Any reason to not re-blue my bolt and receiver on my .303

[Whitey_Vic]

Hi Guys I have a no 1 mark 3 1915 Lithgow not all matching numbers im afraid, but I love it anyway. After a lot of years she was looking a bit sad, so I re-oiled her, blued the trigger guard, and nose cap which came up great. Is the any reason for me to not re blue the bolt, receiver, and mag?

Cheers

Information

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[browningautorifle]

If you've already done the other parts, then go ahead. Besides, it's your rifle so...

[soyarm]

no reason not to as it stands now

[Whitey_Vic]

Would I need to pull the bolt apart to blue it, I figured when I rinse it off to just use boiling hot water so I font get any rust inside the bolt then re oil. Would this be ok?

[tbonesmith]

I'd strip it for sure.

[browningautorifle]

Agreed. Otherwise the salts will get into the inside and maybe stay causing bleed after.

[Whitey_Vic]

Thanks guys, is there somewhere on the forum to show me how to do this? sorry for being a pain. Id rather ask first than stuff it up.

Cheers

[Peter Laidler]

Unscrew the bolt head and remove the extractor screw, extractor and spring. Simlicity itself
Remove screw from rear of cocking piece
Make special tool shown in 'home made tooling for your Lee Enfield' thread and unscrew striker. Remove striker and spring
Make sure you note the exact position of the rear of the striker in relation to the rear of the cocking piece so that it goes back in the same relative position.

Easy as that.......

[bigduke6]

Whitey,

What kind of blueing are you doing ?

[Bruce_in_Oz]

The problem with blueing the bolt is that it was never intended to be blued overall.

The top of the "long" RH lug and the very rear end of the bolt, including the bolt handle are all that were blued on the originals.

If you want a fancy "high-gloss" blue, you have to do a lot of polishing before it goes in the tank(s).

Unless you have a bit of experience and the right tools, you may end up with a somewhat "sloppy" bolt, especially if it is already a bit "pre-loved".

Polishing the receiver / body without altering the profile of the edges or "softening" the markings is a bit of an art.

Any blue on the "running" surfaces, (most of the bolt body) will get scruffy in short order.

As for the receiver, if the bolt "raceway" is blued, it is probably less critical: it won't stay "blue" for long.

If you leave the barrel in place during the blueing, you need to be VERY thorough in neutralising the salts that WILL be left behind in the breech thread.

If your rifle is a bit scruffy and has suffered a bit of surface rust here and there, there is an alternative to "conventional" preparation.

Hie thee to a GOOD bead-blasting facility and have them work the pieces over with glass beads at a moderate pressure. Avoid garnet grit at high pressure, unless you want a very matt finish and soft edges everywhere. If your blueing shop has this blasting facility on site, whack it in the tank immediately. If you have to go somewhere else, coat the bare metal with a LIGHT oil to stop corrosion and get it cleaned and blued as soon as possible, preferably the same day.

If you have an exceptionally well-equipped backyard shed, so much the better.