Opening up Remington 700 bolt
The Factory original extractor is a circular piece of spring steel with a round protrusion that is rivited into place. The rivited protrusion insures correct location and timing. There are 3 (main) different sizes, one for the .223 class case head ,one .473 for the 308 size case head, and a .535 for the belted magnum class case head. Yes, there is a larger size for the larger class of magnum case heads. The only case I know of these being offered in a Remington 700 is for a limited run of 338 Lapua Magnum rifles.
The diameter of both the boltface and the groove for the extractor spring is unique to the class of case being extracted.
PT&G bolts are offered in both OEM (factory configuration) and Sako style extractor.
There have been those who choose to open up factory bolts and others who choose to replace factory bolts with aftermarket bolts meeting their needs.
Remington bolts not coming from the custom shop (have in the past) are not made the same as some of the bolts coming from the custom shop. Some if not all bolts now coming from the custom shop are made from solid billet steel and may or may not be made by PT&G under contract with Remington.
There are some saftey issues with opening up Remington bolts as you may be removing heat treated material and softening up the lugs.
Replacing the bolt with a high quality aftermarket bolt will insure safety and proper bolt timing. It too may be more economical in the long run.
Nat Lambeth
