Bolt polishing for function

[Armistice]

So was talking to a buddy and started to think about polishing up the contact points on my T56 bolt to get it operating buttery smooth

I was curious if anyone has done this. Did you like the results?

I do not think value would be hurt

Obviously, I wouldn't do it to a blued bolt unless it was necessary

[6mmintl]

Don't quite agree with your "I wouldn't do it to a blued bolt unless it was necessary".

If you shoot or compete in matches with your rifle then polish rough areas (ramps/cams/bearing surfaces) but you need to know what each area's function is and whether to polish or not, and how much.

Part of my tune up regimen is bolt lug cam surfaces, cocking piece cam's, and a thorough cleaning and polishing of firing pin/spring surfaces.

Your either a collector with a cosmo soaked dirty rifle or a competitor with a clean tuned up rifle, and know/learn how to shoot out to distance.

[81turbota]

I am guilty of polishing the contact areas - cocking piece and bolt handle ramp, sear/trigger contact surface on my first 91/30. It made a HUGE difference in function, and you can't tell unless you really look for it. I won't be doing it on my other rifles though.

[Discogodfather]

It really depends on the contact point and the tolerances. There is a big difference between polishing for high tolerance / contact surface area /reduction of friction and just mindless "cosmetic" polishing.

Most of what I see people doing is just polishing for cosmetic reasons and not paying attention to the flatness / squareness of the actual surfaces. All that does is reduce a littler friction and does nothing to true the actual surfaces, and sometimes makes it much worse.

I have a technique where I use cold bluing almost like dye-chem on bolts and contact surfaces so I can actually see where the contact points are. It doesn't penetrate the metal much and quickly wipes off steel in the white with some vinegar.

Lapping lugs is not really "polishing" in the classic sense but it is probably one of the easiest and quickest things you can do to make a rifle more accurate, but it requires that you check the head space.

Anything you do to a C&R other than running an oily rag over it decreases it's value.

[Grendl]

I have a MAS 36 which I'm sorely tempted to mess with. Way too gritty and rough.

Someone suggested I simply cycle it endlessly on the couch while watching Foreign Legion movies.

[Discogodfather]

I agree, this one is works well:

[Armistice]

It really depends on the contact point and the tolerances. There is a big difference between polishing for high tolerance / contact surface area /reduction of friction and just mindless "cosmetic" polishing.

The reason I specified "for function"

[81turbota]

Take this for what you will-

I lightly buffed the bolt/cocking piece ramps and the flat area behind the bolt handle (shadowed by the picture) along with the raised portion that retains the spring of the firing pin. I very lightly touched the extractor face as well. I did not use any sandpaper, just some metal polish on the end of a *gasp* Dremel. The rifle went from average mosin to 1 finger bolt operation, as smooth as my smoothest untouched Finn. I did not touch the locking lugs in any way.

You can see I did not remove any machining marks, just polished the contact areas only to a mirror shine. This is in no ways professional, as another poster suggested using machinist's blue to see the contact areas and ensure proper contour. Study the way the bolt operates, and what exactly is making contact and creating friction. What I did took 10 minutes.

[BearBear]

I say go for it! Everytime I clean My Mosin, I add a dab or two of Tetra Gun Grease on all the contact points of the bolt and it cycles like butter baby. But this just gets me closer and closer to the idea of polishing!

Let us know how it works out.

[BearBear]

Take this for what you will-

I lightly buffed the bolt/cocking piece ramps and the flat area behind the bolt handle (shadowed by the picture) along with the raised portion that retains the spring of the firing pin. I very lightly touched the extractor face as well. I did not use any sandpaper, just some metal polish on the end of a *gasp* Dremel. The rifle went from average mosin to 1 finger bolt operation, as smooth as my smoothest untouched Finn. I did not touch the locking lugs in any way.

You can see I did not remove any machining marks, just polished the contact areas only to a mirror shine. This is in no ways professional, as another poster suggested using machinist's blue to see the contact areas and ensure proper contour. Study the way the bolt operates, and what exactly is making contact and creating friction. What I did took 10 minutes.

LOL... this was posted as I was typing my post. Now I'm definately going to polish mine too!!!

[81turbota]

Anything you do to a C&R other than running an oily rag over it decreases it's value.

Keep this in mind gentlemen, but it is your rifle after all. I did this to the 91/30 before I started really getting involved with collector firearms.

I might add another thing I have done to two of my rifles-
When chambering a round, the last 15 degrees or so of bolt throw really depends on the condition of the extractor. Two of my rifles had worn and flattened extractors, and functioned fine but quite clunky. I purchased two bolt heads that had NOS Finnish extractors, which have a nice steep angle to help it snap over the cartridge rim. Any burrs, grooves or a worn edge will negatively impact bolt "feel". Verify headspace if you do this! And save the original bolt head, I keep them in a bag marked with the respective rifles serial number.

[Armistice]

My T53 has been my guinea pig as it was the worst off. Sanded the stock due to a lot of flaking shellac. MinWax'd it after. I actually don't like the MinWax and plan to strip and do something else

Had to file down the battery at 7 o'clock due to a burr. Went from super hard extraction to smooth. I will prob do a little more

Next is to polish only the contact points of the bolt

I need to shoot it more, but I think some glass bedding would be good for it as it's already a super good shooter (I should print paper to see just how good first)

I will grab some pics of my polish process as I go

[Armistice]

So I did a bit of polishing of the lugs and another wear spot in the center of the bolt

Also hit the receiver where the lugs ride as well

Any difference I feel is slightly more smoothness. It actually felt pretty good before I did it. My bolt is a little on the sticky side at the moment, so once I clean the bolt and chamber I should be all good