Refreshing an older GA Precision

[aerodan]

Calgunners,

I recently purchased a GA Precision bolt action rifle. It's getting long in the tooth and I'm wondering about what (if anything) can be done to refresh it. New cerakote likely, but the bolt is loose from a lot of rounds and it's not as precise as it should be for a rifle of it's quality.

It needs some love!

Any recommendations on how to proceed?

I could send it back to GA, but have yet to get a return from email or calls to them. That'd be the most obvious preference, but as a third owner of the beast, I don't have a relationship with them (yet).

Thanks for any advice,
AD

[bsumoba]

Pics? Loose bolt??? Is it a Rem700 action or a GA Precision branded Defiance action? (we can determine what it is from a picture of the rifle).

Caliber? Stock? Trigger? Glass?

Some guys really like loose bolts so they can cycle the bolt quickly. Sometimes, the custom action, especially if they were cerakoted, will need quite a few rounds to wear down the high spots of the coating since the custom actions have such tight tolerances.

[calshipbuilder]

a loose bolt isn't necessarily a bad thing unless you mean the rifle has excessive headspace or the firing pin spring is worn out. Post the caliber and a picture so we can see what you are working with. Do you know the round count?

When I can't get a hold of GAP, I call Spartan Rifles in San Jose, they do excellent work. http://www.spartanrifles.com/

[ar15barrels]

I recently purchased a GA Precision bolt action rifle. It's getting long in the tooth and I'm wondering about what (if anything) can be done to refresh it. New cerakote likely, but the bolt is loose from a lot of rounds and it's not as precise as it should be for a rifle of it's quality.

If it's a gun built on a 700 action, you can get an oversized bolt and rebarrel it.
That basically turns it into a new gun.
Oversized bolts are made to order so you can specify the diameter you want.
This is usually done after a truing job where you know the diameter of the reciever.

If the receiver has already been trued, but the bolt bore was not opened up to 0.705", you can still benefit from an oversized bolt that's fitted to your receiver bore.
A good gunsmith can measure the bolt bore and advise on what size to go with to suit your needs.

I do this type of work in Southern California.
Where are you located?

[ar15barrels]

a loose bolt isn't necessarily a bad thing

IF the bolt has enough slop that the gun jumps off target during dry firing, there is a benefit to be had by tightening up the fit between the receiver and bolt.
Most factory guns have this problem.
People just don't know to look for it.

[aerodan]

Thank you all. This is a defiant GA 308 bolt on the McMillan stock. Trigger is (I believe) a Timney. Round count is completely unknown but I suspect a great many. Enough that I want the barrel checked for its expected life left. If any.

I think AR15 nailed it, the gun jumps off during dry firing for sure. I'll take some good pics and post them, thanks for taking a look! AD. Oh, I'm in Ukiah, the Greenbelt, as it were.

[LynnJr]

Didn't gap just come out with a new action with only one trigger hanger bolt at the 2016 Shot Show?
If your in Ukiah Skeeter is north of you and Jim Ketchum is in Petaluma.

[Gofasterdammit]

Calgunners,

I recently purchased a GA Precision bolt action rifle. It's getting long in the tooth and I'm wondering about what (if anything) can be done to refresh it. New cerakote likely, but the bolt is loose from a lot of rounds and it's not as precise as it should be for a rifle of it's quality.

It needs some love!

Any recommendations on how to proceed?

I could send it back to GA, but have yet to get a return from email or calls to them. That'd be the most obvious preference, but as a third owner of the beast, I don't have a relationship with them (yet).

Thanks for any advice,
AD

Since it's a GAP Templar, it's basically a Defiance Machine Deviant. It's bomb proof. I've never ever heard of a Defiance action wearing out of spec. The only thing I could think of is that some gunsmiths will sand down the bolt a minimal amount (.001") on a lathe ONLY if the bolt is being Cerakoted or coated in ion bond, ect. The Deviant is pretty tight in it's natural finish and Cerakote on the bolt can cause it to bind. If your bolt is any other color than shiny chrome it is coated in something. A fresh coat of Cerakote or ion bond will fix that issue. That would not affect accuracy at all. Since it's a .308 it would be hard to wear it out but not impossible. I'd check the basics like action screw torque and scope ring torque (using a torque wrench) since the scope base is integrated into the action. If that were my rifle (a proven custom rifle with unknown round count) I'd rebarrel it with a quality barrel, put a brake on it, and call it a day. But in the end GAP does stand by their work and since it's a GAP build they will make sure it's right. Rebarrel jobs are cheaper at GAP if it's a GAP built rifle.

[Gofasterdammit]

Also, if you tried to contact them last week/early this week there was the Vegas PRS match and SHOT show the following week. It takes the precision rifle industry a few days to recover after SHOT.

[ar15barrels]

Since it's a GAP Templar, it's basically a Defiance Machine Deviant.

He said it's an OLD one.
The old ones were mostly built on 700 receivers.
The old Templars were built on defiance 700 clones with 1/4" longer threads on the barrel shank.
Some of them had bolt clearances similar to a standard 700.
The Deviants and Templar II's are newer and are being made tighter.

[kendog4570]

... but the bolt is loose from a lot of rounds...

Highly unlikely. Unless it was severely mistreated, it came that way. If it has a high round count, put a new barrel on it and shoot it.
Just how much of the accuracy pie is taken up by a tight bolt to raceway fit? Me thinks not so much.

[LynnJr]

Yeah but most of the custom actions all have a tighter fitting bolt except the Stiller Tac actions.

[kendog4570]

That's approximately $200 to $300 per thousandth of tightness! Give or take a few hundred here or there.
Kinda like shaving weight off a mountain bike. At some point each fraction of an ounce gets more expensive than the original bike.
A square one is more desirable than a tight one, but I will agree that a well fit bolt just feels better.

[LynnJr]

I heard his one bolt trigger hanger was all the talk at the Shot Show.
It doesn't have a slot or recess to slide into just a standard trigger hanger with one bolt not there.

[aerodan]

Popped her out tonight, it is indeed Remington 700 based I'll try GA one more time later next week. Had it looked at locally and it needs to be rebarreled. I'll call this "next year's" gun. Thank you all, much appreciated - especially the Spartan rifle suggestion.