by J. Scott Rupp
As someone who’s not mechanically inclined, I’ve always shied away from doing too much tinkering on my guns, lest I have to go hat (with small parts) in hand to the local gunsmith and ask him to rescue me. But when I learned that Brownell’s/Sinclair was offering a bolt maintenance kit with all the tools I’d need to strip down the bolts on my Remington 700s, I jumped at the chance to try it out.
The kit includes a firing pin removal tool, mainspring tool, ejector spring tool and bench block—all in a handy black plastic foam-lined case to house the tools.
The firing pin tool fits over the cocking piece, and a hook fits into the cocking piece notch. Just turn the large plastic knob until the cocking piece clears its detent; the firing pin assembly then unscrews from the bolt body.
To finish the job, slide the firing pin assembly unit into the mainspring tool and turn the metal wheel, which compresses the spring and pushes the cocking piece out to the point that you can drive out the pin at the back. The bench block has a round compartment that the pin falls into, so you won’t lose it. With the pin out, the cocking piece comes apart and allows you to separate the firing pin from its spring for cleaning and lubrication. It’s as simple as that.
I had no intention of changing the ejector spring, but the operation of the ejector spring tool is as easy as pie. Place the bolt face against the spring-loaded plunger (two sizes are supplied to handle large and small bolt faces), turn the bolt so the lugs are against the tool, snug the set screw, then drive out the small roll pin to access the ejector.
If you’re a Remington 700 owner and want to be able to keep your rifle in top condition or want to DIY replacement of the firing pin and its spring, or mess around with the ejector, give this new tool kit a look. Stock number is 749-011-311. $110, Sinclair International.
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