I'm not sure what the cocking of a Maurader .22 should feel like as this is my first air rifle and have always shot bolt action firearms. When the bolt it rotated up and pulled back it slides back about 7/8" very smoothly like it would expect. There is a very clear significant increase in pull back strength required from this point to actually get the bolt fully uncocked. I thought it was broken by how much force I was needing to pull back after the 7/8". After applying a good amount of pull back force, the bolt will move an additional 1/4" back then the bolt is able to smoothly slide back all the way forward and be shot. Is this how the action is supposed to work? I feel like this bolt is requiring way to much effort to actually get the bolt to slide all the way back then forward for a pellet to be fired. The action is not a single a single smooth movement, it is very clearly 7/8" back with no effort, then when I put a scale on the rearward bolt pull, I have to pull with 27-30lbs of force to get the bolt fully to the back before it smoothly goes all the way forward. Is this normal? Brand new gun just bought, never shot before.
Benjamin Benjamin Maurader .22 Bolt Uncocking Resistance
- Thread starter bobbycopeland870
- Start date
This is normal for a PCP rifle. You are pulling the bolt back to compress (or if uncocking to decompress) the hammer spring and to engage the hammer with the sear.
Your experience with propellent burning rifles where you are only cocking a small firing pin spring (when you rotate the bolt upward) is not applicable to a PCP like the M-Rod with a much larger hammer spring. Some rifles have gone to a side lever which may or may not make cocking easier. The standard Marauder does need a strong pull back. The cocking thumb rest assist from Air Gun Revisions may make it easier for you. Be sure to fully stroke the bolt all the way back or the hammer will miss the sear and you may then get a double feed on your follow up attempt to cock the rifle. The stock spring rate for the .22 I think is about 8 pounds so the maximum force to cock would not exceed that plus friction.
Your experience with propellent burning rifles where you are only cocking a small firing pin spring (when you rotate the bolt upward) is not applicable to a PCP like the M-Rod with a much larger hammer spring. Some rifles have gone to a side lever which may or may not make cocking easier. The standard Marauder does need a strong pull back. The cocking thumb rest assist from Air Gun Revisions may make it easier for you. Be sure to fully stroke the bolt all the way back or the hammer will miss the sear and you may then get a double feed on your follow up attempt to cock the rifle. The stock spring rate for the .22 I think is about 8 pounds so the maximum force to cock would not exceed that plus friction.
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The first 7/8" of travel is not engaging the hammer spring, while the remainder is, which is the resistance you're feeling.
Side lever guns reduce this generally by 3:1, so if your marauder takes 8 lbs of force to cock back, a side lever would feel like 2.6 lbs...
So, hate to break it to ya, as 3crows mentioned, its the nature of bolt actions. There are ways to remedy this but are far advanced and I can't recommend them for a beginner, however, consider a side lever gun for your next pcp, as I don't want this bolt action experience to deter you from toying with pcps in the future..
(There used to be aftermarket side levers for the marauder platform, however I feel most have gone away, I think one Russian company is left but they are pricey...cost as much as a Umarex Notos which has the side lever, although I don't think they achieve 3:1 leverage on theirs...)
27-30 lbs is quite excessive if you're being literal, shouldn't be more than 8-12 lbs lol. You may want to try to reduce the preload on the hammer spring...sounds maxed out.
-Matt
Side lever guns reduce this generally by 3:1, so if your marauder takes 8 lbs of force to cock back, a side lever would feel like 2.6 lbs...
So, hate to break it to ya, as 3crows mentioned, its the nature of bolt actions. There are ways to remedy this but are far advanced and I can't recommend them for a beginner, however, consider a side lever gun for your next pcp, as I don't want this bolt action experience to deter you from toying with pcps in the future..
(There used to be aftermarket side levers for the marauder platform, however I feel most have gone away, I think one Russian company is left but they are pricey...cost as much as a Umarex Notos which has the side lever, although I don't think they achieve 3:1 leverage on theirs...)
27-30 lbs is quite excessive if you're being literal, shouldn't be more than 8-12 lbs lol. You may want to try to reduce the preload on the hammer spring...sounds maxed out.
-Matt
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Totally normal. Lube the bolt body with something slick, that helps reduce the friction and makes it a little easier
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A firearm cock-on-open bolt (like a Mauser style) has angled surfaces that cam the cocking piece open and compress the striker spring when you lift the bolt handle. Inclined plane simple machine. For a Mauser you almost need to slap the bolt handle up to unlock and cock the action, after that it is easy to pull back the bolt to extract and eject because you are only fighting friction and not compressing a spring.
The Marauder bolt does not have the same camming action; lifting the bolt handle is only unlocking the bolt, that is why you can lift the bolt handle up so easily in comparison to a typical firearm bolt.
