help with action screw bottoming out???

[Silvereagle50]

I have another post here talking about my Rem Mod 7 and putting on a new stock.
I purchased a B&C stock for the Mod 7. Had to do some work on barrel channel to free float the barrel and I had to grind out a little area to free the safety (installed Timney trigger).

But it seems that the "front action screw is bottoming out maybe. This Mod 7 is the one with the smaller action screw in back behind the trigger guard and the front is inside the floor plate of the bottom metal.
If it is bottoming out, what could it be hitting? and What should I do about it? If anything....

the reason i say it is bottoming out is because when I tighten it (with or without the torque wrench) it seems to start getting snug and then just stops. When I actually use the torque wrench, I started with 20 in lbs. Got the click. when i then went to 30 in lbs, it didn't move any. I'm wondering if it didn't even bottom out before it hit 20 in lbs.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

The receiver screw is hitting your bolt lugs. If you remove the bolt from the receiver, the screw should go all the way in, but then you wont be able to close your bolt.

You need to progressively grind the screw shorter and checking it with each 1/16 of an inch that is removed. You should be able to see the threaded hole just in front of the receiver recoil abutments. You want the end of the bolt to be just a little bit below flush on the inside of the receiver when fully tightened.

This might not have been an issue if the action was bedded in the new stock. And with a proper bedding job, you most likely wouldn't have needed to remove material to free float the barrel either. The saftey lever never seems to fit right on new stocks.

 

[Silvereagle50]

would this bolt bottoming out cause it to not shoot good groups?

 

[bigbaddad71]

would this bolt bottoming out cause it to not shoot good groups?

It's going to interfere with the bolt...

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[16Bore]

would this bolt bottoming out cause it to not shoot good groups?

Absolutely positively...

 

[16Bore]

Color the bolt with a sharpie and you’ll see where the contact is.

 

[Wapiti1]

would this bolt bottoming out cause it to not shoot good groups?

Yes. It isn't tightly holding the action in the stock. There are 2 things to check before you start grinding.

When you tighten the front screw with the bolt in, you should feel the bolt is bound up by the screw. i.e. you can't open the action, or it is very stiff. If this is the case, shortening the action screw either by filing or by grinding is the correct fix.

If the screw is tight, and the bolt still functions smoothly, then it is not too long as in scenario #1. The threaded portion of the screw is too short and you are hitting the end of the screw threads. The screw is a 1/4-28 size, so go to your local hardware store and find a 1/4-28 machine screw to replace it with. ACE hardware usually carries more odd sizes than other hardware stores. Or order a shorter one, they come in several lengths. Lastly, you can also shim under the bottom metal with a thin washer. But the bottom metal probably won't sit flush in the stock.

Jeremy

 

[JG358]

Like Wapiti said, If the bolt opens with the guard screw tight, its not bottomed out, you need a longer threaded section on the guard screw. If it is bottomed out, introduce is to your grinder. Just take little cuts and test it.

 

[Silvereagle50]

Now that you mention the threads. It does seem to have very little amount of threads.
I'll check these things out when I get home tonight.

 

[Wrench]

For those who read this, ANYTHING that touches the bolt, barrel or action has to potential to affect accuracy. Rfiles are bedded to achieve the best average accuracy available under the greatest number of conditions.

When you contact the bolt or barrel during the act of firing, very odd things can happen.

There is a book for sale in the classifieds right now that covers this.

 

[Hill Difficulty]

(I think) The OP is describing the behavior of the front action screw upon tightening. A front action screw should only "bottom out" where the action screw head bears against the bottom of the floor plate metal. Other is that if you have the bolt closed and locked when tightening, a front screw that is too long will contact the lower lug inside the receiver.

Ideally, the head of the front action screw on a bolt rifle should stop abruptly upon tightening. Like hitting a wall. That's what you should expect with a solid glass bedding job and/or aluminum pillars. Does your stock have aluminum pillars/bedding block? If so, you might not have a screw issue at all.

If the front action screw is too long/too short you can use a flashlight to see if the leading end of the screw enters into the inner receiver cavity. If too long, it will restrict and leave a noticeable scratch/groove on the bottom bolt lug (if you force the bolt rotation). You will easily sense the tension when rotating the bolt.

Even so, remove the bolt from the receiver, tighten the front action screw and look/feel into the receiver to determine where the leading end of the front screw settles. Will be either just shy of flush (ideal), too short, or too long. If the screw depth looks good... and you have aluminum pillars... you don't have an action screw problem.

Hope this helps!

 

[30338]

I'd bed the front lug, then do as described in previous posts.

 

[16Bore]

I’ve had actions in the past where the screw won’t pass completely through the hole. I.E. if you put the screw into the action without the stock, it’ll come to a point where it “feels” tight, but isn’t going completely through the bottom of the receiver. Almost like a tapered hole.

If that makes any sense.

 

[Wrench]

Sharpie the threads and bottom of the screw. If the screw has adequate purchase and does not rub the bottom....1/4×28tpi tap (bottoming) will help.

 

[Wapiti1]

I’ve had actions in the past where the screw won’t pass completely through the hole. I.E. if you put the screw into the action without the stock, it’ll come to a point where it “feels” tight, but isn’t going completely through the bottom of the receiver. Almost like a tapered hole.

If that makes any sense.

That is from using a worn tap at the factory. It ends up cutting a tapered thread in the hole. It has to be chased with a sharp tap to clean it up as Wrench has stated.

Used to be more common, now not as much. Carbide tooling is nice.

Jeremy

 

[Silvereagle50]

Got a chance to check it out a little since my OP. It does seem that the screw was sticking up through the hole a little and making contact with the lug. Not enough to stop it though. I used a file to alleviate that issue.

At this point, I do feel like the bolt is running out of threads and stopping before it gets tight enough. when using a torque wrench, I torque both front and rear to 20 in lbs. when i move it to 30, the rear screw moves a little more before i get the click. the front one doesn't move at all. I'm thinking I"m gonna try to shim it a little to see if that helps any. (well unless someone thinks that's not such a good idea)

 

[Hill Difficulty]

Does your stock have aluminum pillars or full action length block?

 

[Silvereagle50]

Yes. It’s a bell & Carlson Alaskan stock.


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[Hill Difficulty]

OK, thanks. Solving the front screw length matter is easy enough.

With a metal block, the entire relationship from receiver threading down to the action screw head is metal to metal to metal. There is no wood or plastic or fiberglass in the sandwich to cause any forgiveness. When tightening the front action screw on metal pillars or block, there should be no in-between turn and stop - "stop" should be so abrupt that getting the right torque might not be possible. That's the way it's supposed to work, by the way.

Personally, I do not use a torque tool when tightening action screws. It's a feel thing. If bed correctly, the front screw tells you where to stop. For rear, I go tight, then back off a quarter turn.

 

[Hill Difficulty]

One more thing: I do understand how you might think that your action screw runs out of threading when twisting upward into the receiver. If so, the front of your trigger guard won't be quite snug.