Making the action smoother on my 1903 Springfield?

[Dultimatpredator]

I traded an old muzzle loader for a partially modernized 1903 Springfield Rifle with a sporterized barrel. I am basically done with the project accept for trying to make the action work so its not so hard to cycle the bolt. I installed a Timney Featherweight trigger in it and a new spring from them as well. When lifting the bolt to engage the firing pin its a little stiff and requires a lot of effort. I realize this is how the rifle was designed back in the day. I have an extra spring from Timney and thought about cutting one or two coils off of it and installing it. I figured I would take it to the range and see if it would fire properly with a weaker spring. Anybody have any suggestions on how to make my bolt lift easier?

 

[hm1996]

Quote:
[I installed a Timney Featherweight trigger in it and a new spring from them as well.quote]

I have an extra spring from Timney and thought about cutting one or two coils off of it and installing it.



If you are using a heavier firing pin spring in an attempt to obtain faster lock time, this will make bolt lift more difficult. I would put a standard spring back in and you will see an improvement.

If you look at the bottom of the cocking piece on back end of the bolt you will see a vee notch cut in it that cocks the firing pin as bolt is lifted. You can disassemble the bolt and polish the mating surfaces on cocking piece, which will also help.

I built a match rifle on an 03A3 action and altered the bolt handle to make lift easier by grinding the original knob off, annealed a 3/4" ball bearing, drilled hole in the bearing and soldered it on the handle so as to make the handle 1/2" longer than original. Much easier to get grasp and the extra leverage made lift much lighter.

Regards,
hm