I was talking to a local old timer that does some benchrest rifles, and he was saying how much he charges to build rifles on Remington actions. I asked him why he charged so much, and he started telling me all of the different things he did to the action. One thing he mentioned was boring the action and putting bushings on the bolt. I am not familiar with this being done, but I guess I can see how it might make the bolt fit tighter and maybe lock up better. It seems to me that it would also reduce tolerances, and possibly make a rifle more prone to having issues in dirty environments. Am I wrong on why this bushing process is done? If so, please educate me on this.
Gunsmithing Why put bushings on a Remington bolt?
- Thread starter nso123
- Start date
Benchresters used to do this to keep the bolt tight in the action and prevent it from tipping, which in theory balances out the load on the lugs for better accuracy. Nobody seems to do this anymore, and I'm not sure the theory ever was that sound. Either way, bushings have no place on a rifle that will be used in the field.
I have a coyote rifle built by Greg Tannel with a precision sleeved (Remington) bolt, as part of Gre-Tan's 'full monty' accurizing job. Locks up tight as he!! and shoots like a laser. Agreed that a sleeved bolt might not be wise on a hard use field rifle, but I haven't had any problems with mine binding up from average hunting use...
Are you sure he wasn't suggesting bushing the firing pin hole?
Bushing bolt bodies is a thing of the past if you ask me. Why?? Well if you're looking to tighten things up a bit, then go ahead and ream the action raceway, and order a precision single piece bolt from PTG. It will cost close to what the smith will do with precision bushings, and be better. PTG bolts weren't around back when he was starting to build rifles. The PTG bolt bodies can be ordered to your specs, so you control how tight you want it. Anything less than .002 overall will have issues, even in a bench rifle. Stock Remington has about .005 total clearance, so tightening up to .003 is a lot. In case you care to know how much for a PTG bolt is, I just paid $175.00 a week ago, plus the extractor, and shipping was extra.
BTW, i have bushed my share of bolt bodies, and I can't see living in the cave days. It works just fine, however it's not worth the time in my opinion.
BTW, i have bushed my share of bolt bodies, and I can't see living in the cave days. It works just fine, however it's not worth the time in my opinion.
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Where do I sign up for Remington actions with only .005" clearance? Around here they average .008"-.009". After Cerakote inside and out I end up with .004"-.005". Kind of like a poor mans bushings. I think blueprinting an action is a waste of time unless you are tightening up the bolt fit. I agree the spec'd PTG bolt is the best way to get there. The tighter the bolt fits the less the bolt is misaligned it is when on the sear and the less movement/vibration induced when the pressure comes up and snaps the bolt tight against the lugs.
This is an option I came up with that may be the best of all worlds and comes with a bonus.
Pads leave plenty of running room for dirt but remove all movement when locked up.
Bonus is the downward pressure of a couple of thou help offset the misalignment of the cartridge caused by extractor tension. ;-)
Pads leave plenty of running room for dirt but remove all movement when locked up.
Bonus is the downward pressure of a couple of thou help offset the misalignment of the cartridge caused by extractor tension. ;-)
Jim Borden has been building that into his actions for a while now. Seems like a good system.
I like those bushings. Are you making those or buying them? Using fire formed brass with the shoulder bumped minimally addresses any cartridge misalignment from the ejector plunger or out of square bolt face. The misalignment of the entire bolt and it's subsequent vibration is my focus when the discussion of bolt fit comes up. Like the ruler over the edge of the table. It starts in the bolt and carries full length of the barrel. Any vibration we can eliminate should affect group size in a positive direction. Now if the change can be measured over a sloppy bolt fit is sometimes very hard to see on target.
The Remington bolts are .696, and the actions usually .702 to .703. So a bit over .005 clearance. BTW, PTG will make you an action reamer to your specs if their standard reamer isn't to your liking. They will also make bushings to your specs.
I true up actions and bolts but Cerakote inside and out is as tight as I get for factory bolts. I don't fool with bushings or PTG bolts unless doing a Lapua on a Remington. I believe the same money is better spent on a custom action.
The bushings I posted a picture of were my first attempt at Borden bump style bushings. After I installed them,I turned the bumps down to zero fit and finished them by hand. They may not be for everyone but I guarantee that you can get a vault tight fit when locked and factory loose bolt when it is not. In addition, they don't change headspace, so it's a cheap retrofit if you're not doing a full build. Much cheaper than replacing the bolt.
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