Mannlicher M95 Bolt Disassembly/Assembly


Unknown original author - text revised by Manowar with alternate methods and additional tricks

1. Remove the bolt
Put the safety in the "fire" position and pull the bolt as far back as it will go. Make sure the rifle is unloaded. Push the trigger forward, hold it there and quickly pull the bolt backwards out of the receiver. If it doesn't come completely out, the bolt head is trying to rotate and is slightly binding under spring pressure. Wiggle the bolt around while pulling it back and keep the trigger pressed forward. It should eventually slide out and expect the bolt head to snap backwards while rotating 90 deg. Keep fingers away.

2. Rotate the bolt head
The bolt head may, or may not retract inward from spring pressure when the bolt is removed from the receiver. If it does not, you will need to tap on it with a soft-faced hammer. Try to avoid hitting the extractor.
An alternate method if the bolt head refuses to snap: Open the faces of a soft-faced vice to 18mm apart. Standing by the right side of the vice, put the left bolt lug on top of the vice's left face, while wedging the rest of the bolt head between the 18mm space, and rotate the bolt body slightly clockwise, and then slowly 90 deg counter-clockwise. Let the spring slowly retract the bolt. Make sure you do not put any pressure on the extractor during this procedure.
Another alternate method if the bolt head refuses to snap: using leather gloves slightly pull, than push the bolthead while rotating it. Check for grease or sand inside the bolt if you encounter non-snapping bolts.

3. Unscrew the cocking piece
Hold the bolt so you can manipulate the safety lever with your index finger. Hold the safety lever halfway between "safe" and "fire" positions. With your other hand, grab the cocking piece and pull it back. Now move the safety lever into the "safe" position and hold it there while unscrewing the cocking piece. After about 8 revolutions, you can lift the safety lever slightly and let the cocking piece retract back into the bolt body. This makes the last few turns easier.

4. Remove the bolt head assembly and extractor
Grasp the bolt, rotate the head 90 degrees clock-wise and push the assembly out with your thumb at the same time, until it "clicks". At this point you can pull the head assembly out with brute force, or very carefully tap it out from the back, being conscientious of the threads. Kmart wonder driver to the rescue. The hollow tip fits perfectly over the rear of the firing pin shaft. A rap on the drive handle pushes the entire assembly out.

5. Take down the bolt head assembly
WARNING - FLYING PARTS HAZARD! The spring inside this assembly is under a lot of tension. Hang on tight! Unscrew the retainer. At this point the bolt is almost completely taken down. There are two part that I don't mess with. If you look inside the bolt body (breech side), you can see a bushing that the firing pin shaft passes through. I can't see a reason for removing it unless it's damaged. Besides, it's appears to have a pin passing through it that's been ground flush with the outer bolt surface. Also, the screw holding the safety lever in place has been punched. It's not coming out without being drilled.

Assembly

1. Put the bolt head assembly back together
Undo everything you did in step 5 above. When the retainer is fully screwed into place, it's grooves will probably NOT align with those on the bolt head's shaft. This is ok. Just unscrew it until the grooves line up with those on the bolt.

2. Orient the firing pin
Notice that the firing pin shaft has a flat slide. Orient the flat side of the firing pin so it is facing the same direction as the notch in the bolt head.

3. Install bolt head into bolt body
Hold the safety lever in the "safe" position during this procedure. With the flat side of the firing pin shaft aligned towards the bolt handle, insert the head assembly into the bolt body. If everything is aligned just right, the bolt head will smoothly slide into the body, rotating counter-clockwise as it goes in. If it doesn't completely slide into the bolt body, follow these directions: If it goes in partially and then stops, push in and turn clockwise. In about 1/3 revolution it should slide in a bit. Now, keep pushing in and turn it counterclockwise. In about 1/2 revolution it should slide into the bolt body. When the bolt head is fully seated and properly aligned, the notch in the head willface away from the bolt handle.

4. Install the extractor
With the bolt head extended, put the extractor into it's slot and push it into place. Rotate the bolt head counter-clockwise while simultaneously pushing it into the bolt body, until it "clicks" into place. Keep the safety lever in the "safe" position during this procedure.

5. Seat the bolt head
Now give the bolt head a rap with a soft faced hammer and rotate it into the retracted position. Or use a vice described in step 2 of Disassembly.

6. Install the cocking piece
Hold the safety lever at the halfway position and screw the cocking piece onto the firing pin shaft until it touches the bolt body. Now pull the cocking piece back and move the safety lever into the "safe" position. Let the cocking piece move inward under spring pressure. Holding the safety lever in the "safe" position, screw the cocking piece onto the rear of the firing pin shaft. If it's tab doesn't line up the the notch in the bolt body when fully tightened, just unscrew it a 1/3 turn or so until it does. Pull the cocking piece back and move the safety lever to it's halfway position. Let the cocking piece move inward.

7. Extend the bolt head
Wipe any oil off the bolt so you can get a good grip on it. You may want to use gloves. The bolt head must be in the extended position for installation in the rifle. Hold the bolt in your left hand and press against the extractor with your thumb. Then grab the bolt head with your right hand and pull it outward while turning it clockwise simultaneously until it "clicks" into place and locks. The trick is to push with your left thumb and pull with your right hand at the same time.
As an alternate, you can use a vice to hold the bolt head, it saves fingers and thumbs, especially if the bolt refuses to 'click'. First make a 17mm (.675") long spacer from a 1mm diameter nail. Open the faces of a soft faced vice to 18mm apart. Standing by the right side of the vice, put the right bolt lug on top of the vice's right face, while wedging the rest of the bolt head between the 18mm space, and rotate the bolt body 90 deg clockwise. While holding the bolt body in that position with your left hand, insert the spacer with your right hand using a long nose plier into the space between the extractor and the notch in the bolt body by the extractor. The spacer will hold the bolt in an installable position. Remove the spacer with a long nose plier after the bolt is installed in the rifle.

8. Bolt installation
Line up the bolt with its opening and quickly push it in place. If you push it too slow, and/or knock the receiver with it, the bolt head may snap and rotate, jamming the bolt in a bad spot. If this happens, hold the rifle with your right hand, pull the bolt back with your left hand, while rotating the bolt head counter-clockwise with a long nose plier using your third hand. :-)

TRICK:
The trick to the bolt head staying out is in the extractor tail end. The tail of the extractor has a ridge that fits into a slot on the bolt piece. This ridge when pressured into the slot will keep the bolt head out. I've had excellent results fixing this by slightly bending the extractor so there is more pressure pushing the tail end into the slot (towards the internal bolt piece). It doesn't take much so try a little bend and test it. Try again until the bolt head will stay out. (Emperor)

There were three lengths of the bolts - 'k' for short, 'm' for medium and 'L' for long. Each M.95 bolt should have such marks.

If the bolt sticks in the receiver or hard to open, take it apart and clean it. Grease it lightly when putting it back together. Make sure the bolthead slots (grooves) in the receiver are cleaned and oiled too. A bent extractor may also cause bolt sticking.

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