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Remington 700 bolt hard to push down

I'll have to check when I get home. I was fairly certain everything was timed properly as the whole receiver is blueprinted, but I'll make sure.
I suppose it depends upon who did the work, but some smiths will have the timing/extraction issue corrected if necessary. Lapping the lugs can sometimes make the bolt handle positioning worse. I'm surprised that the smith who built it sent it back to you like that.

In the last several years I purchased 3 left hand Rem 700 RR series stainless actions. The bolt handle position was different on all 3. So far just one had extraction issues and that was with hot loads. I had that fixed so that I I didn't end up with a problem when hunting. When it happened at the range I had to tap the case out with a cleaning rod.
 
If is not in the areas mentioned above, and your action is already PROPERLY blueprinted and lugs lapped then it could be that you have a harder bolt close due to the amount of metal to metal contact over a factory action.

That is a relative matter of degrees, though. I’m not sure how hard your bolt close is
 
I don't think that Remington ever offered model 700 rifles in .280AI therefore they would have no obligation to fix it. Once you customize all bets are off also.

One could remove the rear trigger pin and drop the trigger out of the way. As long as one is doing that mite as swell replace it. If twas me it would be a Jewell or TriggerTech. Even a factory trigger worked over by Neil Jones would be ok.
I bought the action on a custom rifle back in January for a steal. Didn't have it done by a smith myself. I'll replace the trigger with a timney.

If is not in the areas mentioned above, and your action is already PROPERLY blueprinted and lugs lapped then it could be that you have a harder bolt close due to the amount of metal to metal contact over a factory action.

That is a relative matter of degrees, though. I’m not sure how hard your bolt close is
It's not that hard, though it's annoying at times. It's fully functional, though.
 
Another option would be to just put a second bolt in and see how it closes on a different bolt entirely.


I did not say fire it. I simply said check the function
 
I doubt if it is extra lug contact. Frankly, the lugs on properly squared actions have a lot more contact than the lugs in the photo. Some do a good job cleaning up and squaring a 700 action, while other "gunsmiths" are a bit a bit lacking. Anybody can screw on a barrel.

Are their any unusual marks on the front of the bolt face?
 
I bought the action on a custom rifle back in January for a steal. Didn't have it done by a smith myself. I'll replace the trigger with a timney.


It's not that hard, though it's annoying at times. It's fully functional, though.
If you haven’t tried trigger tech, their primary is really nice. I have both timneys and trigger techs and I’ve really grown to like the trigger tech more.
 
I doubt if it is extra lug contact. Frankly, the lugs on properly squared actions have a lot more contact than the lugs in the photo. Some do a good job cleaning up and squaring a 700 action, while other "gunsmiths" are a bit a bit lacking. Anybody can screw on a barrel.

Are their any unusual marks on the front of the bolt face?
No, everything seems to be just fine.
 
Can you tell if the bolt handle has been removed and welded back on? I’ve seen it before where the weld wasn’t squared up and it rubbed the inside of the receiver.
 
Can you tell if the bolt handle has been removed and weld it back on? I’ve seen it before where the weld wasn’t squared up and it rubbed the inside of the receiver.
As far as I can tell, no it hasn't been removed
 
Until you get it figured out probably best to full length size your cases and trim to make sure that the ammo doesn't add to the problem.
 
It looks like you can push it all of the way forward normally so something is making it turn hard. Maybe try sticking a feeler gauge [if you have one] between the front of the bolt handle and the back of the action to make sure that the gap is uniform.
 
It looks like you can push it all of the way forward normally so something is making it turn hard. Maybe try sticking a feeler gauge [if you have one] between the front of the bolt handle and the back of the action to make sure that the gap is uniform.
Yes, exactly. It functions properly; it ejects everything, feeds and feels smooth, and opening it fine. It's just pushing the knob down that's a little harder.
 
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