reaming actions, sleaving bolts, finishes

T

Tim Mn

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My first question is what and how much would I gain by reaming an action and sleaving the bolt? The second question has to do with finishing barrels and actions. Would I be better off getting set up for parkerzing or use a product like Duracoat?

Thanks Tim
 
Reaming action/bolt sleeving

Tim Mn said:
My first question is what and how much would I gain by reaming an action and sleaving the bolt? The second question has to do with finishing barrels and actions. Would I be better off getting set up for parkerzing or use a product like Duracoat?

Thanks Tim
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Tim,
I think I can answer the first part of your question as I have two Remington 40Xs that were reamed, bolt sleeved, firing pin hole bushed, locking lugs lapped in, receiver faced square, threads recut, etc. It's just another accuracy enhancement process to get a factory action close to where a custom action already is. One thing to consider and it has been beat to death on this website and I can vouch it to be true. By the time you spend all the time, money, and effort getting a factory action close to a custom action the actual dollar figure is about the same. The only real benefit is you can go through the accuracy enhancement process in incremental stages and observe what each stage has done in a factory action; recommended if your budget doesn't support the outright purchase of a custom action.

If you have the cash outlay for a custom action, just go ahead and buy a custom action. All the accuracy enhancing techniques you will perform to a factory action will have already been implemented and the material quality/pedigree will be superior. I can't answer the second part of your question.

Lou Baccino
 
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Tim...Greg Tannel does a "full blown" blue print/rebuild/sleeving/bushing job on Remington actions...He believes that they can be made to shoot as well as the custom actions...now that being said...why do you want a Remington/accurized action instead of a "custom" action..???
There is "NO" money saved by using your own Remington action..
Greg Tannel charges nearly $600 to rebuild "YOUR" Remington action...If you pay to have it Teflon coated or Parkerized your can ad another $150 or more..
The question is why not buy a Stiller or Pierce or Borden action which fit the Remington footprint stocks..etc...
Since you asked...please explain why you would consider a Remington over a custom...??????????????????????????????????????
If you are planning to buy all the tools/equipment to accurize your own Remington action...well your loosing money again...and you won't do the kind work that Greg Tannel will do..!
Accurizing a Remington action and leaving the factory barrel on it won't get big gains in accuracy...putting a "match grade" barrel/chamber on a unmodified Remington action will give you bigger accuracy gain...
Duracote if applied properly will be a better choice than Parkerizing...it is slicker and will resist corrosion better...
 
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The reason that I chose a remington action over a custom one is easy. I live in Minnesota and the winters are long and cold. This gives me something to do. I have all the tools including the lathe except the reamer for the actions. Most of the guns I have reworked have had everything done to them except reaming the action and sleaving the bolt. The guns will never be shot in any matches but will be used to kill prarie dogs and coyotes. There is nothing quite as satisfying as shooting small groups with a gun that I have reworked myself.
 
Tim Mn said:
There is nothing quite as satisfying as shooting small groups with a gun that I have reworked myself.
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Right On! Well said.

I'm in a similar situation - not nearly the intensity of winter that you have in MN, but I also have the bulk of the tools - lathes, mills, etc. I just want to take down a ground hog at 600+ yards using a rifle I reworked myself. I shoot matches at the local club and I'd be sooooooo stoked to win one with a rifle I built. I've won a couple with a rifle I bought, but it isn't the same thing as beating the custom rifles at their own game with a home built one.

Fitch
 
Question to add........

Sorry to hijack your thread, but I would also like to ream the raceway and do a full blown work-over/blueprint on a remington action. The question I have for the "Smiths" is, do you really have to ream the boltway, or can you just sleeve the bolt and tighten up the clearances to the factory raceway? If not, why? What does reaming gain over just sleeving the bolt to the existing bolt tunnel?

Thanks in advance,
MED
 
Not a gunsmith, but it depends on how straight and uniform the hole it. A reamed hole with a tight fitting mandrell will allow you to single point a touch up of the threads to be coaxial to the reamed hole and allow you a true perpendicular to machine the front of the receiver. How much does it help? I do not know.
Butch
 
I do a fair amount of Duracoating. I can tell you that Duracoat is at it's best when applied over parkerizing. So the answer the the second question is both.
---Mike Ezell
 
Tim Mn said:
My first question is what and how much would I gain by reaming an action and sleaving the bolt? The second question has to do with finishing barrels and actions. Would I be better off getting set up for parkerzing or use a product like Duracoat?

Thanks Tim
Click to expand...

