Rem 700 hard to close bolt = help pls

[Bigbubba]

So I have a BNIB Rem 700 with fluted barrel and Zeiss scope, Talley rings and off I go to the range with factory ammo (257wby)...

First shot was 4" R and 1" low....4 clicks up and 16 clicks left and Bango! A dead on bullseye....that Zeiss scope sure tracks !! (a 2 shot sight in) Thats the good news. Next 2 shots were Bulls as well so ok, it is sighted in....

Anyway...the bolt seems hard to close. It closes ok, but I had my Tikka T3 hunter there as well and the bolt just drops closed on it. I had to put a bit of effort into closing the Remmy.

So what's up with that and is there anything I can do to make it close easier/faster? This was factory ammo...not reloads

Thanks guys

 

[hunter5425]

Does it close easier without a round in it? If so could be a slightly tight or dirty chamber. If not it could be slightly long guard screw or scope mount screw, or just an action that needs to wear in. Also I always put a little bit of grease on the locking lugs to prevent galling, you could try that to decrease the force to close the action.

 

[Bigbubba]

HUnter 5425 - I just tried it empty and it does close easier that way.

 

[deertroy]

It could be the ammo. Try a different brand and see how it closes.

 

[Farlsincharge]

I have noticed that the Remington extractor groove has a hard time passing over the rim of thicker brass. Not sure if Weatherby brass is thick, but I have trouble with Norma.
Consciously keeping good forward pressure on the bolt while closing helps a lot.
As was mentioned, check your locking lugs for signs of galling and apply a light coat of grease.

 

[blasted_saber]

New Remington arent exactly known to have slick actions. My .223 which has likely 500 rounds through it is still a little stiff to close the bolt.

 

[Lodi]

Check to see if the top edge of the extractor is protruding.

 

[hunter5425]

HUnter 5425 - I just tried it empty and it does close easier that way.

Try cleaning out the chamber with some bore solvent, sometimes this will loosen things up . As mentioned it could be the ammo. Good luck.

 

[AlexF]

Clean the rifle and go see a gunsmith if the problem still occurs

I had a Remington 700 CDL SF in 270 WSM which was very difficult to close.
I clean it completely but it did not solve the problem (I should have).
Finally, I had my rifle inspected by a gunsmith and he noticed a miniscule bump on the bolt head!
The rifle was sent back to Remington to get fixed and I got a perfectly functionning rifle 2 weeks after.

What I learned: go see a gunsmith as soon as a well cleaned rifle doesn't work perfectly!

Alex