Smoothing out the action

[JoeSoap]

So I got Lipsey’s Ruger in 9.3x62, the action feels like it needs to be smoothed out a little bit. Any suggestions on how to do? I was thinking of taking out the bolt and polishing with emory cloth and then doing the same to the rails and rest of action. Thx

 

[M70375!]

one time I took a brass bore cleaning brush and attached it to short cleaning rod and put in an electric drill and polished the inside rails with that, it helped a lot

 

[Woodcarver]

Use a fine jewelers rouge. Just a little bit on the bolt ears, then work the action several dozen times. Doesn't take very long. Clean the bolt well after.
Some just oil the bolt and work the action while watching the boob tube. Takes a little longer, but works.
Either method will slick up the action.
Emery cloth is a bit coarse (even the fine grit), and will likely roll the edges of the races unless you carefully fit it to an also carefully fit bar. I would avoid it.

 

[USMA84DAB]

I put some of my magic oil/grease mix and then work the action 1,000 times. It gets pretty slick when you do this.

 

[coreydb]

If you've already thoroughly cleaned the bolt and receiver, I used lapping compound on the bolt's locking lugs and worked it until the action smooths out.

 

[Sabre]

I know some people polish with flitz and some will put flitz in the action or on the bolt and work it quite a number of times to get it to "wear in". I have never done this as I worry about making something too loose. But I know quite a few people swear by it. But, if you are braver than me, you could research this method and see if it is for you.

 

[SRvet]

Careful with using abrasives that you don’t close the bolt as this could affect headspace if done repeatedly. You don’t want to lap metal off the rear of the lugs. Running the bolt backwards and forwards with some lapping compound on the underside of the lugs should help smooth things out.

 

[Bush Buck]

I'm always hesitant to work on the bolt itself and I never have.
However, I have improved a few Rugers by polishing the rails a bit with ultra fine Scothbrite (gray).
I take the stock off and remove the mag box. I cut a 1 inch square of the pad and use it to de-burr and polish the top surface of the rail. I also hit the inner edge and undersurface to de-burr which reduces brass scratching. A little goes a long way. Make sure to clean any dust out when you're done.

 

[BeeMaa]

I agree with @Woodcarver, avoid Emory cloth. @SRvet also brings up an excellent point of avoiding the locking lugs.

Personally, I’d lube it up and run the bolt back and forth to smooth it out. Don’t close the bolt, just run it the full length of the action. This has the added benefit of implanting the muscle memory for the bolt stroke.

 

[JimP]

Years ago I read a magazine article that recommended using automotive valve grinding compound on the bolt. Place in on the rails and run the bolt back and forth, then follow it up with some polishing compound for the vehicles paint, again just back and forth.

Never close the bolt so that you don't affect the headspace.

If you don't want to go through the hours that it takes to do this just let a professional gunsmith take care of it.

 

[gbflyer]

It will smooth out with use. Lube and shoot.

 

[SRvet]

In Zimbabwe I borrowed the camp .375 (CZ550) and was impressed how smooth it was. Better than any I have handled in the UK. I wondered if the very fine dust that it was exposed to daily was responsible for lapping the bearing surface of the bolt? Possible or not??

 

[NDWoods]

I use JB bore paste and as mentioned above I m not putting it on lug and closing the bolt

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I'm always hesitant to work on the bolt itself and I never have.
However, I have improved a few Rugers by polishing the rails a bit with ultra fine Scothbrite (gray).
I take the stock off and remove the mag box. I cut a 1 inch square of the pad and use it to de-burr and polish the top surface of the rail. I also hit the inner edge and undersurface to de-burr which reduces brass scratching. A little goes a long way. Make sure to clean any dust out when you're done.

This is the right approach I think. Where is the roughness? Is it when lifting/closing the bolt or cycling it back and forward? If the bolt handle is lifting and closing okay, I'd leave the lugs alone. Cycling back and forth roughness would be feeding rails or other channels inside the receiver.

