Ruger Scout in 308...bolt feels sloppy

M

Mixter

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
24   0   0
Location
Vancouver
I have the above rifle and notice that there is quite a bit of play when the bolt is pulled back and you have to push it forward at a certain angle or it sticks. Is this normal with these rifles?
 
It also helps to have a loose wrist and drive the bolt in a linear fashion without trying to "cut corners".

Up, back, forward then down.

I let the knob on the end of the bolt sit in the pocket of my palm as I work the bolt as opposed to grabbing it with my thumb and fingers.... works smoothly for me.
 
Some Ruger bolts have a fair bit of play. It the bolt is not pushed perfectly centred it will either jam or may not pick up the cartridge. Seems to be a common issue among the few friends and colleagues I have that own Rugers.
 
Haven't had any issues with bolt slop/play. I consider the Ruger a solid rifle with excellent reliability/ accuracy. My Hawkeye African in 338 shots sub MOA with full power loads. Excellent rifle.
 
I had that as well, and as I understand it, the "tractor bolt" issue is very common to that firearm.

I personally think it is ludicrous to have a design that when operated any little bit away from perfectly results in a bolt that slams to a stop halfway through cycling at random times, and even more outrageous that people accept and support that as an acceptable design flaw on the scout rifles.


Just my .02 though. I sold mine very shortly after discovering this, so I no longer have any skin in the game.
 
This reminds me of the cz527 223 bolt that is poorly designed and made. I also ran into similar issue with msbg patrol in 223 which is also poorly made.
 
It's a Mauser thing.
Not for everyone apparently..... but just like most things a little practice and good technique goes a long way.
 
Canada tail said:
This reminds me of the cz527 223 bolt that is poorly designed and made. I also ran into similar issue with msbg patrol in 223 which is also poorly made.
Click to expand...

mine in 7.62x39 after ~7-800 rds has a bolt that is very very smooth. Initially rounds would literally bounce out of the magazine when cycling the rifle. After break in the rifle action is fantastic. I'd like to pick up a 527 in 223 with iron sights at some point given how great the 7.62x39 version is.
 
The stickiness occurs when the receiver and bolt are of similar material and hardness. Ruger actions, whether stainless or blued, are not hard; nor are the bolts. Stainless is often worse in this regard. Nitriding the bolt can help. I would imagine that hard chroming the bolt would be a cure but it would be critical to treat the bolt after chroming to prevent hydrogen embrittlement. Even if tolerances were closer, the stickiness would likely still exist. You seldom see this problem on a Mauser because the bolts are usually hard. I have seen the same issue on pre-64 Model 70's, CZ's, and Kimbers.
 
Leeper said:
The stickiness occurs when the receiver and bolt are of similar material and hardness. Ruger actions, whether stainless or blued, are not hard; nor are the bolts. Stainless is often worse in this regard. Nitriding the bolt can help. I would imagine that hard chroming the bolt would be a cure but it would be critical to treat the bolt after chroming to prevent hydrogen embrittlement. Even if tolerances were closer, the stickiness would likely still exist. You seldom see this problem on a Mauser because the bolts are usually hard. I have seen the same issue on pre-64 Model 70's, CZ's, and Kimbers.
Click to expand...

Does the investment casting play a part? Doesn't leave the smoothest finish on exteriors.
 
Not really. It's not so much a matter of surface finish as it is metallurgy. Dissimilar materials or different hardness are the things which can stop the stick.
 
I purchased one, the latest version with the muzzle brake and synthetic stock in stainless 308. It's a chronic problem with the bolt. The only way to smooth it out is to grease the crap out of it and cycle the action about a million times while watching T.V. Once you do that you will find out that it runs smooth when sitting in your lap but once you shoulder the darn thing, your bolt manipulation changes and it jams up again. And to think, I traded it in on a Tikka CTR. Oh well, the action is getting better the more I manipulate it, but I am developing carpal tunnel syndrome. Bottom line for me is that it is short, light (synthetic stock drops the weight by 3/4 lb over the laminated), very point-able, backup iron sights and weather-proof. Mine came with two 10 round plastic ruger mags which are shorter then the steel and seem to chamber the rounds better. They give you a set of ruger's proprietary rings, butt stock spacers, and a thread protector in case you want to remove the muzzle brake. I do mean muzzle brake and not flash hider. The darn thing scared the crap out of me the first time I fired it. What a fire ball. I was at an indoor range and had some of the un-burnt powder come back at me and the noise. Had to use foamies and cans to tolerate the sound. I think another 3 or 5 round plastic mag will slim down the profile nicely. That 10 rounder sure hangs pretty low on the gun. Why they made it a single stack, I will never know. The Tikka CTR did not stick out past the trigger guard (double stacked). Would I purchase this thing again, now that is the question. Right now I'm not so sure, the rough action of the bolt is really a pain and you lose confidence that you will be able to chamber a round quickly under stress. If they made the Ruger American Ranch 762x39 in stainless with backup irons, I would sell it tomorrow. That gun runs like a dream and is very accurate with milsurp ammo. Well since I am on a rant, What's up with that rail. No one uses a forward mounted scope anymore, it just makes the gun more front heavy. I have mine setup with a 2x7 leupold mounted over the receiver in the conventional manner. Problem is, once you use those proprietary Ruger rings you have to remove the rear sight. Kinda defeats the purpose I think. Well there is a saving grace to this dilemma. If you buy the XS Sight Systems Inc rail, it comes with a rear aperture attached to the rail and you can use conventional picatinny QD rings to attach your scope. If you haven't bought one, I would hold off and see if Ruger comes to their senses and puts irons on their American Ranch series of rifles and save yourself $800. Sorry for the rant. It's a lot of money for a rifle with so many issues.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom