A Dilemma

Even though yesterday I was up by 6:15 AM, productivity was not a word that we used around here!  Rising, 18 minutes on my stationary bike, breakfast, checking my e-mail and then on to Brownwood for Layla to get a facial, but my goal there was to get my .22 semi-auto fixed, but alas, no gunsmiths in that thriving town of 20,000 folks.

The rifle had just passed the one year warranty (that figures) and when I went to sight it in with a new 4 power scope, I noticed the bolt release catch had somehow become defective.  Normally just slide it down and the bolt returns to the closed position, but not this time.  The release catch didn’t have any tension and the bolt remained open.  Quickly, on the hood of the jeep, I disassembled the rifle and tried to find some “catch” or spring that would release the bolt.  Twenty minutes later, no luck, so began my quest for a gunsmith.

Goldthwaite, population 1,800, Lampasas with 6,000, neither had a gunsmith.  The closest, according to the yellow pages is Coleman, 5,000 folks and 70 miles away, too far for a .22, for now.  Being real tight, I don’t want to spend much to get the bolt released so this morning I called the manufacturer and after a 5 minute, wait, I talked with one of the repairmen.

Explaining my problem, he asked where was the closest gun shop? “Coleman, 70 miles away,” I answered, adding, ”We’re smack dab in the center of Texas and are close to nothing.”  The repairman said, “Our closest repair center is in Austin” and I quipped, “That’s only 90 miles southeast of us!”

His first suggestion, pull back the bolt and lift and pull back on the bolt release, and clunk the bolt snapped forward.  This fixed the problem and working the bolt back and releasing it a couple of times, it worked properly.  

The manufacturer is sending me a schematic of the gun’s action.  I guess that since I bought the gun on sale at well known discounter, the price didn’t include a schematic!