 

[DieJager]

I used some really fine grit sandpaper also for the ramp and used oil to help the process (Ballistol) on my Zastava 375 h&h. Much smoother and also polished in the process.

 

[CBeck]

Smoothing the Action

If my two Ruger Africans are any indication, the roughness wasn’t in the locking lugs — it was in the bolt cycling itself.

On both rifles, I lightly addressed any surfaces that felt sharp or rough to the touch on the bolt or rails using 1000-grit paper. After that, I applied a small amount of lapping compound to the rear of the action and cycled the bolt 20–25 times.

The improvement was immediate and noticeable. Bolt lift and cycling both smoothed out significantly without touching the locking lugs or altering headspace.

Just sharing what worked for me…

Finger pointing to the area causing the roughness and where I concentrated working the compound.

Took a little attention, but slick as owls snot now….

 

[Nhoro]

I used fine grit sandpaper, 600 grit up to 1000 grit with a flat backing block or file. Then you can polish the rails without rounding.You also need to polish the bolt where it runs on the rails-top,bottom and outside edge but not the back of the lugs. Also the ejector groove and parts of the bolts face where the brass rides up. Another area needing attention is at the bolt handle. As you open or close the bolt, it rides up a ramp on the frame to cock the firing pin. Extractor claw also needs some attention, rounding sharp edges and smoothing it out to slip into the groove in the brass. I think I detailed the areas in a post way back called CZ 550 feed work or something similar. With very fine sandpaper, it is pretty hard to mess anything up and you can target specific areas rather than the general plan of pouring some abrasive paste into your action and working it around but that is just my opinion. I should really take a little time and make a video or maybe just some decent pictures.

 

[CBeck]

the general plan of pouring some abrasive paste into your action and working it around but that is just my opinion.

I certainly don’t advocate pouring abrasive paste into an action. Diagnosing where the actual issue is matters and every rifle is different.

In my case — on both Ruger Hawkeye Africans I’ve owned — the problem wasn’t the rails or the locking lugs. The issue was how tight the clearance around the bolt body was. Any upward, downward, or lateral pressure while cycling caused noticeable binding.

Because the tolerances were so tight, even a couple of small dabs of lapping compound applied to the rear of the receiver (not dumped into the action) made the bolt extremely difficult to move at first. With controlled working, those surfaces wore together and the result was a significantly smoother bolt throw.

That said, I also did exactly what you’re suggesting — I addressed other rough surfaces first with fine grit (around 1000 grit) paper. The lapping step was just the final piece that made the difference.

 

[MS 9x56]

Use a fine jewelers rouge. Just a little bit on the bolt ears, then work the action several dozen times. Doesn't take very long. Clean the bolt well after.
Some just oil the bolt and work the action while watching the boob tube. Takes a little longer, but works.
Either method will slick up the action.
Emery cloth is a bit coarse (even the fine grit), and will likely roll the edges of the races unless you carefully fit it to an also carefully fit bar. I would avoid it.

^^^ This ^^^

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I suggest looking at the striker sear for shiny wear spots in specific areas. If it's been machined a bit on the thick side, it may bind up when it enters the channel in the tang as the bolt is being drawn back and then again when bolt is cycled forward. Go ahead and thin the sides of sear a bit if you see shiny spots. It won't change the trigger weight or make the gun any less safe. It's also possible the sear is too deep. You could remove some metal on the top of the sear if shiny spot indicates it's binding there but that may affect trigger weight (though unlikely). As long as you don't mess with the face of the striker sear where it contacts trigger sear I doubt the trigger pull or gun's safeness would be affected. Removing metal from the receiver guts above the bolt with abrasives accomplishes essentially the same thing. That allows an oversized striker sear to jump into the tang channel more easily. Personally, I think it makes more sense to fix the sear than change the receiver. Again, look for shiny spot(s). That will tell you where there's more friction. Also look for shiny spots on extractor.