Bolt Wear Question

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Hi folks, wanted to get some thoughts on this as I don’t have much experience with bolt guns. I inherited a Remington 788 from family, gun is in pretty good shape, obviously used but loved.

I was cleaning it the other day and the bolt looked a bit worn. It functions fine, feeds, fires and ejects without issue, but wanted to get eyes on it from folks that know more. I’m at a loss for what would be causing any wear like this, almost looks like it was filed down, but again, not sure why it would have been. Obviously parts for these are quite hard to come by and replacement bolts are essentially of equal age and about the same cost as the whole rifle.

In any case, would love some feedback if things are normal for a 40+ year old gun or if there’s any concern, etc. Much appreciate y’all’s time and expertise!
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(Ugh, sorry for the delay for photos, they’re displaying on mobile. Not sure what the deal is on desktop...)
Last edited by Three13 on Tue Apr 13, 2021 2:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Bolt Wear Question

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Looks like something happened to it other than normal wear. What’s the chamber look like? (As you might suspect, looks like someone took a tool to it.)
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"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" Loquacious of many. Texas Chapter Chief Cat Herder.

Re: Bolt Wear Question

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@sikacz Everything else looks fine, no abnormal wear that I can see or bright spots on the finish.

@lurker Yes, extractor works fine. Action works well, ejection is strong.

It looks intentional if I’m being honest, but would have no idea why. Obviously the brass isn’t wearing away the steel...just bizarre really.

Re: Bolt Wear Question

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What does the brass look like after it has been fired? Any malformation of the base? If not...I probably would t worry about it, but if you know of a good gunsmith, it might not be a bad idea for a pro to take a look.

I can’t see wear like that coming from actual use...I agree that it looks like someone did this purposely. Best guess is that the rifle had issues from the factory, and someone did a home fix...I don’t think a gunsmith would’ve left it like that.

Re: Bolt Wear Question

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Brass has a tiny mark from the extractor, but no malformations or anything else to note. I was planning on refinishing the rifle but want to have it looked over prior to make sure there’s enough life left in it to make it worthwhile, so once I find a gunsmith I’ll definitely have them take a look. Well, not that they won’t see it immediately anyway 😝.

I appreciate the input folks!

Re: Bolt Wear Question

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someone used a grinder (dremel) or file on that. no amount of brass-on--steel contact will do that. as has been noted, the real question is, "does it work?" and if so, then while cosmetically ugly, no problem. maybe smooth it out with a stone?
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Re: Bolt Wear Question

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lurker wrote: Tue Apr 13, 2021 4:16 pm someone used a grinder (dremel) or file on that. no amount of brass-on--steel contact will do that. as has been noted, the real question is, "does it work?" and if so, then while cosmetically ugly, no problem. maybe smooth it out with a stone?
My thoughts as well.
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"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" Loquacious of many. Texas Chapter Chief Cat Herder.

Re: Bolt Wear Question

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Looking at the photos, I'd say someone took a dremel or file to the bolt. I can't help but wonder if there was some sort of issue they were trying to fix. If the gun works, there is no harm to be had from that modification; it's just sloppy work. The bolt face is what Remington called the "3rd Ring of Steel". As a push feeder, that mess shouldn't really matter.

Now if the gun doesn't work, that's a whole different matter.
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