting!

Headspacing A Short Chambered Barrel

When it comes to pre-threaded aftermarket barrels, you pretty much have three options. “Pre-fit” which requires a Savage style barrel nut, “short chambered” which requires reaming the chamber deeper to set headspace and “deep chambered” which requires chucking the barrel up in a lathe and setting the shoulder back to the desired headspace.

If you’re like me and despise barrel nuts, you are left with two options: short chambered and deep chambered. My personal favorite is deep chambered because you don’t need to ream anything to set headspace. However, you will need a lathe and a set of go and no-go headspace gauges.

If you don’t have a lathe, you’re left with the “short chambered” option. That is the route I’m going to explain today. This method does require some more tools than the barrel nutted pre-fit barrels but nothing too advanced like a lathe. And the end result will look much cleaner and you won’t get made fun of at the range. (No offense to you barrel nut guys.)

The first tool you will need is a depth micrometer for some measurements. The first measurement you need to take is from the action face to the bolt face. In this case, the measurement was 0.966”. The action pictured by Defiance has an integral lug so no additional measurements will be needed. However if your action has a removable lug, you will have to add the thickness of the lug to your measurement.

The next measurement you will need to take is from the breech face to the shoulder of the barrel. This area is usually referred to the barrel tenon or barrel shank. The measurement I got on this particular barrel was 0.955”. This measurement tells us how far the barrel tenon will thread into the action.

Thanks to these two simple measurements, we can now calculate what I like to call “zero headspace.” This refers to how far the go-gauge must protrude out past the breech face to fill the gap between it and the bolt face. Thus, leaving zero space between the two. When subtracting the length of the barrel tenon from the action face to bolt face measurement I came up with a distance of 0.011”. This means the go-gauge needs to stick out 0.011” to be flush with the bolt face. Any longer and the bolt will not close but much shorter and gun could be unsafe,

These headspace gauges I’ve been referring are the second set of tools that are needed for the job. They can be purchased from places like Brownells Inc. or they can be rented from places like 4D Reamer Rentals. The go gauge is usually labeled with a painted green ring ground into the gauge body and the no-go gauge naturally had a red ring.

Now we need to determine how deep the manufacturer reamed the chamber. To figure this out, you need to insert the go-gauge into the chamber. Now rest the depth mic on the base of of the gauge and measure the distance to the breech face. You will then subtract your calculated “zero headspace” number from your current measurement. In my case the measurement was 0.013”. After subtracting my 0.011” from earlier, that left me with a calculation of 0.002”. Which means the chamber needs to be reamed that much deeper in order to achieve “zero headspace.” Though I’m not complaining, short chambered barrels aren’t usually this close to being headspaced. Keep in mind a sheet of paper measures around 0.003”. So technically this chamber needs reamed less than the thicknesses of a sheet of paper to achieve zero headpace.

Obviously, the next tool you’ll need in the process is the chamber reamer itself. Like the gauges, the reamer can either be purchased or rented. You will also need some kind of tap handle to turn the reamer and also some cutting oil.

Fill one or two flutes of the reamer with cutting oil and then insert it into the chamber. Begin to turn the reamer clockwise. Absolutely never turn a reamer the opposite direction than which it cuts. The amount of material needing to be removed will influence how much downward pressure you use as you turn the reamer. Check your progress with the go gauge and depth mic often until you reach the desired depth. Every time you remove the reamer, clean the cuttings off and re-oil. Also, blow any chips out of the chamber before re-inserting the gauge or reamer.

In my case, I barely used any pressure being that I was so close to the correct depth. I basically spun the reamer and let it clean things up under its own might. Due to what most refer to as “barrel crush”, you may need to ream the chamber slightly deeper than your calculated headspace. This can be determined by your TPI but generally is only an additional 0.001 or 0.002”.

            

The next items you will need is some sort of action wrench, a vise to secure the barrel and a torque wrench. Both my action wrench and barrel vise are home made but can be purchased from Brownells Inc.

Once you have the barrel secured, thread the action into the barrel by hand. Then insert or attach your action wrench and set your torque wrench to the desired pounds. There are different opinions on torque spec but I prefer an adequate torque of 75 ft lbs. Now tighten your action until your torque wrench clocks.

Now you’re ready to check the headspace but first you must disassemble the bolt. The firing pin assembly can be easily removed with the pictured tool attached to the bolt shroud. I have also used a smooth faced vise to clamp onto the cocking piece for removal. You just have to be careful not to mar the piece. The ejector also needs removed and can be done easily with a hammer and punch. It is not necessary to remove the extractor in this case and can actually help with holding your gauge when inserting into the chamber. 

                                             

Clip the go gauge into the extractor and  insert the bolt into the action. When fully inserted, let go of the bolt handle. If the bolt closes with gravity it means the chamber is deep enough. But wait, you’re not out of the clear yet.

Remove the go gauge and clip the no-go gauge onto the ejected. Insert the bolt into the action. When fully inserted, let the handle fall. If the barrel is properly headspaced the bolt will not close. Your rifle is now ready for assembly and test firing.

If the bolt closes on the no-go gauge it means you reamed the chamber too deep and the rifle is unsafe to fire. It would now need set up in a lathe and the shoulder set back like you would do on a deep chambered barrel. But hopefully that’s not the case. This is why small cuts and gauging often is essential to getting it right the first time.

Increasing Your Accuracy With A Bullet Comparator

 

If you are a reloader, the term cartridge overall length or simply "COAL" should be familiar to you. The SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturer's Institute) spec for overall length of a specific cartridge is always listed in a reloading manual. It is the measurement from the base of the cartridge to the tip of the bullet. For reloaders, it's no secret that adjusting the COAL is a variable used to fine tune accuracy.

