Remington 700 problem

[klt1986]

Had a light strike this morning on my Remington 700 CDL .270 Win.  Temperature was a cold 20 degrees.  I recocked the bolt and the gun fired, although the deer was long gone.  Luckily it was a doe and not the buck of a lifetime!  Now to my question.  I came home, disassembled the bolt and it was a greasy mess.  This rifle only has 40 to 50 rounds through it and was bought new in March of this year.  I will admit that this was the first time I disassembled the bolt and cleaned it.

I cleaned the inside of the bolt and the firing pin assembly with some aerosol brake parts cleaner.  I wiped the parts dry and put what I thought was a very light coat of oil on.  Reassembled the bolt and put it back in the rifle.  I worked the bolt several times and it became increasingly tight with each turn of the bolt, so I put a drop of oil at the back of the firing pin asembly and it freed up.  I had to do this just so I could rotate the bolt to get it back out.  I then removed the bolt again and disassembled again because I was afraid I had gotten too much oil in there.  What specifically needs lube(if any) on this part of the rifle?  It obviously needs a little to keep things working smooth? 

I really like this rifle as it is very accurate but I have lost a little confidence in it now.

[dw06]

Had same thing happen over 35 years ago, since then the first thing I do to any rifle I buy weather new or used is take bolt apart and clean much like you did. I admit to have used different lubes over the years, but the last 10 years I use a good synthetic oil and apply it to a rag and wipe spring and firing pin to put a light coat on.Also clean bolt lug recess and after putting bolt together wipe the lugs and open and close bolt a few times.
I do this every 3 years and have never had a problem even in minus temps. Oh and clean the trigger once in a while too just to get grime out.

[kyelkhunter3006]

At anytime, the minimal amount of lube that's necessary for the gun to function is the way to go.  There isn't a single thing on any bolt action gun that needs grease on it, other than a VERY VERY light smear on the back of the locking lugs and a tiny bit on the back of the bolt assembly where the cocking cam engages.  Everything else should have a VERY VERY light touch of oil, and only if it's needed. 

When the temp is going to be below 40 degrees, I strip all of the lube of the gun with brake or parts cleaner.  When it's going to be cold, it's best to run the gun dry or to use graphite dry lube (powder) VERY sparingly, as it doesn't freeze.  There are some of the new synthetic lubes that can be used in the cold, but I don't use them myself.

There are MANY more problems caused by over-lubricating a firearm than were ever caused by one not having enough lube on it.

[charles p]

I had the same thing happen about 20 years ago.  I think that when I took the rifle from the warm truck into the cold air, condensation formed and later froze.  I cleaned the bolt as you did.  You might use graphite when the weather is very cold.

[alleyyooper]

Remington has a very good lube that sprays on wet and drys to a slippery surface.
Best stuff I have found for the bolt on my Muzzle loaders.

  Al

[kyelkhunter3006]

It's a Teflon based lube, Hoppe's used to have one just like it.  I used to use it on all kinds of things, fishing reels, door hinges, and stuff.  It's pretty good, but if you spray it outside in cold weather or spray it on very cold metal, it can still freeze and gum up.  Put it on before the gun gets cold and make sure that it's dried completely.