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« on: January 01, 2024, 02:11:12 PM »
Happy New Year to all. Winters are long and its easy to find one's interest wandering in directions other than Benchrest. A good time to read books by great Benchrest shooters, review articles in "Precision Shooter, or watch videos on the topic. I recently took apart the fire control of my other Panda; a dedicated score shoot rifle. Cleaned things up and changed the firing pin spring. When done, it was operating much smoother than my "Group rifle". So I took the bolt apart on that rifle again today. It's only been a month or so since I changed the spring. The firing pin and spring were covered in rust. Everything had been polished and cleaned...BUT...I blew out the bolt case and components with compressed air from my compressor. I used the compressor again yesterday to clean some parts, and water was spraying out the nozzle. Cold weather and forgetting to drain the tank, could have ruined a day at the range. Or worse.
For what its worth; if accuracy matters to you, tear down your bolt and trigger at least once a year. There some great videos by shooters much more knowledgeable than I, that discuss in detail, the importance of the "fire control" in a Benchrest rifle. Speedy Gonzalas shows how to "Blueprint" the various parts to reduce friction. I have done this mid way through last summer and carefully polished the pin and spring ends as well as relieve areas in the shroud. Areas of wear can be seen on these parts where binding occurs.
Looking forward to spring when we can resume our quest for the small group.