Thread: Rusty Tikka T3 bolt internals

I recently had my first light primer strike at the range which prompted me to take apart my T3 bolt, and to my surprise it was bloody rusty in there. Now I did buy this second hand about 9 months ago and haven't had it out in the rain, I'm pretty meticulous with cleaning after each range trip and giving it a light wipe down with some clp etc to have a rust barrier in the safe but I have overlooked the bolt. What's your advice on the cleaning schedule for these bolts, and will time in the range cause moisture build up, even in dry conditions. Cheers

The internals of Tikka aren't stainless so will rust. Wipe all parts with a good lubricating oil. I use Kroil which is excellent for all metal rifle surfaces as it is a marine penetrating oil. It leaves a good film on metal. Also very good for the bore. There will be several comments on what others use successfully also.

How bolt internals should be treated depends a bit on where you hunt . . . South Is tops in winter, run it very dry or it'll gum up. Elsewhere a very light wipe of a thin oil.

After you've pulled a few military rifle bolts down you'll see that a bit of internal rust isn't really a problem, just polish everything back up with steel wool and oil. Were it mine I might order a new mainspring to have on hand, the modern ones are the one part the rust can really have an effect on.

Cheers