Tim,
You can sleeve the bolt without reaming the action. You will need a mandrel to go thru the action so the action can be properly aligned in the fixture for truing critical surfaces/threads, then the points that the mandrel aligned on will be the same points the sleeved bolt aligns on and it will work just fine. I like to do the so called "Borden bumps" on my sleeves. This makes for a very snug fit when the bolt is closed but allows enough clearance for the bolt to run smoothly when opened.
 
Doing it yourself

Tim Mn said:
The reason that I chose a remington action over a custom one is easy. I live in Minnesota and the winters are long and cold. This gives me something to do. I have all the tools including the lathe except the reamer for the actions. Most of the guns I have reworked have had everything done to them except reaming the action and sleaving the bolt. The guns will never be shot in any matches but will be used to kill prarie dogs and coyotes. There is nothing quite as satisfying as shooting small groups with a gun that I have reworked myself.
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I agree with you. Many people miss sight of the fact that there is a certain amount of enjoyment in doing something yourself and learning in stages as you progress down the accuracy quest. Not everyone wants to compete or go the custom action route because our budgets or priorities will not allow it. My next project will be a custom action but I have gone the Remington blueprint route, learning much in the process. I must say it was quite an enjoyable journey.

Lou Baccino
 
I know that I am making a BIG MISTAKE and here it is. I have a Remington 600 receiver. The Anschutz bolt release is $52, I'll install. The bolt is $100 and I will have Dan's Accu-Tig install a custom handle, that is another $80+-. The firing pin assembly and the rest of the bolt parts are about $70. I will use a Winchester type 3 pos. safety $100 and I will install. The bottom metal would cost the same for a custom. The receiver is worth $200-$250. This is with me doing all the square up work. What is that? $602-$652.
But I am gonna get a lotta satisfaction.
Butch
 
I want to run this by you because I just did one and really liked the results. I had a customer request a metal single shot follower tig welded in. I made a follower custom fit to hold a 223 at the right angle and radiused it so that after welded it left a little extra to cut out with my reciever reamer, this left a much better bearing area up front. It really worked slick, I will post some pics tomorrow. You only need 4 short welds I don't think welding the whole thing solid is necassary not to mention it would harder to control the heat.

For me personally being able to bluepring actions myself is a no brainer but I always go over with customers the costs and let them weigh the options. I also like sleeving the factory bolts because I can countour the sleeves like mentioned above and make it really lock up solid yet slide back and forth freely.
 
The guns will never be shot in any matches but will be used to kill prairie dogs and coyotes. There is nothing quite as satisfying as shooting small groups with a gun that I have reworked myself.
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AMEN!

Why climb a mountain when you could simply drive up? Why build a hot-rod when you could buy a new modern car? Why.....because it's fun and extremely satisfying. Well said!
 
Tim Mn said:
The reason that I chose a Remington action over a custom one is easy. I live in Minnesota and the winters are long and cold. This gives me something to do. I have all the tools including the lathe except the reamer for the actions. Most of the guns I have reworked have had everything done to them except reaming the action and sleeving the bolt. The guns will never be shot in any matches but will be used to kill prairie dogs and coyotes. There is nothing quite as satisfying as shooting small groups with a gun that I have reworked myself.
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For what you are doing I don't see any advantage to reaming the action and sleeving the bolt. I doubt you would notice any difference in the group.
 
As promised..

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I already had the Remington action and Greg Tannel did the complete package blueprint and rebarrel. This was a 300WM and I couldn't ask for a more accurate rifle.

I then had Clay Spencer build me a 204 and he was against the rebore/sleeve. He builds his .25 Virginia Hog Rifles and doesn't rebore or sleeve the bolts. He claimed one would be better off with a PTG bolt for tighter tolerance. He too built a superb shooter.
 
J. Pendergraft said:
I like to do the so called "Borden bumps" on my sleeves. This makes for a very snug fit when the bolt is closed but allows enough clearance for the bolt to run smoothly when opened.
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I have read alot of posts refering to "Borden Bumps" and wonder if someone can explain to me how they are done. I've heard of welding small bumps on a bolt, and then turning to a diameter that reduces clearance to 1 or 2 thous., is this how they are done?

Thanks in advance,
MED
 
ultramagmed said:
I have read alot of posts refering to "Borden Bumps" and wonder if someone can explain to me how they are done. I've heard of welding small bumps on a bolt, and then turning to a diameter that reduces clearance to 1 or 2 thous., is this how they are done?

Thanks in advance,
MED
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I do them by fitting sleeves to both ends of the bolt body, fit the sleeves to almost zero clearance then slightly relieve the areas of the sleeves not in line with the locking lugs. This allows the fitted portion of the sleeves to run in the raceway and then when the bolt is closed the fit will be snug. You could do this by welding bumps I suppose. Anything that allows the bolt to run freely yet be snug during lock-up is the goal.
 
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