Rem 511 bolt lift

[Allen Humphrey]

Folks,

I'm new to this section forums and I usually hang out in the 1903 area. However, I'm cleaning up a Remington 511 in my spare time which brings me to my question. My bolt has a (what I consider) very heavy bolt lift during the cocking motion. Is this typical of the 500 series rifles? I don't have another to compare it to, but it seems quite excessive to me. I've had it apart and cleaned, polished the rotating/bearing surfaces, and lubricated the moving parts. I would appreciate any comments or thoughts.

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[Allen Humphrey]

Hmmmm......I realize that the answer to my question will be subjective, so let me re-phrase the qustion into a multiple guess format and see if that generates a response.


For those folks who have shot a Remington 510, 511, or 512 and other bolt action .22's, would you consider the bolt lift force of the Remington to be ____

A) noticeably lighter
B) about the same
C) noticeably harder
D) stop asking stupid questions and go back to your 1903s

I'm only asking so i can decide if I should just deal with it, or if I should spend a little time and money and fix the issue. I just don't have anything to compare it too. Thanks...

[A6BN]

I have a Remington 512 with what I consider to be a very hard lifting bolt. I always thought that it was just my rifle, but maybe not......

[Allen Humphrey]

Thank you A6BN, I appreciate the input.

[jmoore]

Quite frankly, I never really thought about it before. They're probably stiffer than most centerfire actions, but not much worse than several other .22 rf bolt actions that come to mind. Some newer Marlins, for instance. But I've a really hideous (crusty rusted in blotches and covered overall with flat black spray paint, plus the bolt handle points "uphill") 513t that's quite smooth in operation. (It also shoots extremely well, so nothing gets "fixed"!)

[Allen Humphrey]

Jmoore,

Thank you for the comments on your 513t which I think has the same bolt mechanism as the 510-512 group. Does it have a slightly longer bolt handle?

I hope my ends up shooting as well as yours in the end. I recovered it from an old barn on our property when I was about 10 (Im 40 now). The wood was completely gone.

[jmoore]

Very likely the handle IS longer. It's staying with a friend right now, just to ensure I always have a rifle there. We have been known to go on squirrel safari or target shooting without notice, and my house is about an hour distant.

So it's not immediately available for reference!

If the bore's good on your rifle, it ought to shoot well. The wax coating on the bullets does an amazing job of protecting the rifling, if left undisturbed.

[A6BN]

I also have a Remington 513-T. It does have a noticeably longer bolt handle and also a much easier bolt lift.

[Allen Humphrey]

Jmoore,
You are spot on about the wax I think. The wood was gone and the barrel exterior is in really poor shape. The nasty black paint saved the receiver. However, the bore is perfect. My project will make the poor looking barrel a moot point. It is nearly finished, so I'll share it very soon.

A6BN, thanks for confirming the 513 bolt configuration. I guess I'll just have to man-up a bit on my bolt

[jmoore]

...You are spot on about the wax I think. The wood was gone and the barrel exterior is in really poor shape. The nasty black paint saved the receiver. However, the bore is perfect...

A good friend has a Ruger pistol recovered out of a swamp that corroded so much that the trigger (aluminum or more likely zinc) was completely gone. He freed up the moving parts, installed new springs and shoots it- very well! The bore was the only part of that .22 that did not corrode. Cleaning .22 barrels is generally a mistake, until the accuracy stats to go- which usually takes thousands of rounds unless it's a tight chambered match rifle.