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.
