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Posted: 9/9/2007 6:10:33 AM EDT
I'll preface this by saying that my talents lie in software and coding. I am not mechanically inclined. If I've done something dumb then be gentle, otherwise it's kinda like picking on the special ed kid for screwing up quadratic equations  I recently bought an M44 from Classic Arms. When it got here the bolt operated just fine. Cock, pull trigger, cock again, pull trigger etc. No problems. I disassembled the rifle (including the bolt assembly), cleaned all of the metal parts with mineral spirits and brake cleaner, used the black trash bag in the sun method for the stock and so forth. All went well. I reassembled the bolt using instructions from this page: Instructions Note that I did not remove the extractor spring, and I used the correct tool for the firing pin rather than forcing it into a block of wood. Having reassembled the bolt and fitted it back into the receiver, the bolt will operate ok until I pull the trigger so that the firing pin is in the fired position. As soon as I do that, the whole assembly seems to lock up solid and the only way that I can pull the bolt handle back is by pulling the cocking knob back half an inch or so. That relieves enough tension to allow the bolt handle to come back as it normally would. I've disassembled and reassembled the bolt multiple times, always with the same problem. I've checked the alignment of the firing pin's index mark with the mark on the cocking knob. I've verified that the depth of the firing pin protrusion is correct when it's in the fired position (i.e. touching the 75 mark on the tool, not touching the 95 mark). I have another M44 from Classic Arms, and when I remove the bolt assembly from that it's much easier to cock and decock than the one that I've apparently screwed up. It's almost as though I've overtightened something in the bad assembly but I have no clue what. Thanks in advance for any pointers that anyone can offer. |
If it was, the firing pin protrusion would be incorrect wouldn't it? Also the firing pin's slotted end is flush with the cocking knob which is where it should be.
Pretty sure. I'm not certain that it would be possible to put it together incorrectly but still have it fit back into the receiver and function correctly until the pin is in the fired position. That seems to be the key: what can be happening when the pin is in the fired position that prevents the bolt handle from being pulled back until the cocking knob is drawn back 1/4 - 1/2 an inch? |
Hmmmm... Possible. Of course, the telling thing is that the end is flush. It shouldn't be too far down if that is true. Can you take a picture of the bolt as it is now? |
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I assume this is occurring on an empty chamber, right? Sounds to me like they are just poorly-fit refurbed parts that need to wear a little, unless your mainspring is hung up somewhere. Try putting some grease on the camming surface between the bolt body and cocking piece. That's where all the force needed to re-cock the mainspring is applied, and if the parts there are binding, it can make working the bolt extra stiff. Also check to make sure there isn't any crap of any kind up in the bolt lug recesses. |
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Try turning the bolt cocking piece out a turn. Ive got quite a few Mosins that when its all said and done the cocking piece and firing pin end are not perfectly flush with each other. The mark still lines up, but the firing pin end is below the face of the cocking piece. |
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