TargetTalk

Has anyone ever noticed extra-tight bolts on new 1903 rifles?

The club where I shoot recently bought 3 brand-new 1903 rifles. The bolts are very hard to close, more so than any other gun I've shot. The force required is comparable to what one encounters when chambering neck-sized centre-fire ammo in a rifle other than the one that originally fired it. A few of the smaller people find it near-impossible.

Various club "experts" tell us that this is normal, due to the very high tolerances required for match-rifle performance. We are told that with time the metal surfaces will wear out and the fit will be smoother. I am sceptical: unless we replace the gun oil with lapping compound, I doubt that we will live long enough to see much improvement. I would sooner believe that the Anschutz machinists "tuned" the bolt and receivers to be snug, but not so tight that a light-weight shooter would have trouble chambering a round. I rather suspect that the bolts might have been swapped between guns.

Are my suspicions justified? I'd like to try the bolt in the different guns to see if my suspicions are born out, but without unnecessary confrontation with our local long-in-the-tooth gun-gurus.

A few questions:
1. What kind of ammunition are you using?
2. Are the bolts hard to close on more than one brand?
3. How is the overall accuracy of each rifle?

I've always found Lapua harder to chamber in my 1913 than other brands.

Jason

I rather suspect that the bolts might have been swapped between guns.

Are my suspicions justified? I'd like to try the bolt in the different guns to see if my suspicions are born out, but without unnecessary confrontation with our local long-in-the-tooth gun-gurus.

Well, stranger things have happened but I would rather check each rifle with a set of head space gauges, especially as you say all 3 are tight. They will become easier with use, but as you observe this is likely to take a considerable time and I don't think a rubber mallet to close the bolt is a satisfactory option!

It might be worth checking the rim thickness of the ammunition in use and comparing it with other brands. This may be easier to do than checking head space initially. It could be that you have 3 tight tolerance rifles and ammunition that is towards the upper limit of size.

Whatever, what you describe is clearly unsatisfactory and should be investigated.

Rutty

I know of 4 rifles that all have the same condition, Had the head space checked on 1 of them, it was tight. In the world of target shooting this is the most desirable. Using wolf or sk ammo made the bolt work alot easier. I think it's all in the bullet shape. Trying different ammo, the bullets does engage into the rifling of the barrel. Changing the depth of the chamber may correct the problem but may effect the accruacy of the rifle.

Hello
Anschutz bolts usally have the last 3 numbers of the serial number stamped in the end of the bolt, so you can easily check to see if the proper bolt is in the proper rifle
Regards Adrian

I don't believe the 64 based rifles have the SN on the bolt like the 54's do.
I would try different ammo as others have stated. Frustrating problem to have, I'm sure.

metman wrote:Has anyone ever noticed extra-tight bolts on new 1903 rifles?

The club where I shoot recently bought 3 brand-new 1903 rifles. The bolts are very hard to close, more so than any other gun I've shot. The force required is comparable to what one encounters when chambering neck-sized centre-fire ammo in a rifle other than the one that originally fired it. A few of the smaller people find it near-impossible.

Various club "experts" tell us that this is normal, due to the very high tolerances required for match-rifle performance. We are told that with time the metal surfaces will wear out and the fit will be smoother. I am sceptical: unless we replace the gun oil with lapping compound, I doubt that we will live long enough to see much improvement. I would sooner believe that the Anschutz machinists "tuned" the bolt and receivers to be snug, but not so tight that a light-weight shooter would have trouble chambering a round. I rather suspect that the bolts might have been swapped between guns.

Are my suspicions justified? I'd like to try the bolt in the different guns to see if my suspicions are born out, but without unnecessary confrontation with our local long-in-the-tooth gun-gurus.

Have you contacted:
a/ the dealer, and/or
b/ the importer, and/or
c/ Anschutz?

If so, what was their response?