doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com 1903 Bolt question

Perhaps a bit off topic here, but I have a new to me sporter 1903 that a previous owner had oiled or greased all the moving parts. I have been able to disassemble and clean up the trigger, bolt stop and magazine cutoff. The problem is that I cannot get the firing pin sleeve to move at all. It wont even turn. I have submerged it in Hoppes for 2 days and still no luck.

Any ideas? I would not care too much about the bolt except I need to degrease and clean the safety as it turns as if lubed with rubber cement. I don't want to bubba this thing up!

Try having it submerged in a solvent in an ultrasonic bath that will shift almost anything without any damage at all. Small ultrasonic baths can be bought quite cheaply or you could get a commercial business to do it for you.

Harry

Try soaking it in acetone or in a bath of brake pad cleaner [best], then carburetor cleaner [ventilate well when spraying and soaking in either!] If it does not free itself up, keep soaking as fluid turns color or gets an oil slick, then drain off and replace with fresh fluid, until it does.

Does the bolt sleeve lock depress OK,,or is that stuck too.


***Added,,,If the sleeve lock works OK and you can turn the bolt sleeve betw the cocked and un-cocked positions,,,,can you just Field strip the Bolt and clean the parts?

Cock the bolt in the rifle, place the safety in the middle upright position,,, remove the bolt.
Depress the sleeve lock and unscrew the bolt sleeve from the bolt body.

Then disassemble the bolt sleeve assembly (w/it's firing pin, spring, safety, sleeve lock, ect) and clean & lube them up.

My appolgies if I'm misinterpreting the problem and offering up info of absolutely no use. I'm kind of known for that!
I hope you get the bolt working OK.

I was able to depress the bolt sleeve lock and turn the bolt shroud to de-cock the firing spring.

I will give brake cleaner a try, hopefully it can work its way inside the sleeve. Perhaps a penetrating oil like PB blaster would work?

Well, I was able to get the firing pin sleeve pulled back and disassembled the entire bolt! Thanks to all for the ideas.

FYI, Break cleaner and even PB blaster did not penetrate the joint around the firing pin sleeve. I ended up gripping the firing pin sleeve in my vise -a lowly Bessey from Lowes, I have been drooling over the vises in the other thread- with the jaws padded with hardwood blocks. A stout tap with a rubber mallet and it broke free, with no marks or damage to the parts. The grease had turned into a thick gray colored paste the consistency of almost set concrete. Reassembled and everything works just as it should.

Congrats


Jerry