? Nagant Action Flexing - Help please

M

Markit

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Hi All,

I recently sold a similar rifle that did not have this issue and was almost the exact same configuration.

This one is a Bubba'd nagant that I have done some work to and the issue I am having is one I have not experienced before.

When the action is out of the stock the bolt (bent bolt) freely moves back and forth and there is no interference with the ATI Scope mount at all. The ATI scope mount has been bedded to the round receiver with epoxy.

When installed in the stock (aftermarket wood monte carlo stock that is pillar bedded and fully floated) and the action is torqued down the bolt handle now comes into contact with the ATI scope mount that prevents the bolt moving forward.

It seems the action is flexing when I am tightening it down. The two screws are just being hand tightened with a flat bladed screw driver and I cant see how I could be over torquing them by hand.

Has anyone experienced this before?

I have shot the rifle without the scope mount in the same stock and it was torqued down roughly the same with no issues. I cant say exactly the same as it is just by hand with no torque wrench.

Any suggestions?

Do I just ignore the issue and remove some material from the underside of the scope mount or is this something I should be worried about. The interference is very slight and I have been able to force the bolt forward by hand once.

Thanks in advance.

Marc
 
I am having trouble picturing what you describe.

The action has a front and rear screw. When you tighten them, does this bend the action a bit and bind up the bolt?

If so, you need to bed the action so the action does not bend when screws are tightened. Or remove some material that is hitting the bottom of the action.
 
Certainly sounds like there's a high point in the bedding that the action is being flexed over.
The stock needs to be relieved all around the action and re-bedded properly.

Another way to check that the bedding is not stress free is;
With the rifle upside down, use your left hand and put light pressure on the forend and barrel like you are pulling them apart, then with your right hand loosen and tighten the action screws one at a time.
If you feel the stock move in your left hand, the bedding is done incorrectly and has stress which is 'springing' the action.
 
Many bolt actions incl the Mausers, M1903 Springfield and M1917/P14 Enfields have a metal sleeve installed in the stock which surrounds the rear guard screw and prevents wood compression and the action bending when the rear guard screw is tightened. The M98 Mauser with the thumb cut out for clip loading is particularly susceptible to this. I once experienced this problem when bedding a M98 in a synthetic stock and cut a piece of copper tube to act as a spacer. Pillar bedding accomplishes the same thing when bedding a sporting rifle.

The MN doesn't have a stock spacer for the rear guard screw, but one could be made up if necessary.
 
It sounds like he already put pillars in. If it's flexing with bedded pillars, then the pillars are not perpendicular to the action. You would have to drill them out and do the job again, but properly this time.
 
The issue was that I did not relieve the stock enough after I machined and threaded on a 1" OD 19" long external barrel sleeve that will hopefully also act as a tensioner.

Torquing down the action caused the action to flex just enough to prevent the bolt from cycling past the ati scope mount due to the stock coming into contact with the first 1/4" or so of the barrel sleeve just forward of the chamber area.

The pillars were installed correctly.

Will hopefully find out this week if this one is a shooter or not.

Thanks again for all the help.

Marc
 
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