Re: Grease Bolt ?
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: wnroscoe</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The bolt lugs on your bolt body and lug abutments in the receiver are under extreme pressure when the bolt is closed. Granted, full contact is rare in the factory rifles but, in custom built rifles, they should be in full machined contact. With full contact there's more resistance and a guarantee of galling if run dry very long. The lugs should always be kept clean and a small amount of high pressure, high temp grease applied. The same grease should also be used on the bolt body cocking cam angle and striker shroud threads. The red Shooters Choice Gun Grease is a good example of what to use.
Apply every time you clean the rifle or when the color of grease can’t be seen. If you don’t, you’ll be coming to see me or some other smith
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This is EXACTLY what I do and what I use. A tube of the Shooters Choice is now near gone but has lasted near 5yrs and I apply to same areas wnroscoe does after EVERY cleaning, just a small spot then work the bolt a couple of times to spread it out. I also use one of the bolt lug cleaners everytime I clean that use the little cotton dental thingy. Never had a problem with galling, grit sticking etc but then again the only time my rifles get in the dirt is when my crippled old ass falls down.LOL
You guys running them bone dry and not knowing what galling is will find out some day. Not pretty when it happens. In a severe case the reciever lug area could be ruined and/or a new bolt necessary. Once it is galled bad you may either need things machined to smoothen to function descent and headspace reset or in extreme cases not be able to machine it enough. 60,000 PSI rearward thrust against 2 dry metal surfaces with perhaps some fine paricles of dust/debris would/could do much more damage than grease holding the same dust/debris. Also the caming surface for the cocking piece is has extreme pressure on it while cocking. I have seen some older mausers galled up and took alot of work to correct to function half assed descent.
Take wnroscoe's advice or perhaps PAY him later
A touch of grease is a cheap easy remedy to eliminate the chances of an expensive fix later. The internal parts of the bolt/pin assembly need little lube and should have little to deter hang fires, delayed pin drop in really cold weather but the spring sliding on the pin is alot different than the cocking/caming area and lug surfaces.
Edited to add that some smiths refuse to 100% lap the lugs, going for 75-80%) for this very reason. The small amount of clearance holds grease but also gives fine debris and escape route. Also the stiffer aftermarket firing pin springs can/will cause galling with no lube(case in point was the mauser mentioned above and my ignorance as a youngster reading that I needed a heavier spring). The factories have determined what will work the majority of the time with the least amount of side affects concerning spring pressures on firing pin assemblies. A stiffer spring causes more problems usually than it solves, unless the factory spring was weak than it is justified. You'd need a C4 charge to increase the speed of a 1/2" pin travel on a mauser moreso than a 30# spring!!!!!