The problem is that there's another variable hidden inside the COAL variable that some people may not realize. Depending on the bullet and manufacturing process, bullets can vary as much as .025" in length. Due to these variances in the tips of the bullets, reloading based on COAL can be quite unreliable. For people who reload solely for hunting purposes, this probably wont pose an issue. However, for people reloading for accuracy this could be the cause of your occasional flyer or more dangerously, the cause of your pressure spike. 

This is where ogive (pronounced O-Jive) comes into play. Ogive refers to the curved section of the bullet from the bearing surface to the tip. The variances on this curve where the bullet begins to touch the lands is much less than the variances in the tip. Because of this, measuring cartridge base to ogive (CBTO) will give you much more consistent readings.

In order to measure CBTO you need a bullet comparator like the one shown above. The Hornady Lock-N-Load Bullet Comparator easily attaches to and set of calipers with the use of a brass thumb screw. I opted for the complete kit which includes just about every insert you’ll ever need. They also sell a basic kit, but if you do a lot of reloading for a variety of calibers, I suggest just getting the complete kit from the get go.

I decided to measure the overall length of these three types of bullets and then measure them again with the bullet comparator. I lined these bullets up for the photo in the order of what I expected to be most consistent to least consistent. I expected the lead tips to vary the most. But much to my surprise, the Hornady lead tipped BTSP and the polymer tipped ELD Match measured quite consistently. With the BTSP all measuring within .002” and the ELD’s measuring within .001”. However, the Barnes HPBT’s varied as much as .010”. A variance that big could definitely affect your group sizes if reloading off of COAL.

I then attached the bullet comparator and remeasured. The ELD’s came in exactly the same with a .001” variances. The BTSP’s had a slight improvement from the overall length measurement and come in at .001” as well. Now where the bullet comparator really showed it’s worth was with the Barnes HPBT’s. That almost sickening .010” overall length variance shrunk to .002” when measured off the ogive. That right there is enough to show the advantage of ogive.

After seeing the variances in overall length vs. the ogive of the bullets I can't see myself using any other method. It has shown me that you shouldn't trust the tips. This is what reloading has evolved to and its almost like using old technology by using the COAL method. Like I said in the beginning, the COAL is probably good enough if you only reload for hunting purposes or if you're loading the Hornady ELD's that appear to be so consistent in both OAL and ogive. But why take that chance when you can achieve better consistency with a simple and relatively inexpensive device?

Everything’s Better When Wet

Growing up in a family of gunsmiths naturally means I also grew up in a family of reloaders. Obviously case prep goes hand in hand with reloading. It’s part of the process. Back then there was really only one way to clean your brass. A vibratory tumbler.

I can remember hearing this thing run all day long as a kid. I used to love when Dad would lift the lid and I could watch brass circulate to the surface and then disappear again. With each lift of the lid, the brass became more shiny.

This was the norm for cleaning your brass for decades. Basically, you only  had two types of media. Walnut media for that really dirty brass. It did a great job of cleaning but not so great in the shine department. Obviously, shiny brass isn’t necessary but you can’t deny that it looks a hell of a lot better. For the shine, the common go-to was corn cob media. While it wouldn’t clean off the stains and blemishes as well as walnut, it’d make your not so dirty brass come out looking brand spanking new. 

Later in life, I was introduced to another great way of cleaning your brass, the ultra-sonic cleaner. The first time I used one, I was hooked. After running my first batch, it’s cleaning capabilities was evident in the dirty solution alone. Sonic cleaned brass then needs rinsed and dried. My go to was my wife’s oven on the lowest temperature for about an hour. As you can imagine, she loved the process.

One thing a sonic cleaner won’t do is give you that desired shine everyone wants. You can also end up with water spots from baking your brass in the oven. Naturally, I would resort to my trusty vibratory tumbler and some corn cob media. (I’ve found the Hornady brand to work the best for me.) 

This process worked well for me but it just seemed like a lot of steps to get to your end result. I thought there has to be a better way. So I started searching other methods of brass prep. I came across another type of tumbler but I guess you could say I didn’t really read far enough into it to fully understand  and left it at that.

 

Fast-forward to last week. I had a Brownells Inc. giftcard to use and finally decided to bite the bullet (no pun intended) and order a rotary tumbler and case dryer. And boy am I ever glad I did. Absolutely zero regrets with these purchases.

I went with Frankford Arsenal not only because of the good reviews but because I already had their vibratory tumbler and dry/wet media separator. I also purchased a transfer magnet because this type of tumbler utilizes stainless steel pins and a solution to help clean and shine the brass. 

The tumbler came with a trial pack of their brand cleaner so I added it to the drum along with the pins and some really dirty brass. I then filled it up with distilled water as directed and set it to run for 2 hours. It has a max of 3 hours but I wanted to see the results after 2.

And all I have to say is WOW. This thing makes your brass look like it’s hot off the assembly line. The only thing left to do after tumbling is rinse and dry. Just like you do after the sonic cleaner. 

The case dryer is essentially a repurposed dehydrator. The fact that it heats and circulates air prevents most water spotting and also prevents an angry wife. I was on the fence about getting the case dryer because I figured my oven would suit well enough. But I must say it’s so nice to be able to work on your brass all in one place and the spot free brass is an added bonus.

In conclusion, I can honestly say the switch to wet tumbling is the best decision I’ve ever made and something I’ll never go back from. Some think it’s more time consuming, but if you’re already sonic cleaning your brass before dry tumbling it’s actually less steps. The wet rotary tumbler can essentially replace both your sonic cleaner and vibratory tumbler in most scenarios. And the icing on the cake for me was when I found that I don’t even need to buy the wet tumbling solution. Some Dawn Dish Soap, Lemishine and a spoon of Cream of Tartar does wonders.