As reported some time ago
The only locking lug that's in contact with its receiver abutment is that one. The other lug couldn't wipe the grease away. If the lugs are making nearly 100% contact with the receiver the grease will mostly be wiped away when the bolt is opened after firing a round. On a factory rifle the locking lug contact is likely 60% or so at best so there will be more great left on the lugs.
I recently purchased a new custom action. After receiving it I decided to install a trigger on and in it so that I could check out the way it functioned and to be able to see what the clearance dimensions of the bolt features were.
After cycling it a few times noticed that the lugs, when the bolt was closed, did not touch the action faces equally. I immediately thought of what Mr. Calfee had to say about that situation some time back. My heart sank, I must say.
The next day I took the barrels off a couple of my other rifles to check their bolt fit. Guess what, all of those I took apart all were the same as the new one. Once I had the actions in front of me I could clearly see more contact on one lug than the other.
One would think if makers intend for their actions to be used with angled cocking surfaces they would fit the bolts so that the lugs would make full, firm and equal contact; at least my thought process goes there. I assume a skilled person could lap the lugs enough to allow both lugs to contact the intergral lugs equally, aye? Apparently all the clearance in the bolt is directed to the rear of the lugs when the bolt is "Cocked" and Locked.
The issue of bolt grease: I came to notice last year that after applying grease to my lugs and firing the rifle a few times the bolt lugs would be dry. I tried several brands of grease but could see that none of those I tried would stay on the bolt lug faces for many cycles.
I then went looking for a lubricant that might be more viscous thus clinging to the bolt lugs. Went into the auto parts store I most often go to and told the owner what I was looking for. He reacher for and handed me a container of STP and said "Try that, if it don't work you can pour it into your car engine."
I tried it and found that it does indeed stick to the lugs a whole lot better than any grease I have used. I bought some small plastic applicator bottles to make it handy to use and handed a few out to friends telling them that it was something new that I was going to market just to make a bit of suspense. I recommend the STP over grease.
Mr. Calfee, what do you use to lubricate your bolts?
Your Frirnd, Pete
