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OK,
Having issues getting the the Ready/Safe on my 1903 bolt to correctly go into place. Once the Bolt shroud, spring, striker are put together the "Ready/Safe" lever will not rotate as it should. I have forgotten the easy trick to get the button on the lever race back into place. Or I have forgotten something, done something wrong. have taken it apart multiple times, what the heck am I doing wrong?
Dave
I think you are talking about reassembling the safety onto the bolt sleeve? Or are you talking about function? once completely assembled the safety won't switch over? I'll try to answer both.
For assembly, I put on a leather garden glove, insert safety and hold against the pad of my index finger. With the other hand, a small flat tip screwdriver depresses the plunger far enough to get it started. Squeeze as you lift up the plunger. With a leather glove on, your hand will only be sore for a few minutes.
If you do these more than rarely, drill a hole in a scrap wood block, insert the upper part of the bolt sleeve. Insert safety, place in padded vise. Depress plunger while GENTLY tightening, making sure the plunger is depressed enough slip over the edge. Doing it this way without being careful is an easy way to break the plunger's tip and ruin your safety.
If your safety won't turn over, it could be a couple of things. Take your bolt out of the weapon and manually pull back on the cocking rod while trying to move the safety over.
1) If it moves over gracefully in the above test, safety lever is not fitting good to the cocking rod when in the rifle. Rare event they don't mate out of the box, but I've had it happen. Stoning edges of of the mating areas should be enough. This is normal to do AFTER doing a trigger job, since stoning trigger surfaces will slightly change the position of the cocking rod relative to the safety. So, maybe someone did a trigger job, but didn't pay attention to anything else in the mechanism?
2) Check the tip of the safety hasn't been messed with. you shouldn't be able to screw the fire control assembly into the bolt with safety fully in the "Safe" position, but it should screw in all the way with the safety halfway or slightly before.
3) should have lead with these next two. safety can only be engaged when the fire control is in battery - e.g. cocked. make sure you didn't overlook this (happens to all of us at some point:)
4) flush the safety's detent/spring with penetrating oil. built up grime in that spring/detent can make it stiff.
good luck.
Thank you, got it, just out of practice:) Old fingers!
Another reason why difficult safety engagement occurs, is that once safety/bolt components have been installed, the mainspring coils are sometimes bound against one another on the cocking rod as the safety is being turned over. (compressed together)
The amount of clearance on the safety cams and cocking piece cuts/slots before they are picked up, cannot exceed the amount of clearance throughout the mainsprings coils very much or it will turn hard.
Grinding the ends of the springs ends flat will sometimes ease the tension as long as the turns/ diameter of the spring are not too far out of whack.