The Marauder bolt does not have the same camming action; lifting the bolt handle is only unlocking the bolt, that is why you can lift the bolt handle up so easily in comparison to a typical firearm bolt.
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There's a bit more spring behind the bolt action on the Mrod as opposed to a bolt action firearm. However, on the Marauder, there is a nut on the bolt that engages the hammer. I am not sure about the gen 2 Mrods but on the Gen 1 Mrods, when that bolt loosens, it can become very difficult to cock the gun. The fix on the Gen 1 is simple, tighten the nut at the left side of the breech when the bolt is closed. I believe that bolt is hidden in the Gen 2 version but the same problem can occur. If it feels like it is FAR too heavy or rough to cock, I'd check that.
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As the others said, it’s normal.
Don’t try and operate the Marauder bolt like you would a firearm. The bolt will feel very heavy if you are pulling from the end of the bolt hand. If you pull back from the end of the bolt handle the bolt binds and it’s much harder. Hook your index and middle finger over the bolt handle up close to the breech so you are pulling as straight back as possible. It’s much easier that way. Push the bolt forward with your thumb on the flat part on the back of the bolt.
Order a thumb rest from Air Gun Revisions as 3Crows suggested. It’s a simple round bolt that threads into the back of the action and gives you a place to rest your thumb when you cock the rifle. The cocking motion is a simple squeezing motion with your hand. I have one on all my Marauders
www.airgunrevisions.com
Don’t try and operate the Marauder bolt like you would a firearm. The bolt will feel very heavy if you are pulling from the end of the bolt hand. If you pull back from the end of the bolt handle the bolt binds and it’s much harder. Hook your index and middle finger over the bolt handle up close to the breech so you are pulling as straight back as possible. It’s much easier that way. Push the bolt forward with your thumb on the flat part on the back of the bolt.
Order a thumb rest from Air Gun Revisions as 3Crows suggested. It’s a simple round bolt that threads into the back of the action and gives you a place to rest your thumb when you cock the rifle. The cocking motion is a simple squeezing motion with your hand. I have one on all my Marauders
Marauder Thumb Rest - Airgun Revisions
Add a bit of comfort when cycling your charging handle with this AR exclusive Thumb Rest. Just screw into back of air tube. Rest your thumb on it while grabbing charging handle and squeeze your hand. Aids in smoother cocking as well bringing your index finger lower on bolt handle…
www.airgunrevisions.com Upvote 0
As the others said, it’s normal.
Don’t try and operate the Marauder bolt like you would a firearm. The bolt will feel very heavy if you are pulling from the end of the bolt hand. If you pull back from the end of the bolt handle the bolt binds and it’s much harder. Hook your index and middle finger over the bolt handle up close to the breech so you are pulling as straight back as possible. It’s much easier that way. Push the bolt forward with your thumb on the flat part on the back of the bolt.
Order a thumb rest from Air Gun Revisions as 3Crows suggested. It’s a simple round bolt that threads into the back of the action and gives you a place to rest your thumb when you cock the rifle. The cocking motion is a simple squeezing motion with your hand. I have one on all my Marauders
View attachment 493137
Marauder Thumb Rest - Airgun Revisions
Add a bit of comfort when cycling your charging handle with this AR exclusive Thumb Rest. Just screw into back of air tube. Rest your thumb on it while grabbing charging handle and squeeze your hand. Aids in smoother cocking as well bringing your index finger lower on bolt handle…
The AGR thumb rest is the best thing since sliced bread other than converting to side lever and even there it might help.
Index finger in close to the axis of the bolt, not way out on the end of the handle, thumb on the AGR rest, squeeze hand, easy and simple. The two M-Rods that I converted to side lever are somewhat easier to cock but not much so. Here my M-Rod Cobra sports the AGR thumb rest. This rifle has a very light hammer spring so it is easy to cock anyways. But still, the trick is to keep the wrapped finger(s) in as close to the bore axis as possible and then with the thumb on the rest, squeeze your hand like squeezing a rubber ball. No racking back is needed.
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Okay, time to show off...which I am not keen on but, just to show how ridiculous Pilot valves are.
One hand holding my phone camera btw...this is with my index's fingernail.
One hand holding my phone camera btw...this is with my index's fingernail.
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Maybe….
I do not want to disagree with my learned associates but they are full of poop.
I have owned seven Marauder rifles and three Marauder pistols.
My .177 Marauder was tuned by the Motörhead.
I could, and did, cock and load that rifle with one finger.
ONE finger.
The Marauder is (was) assembled in the USA from parts manufactured in China.
They are not caressed like rifles costing 10 times more but they can be massaged to perform like those.
If you do not want someone to address your issues then the only way to solve them is to shoot 10,000 pellets.
The rifle action will smooth considerably!
I do not want to disagree with my learned associates but they are full of poop.
I have owned seven Marauder rifles and three Marauder pistols.
My .177 Marauder was tuned by the Motörhead.
I could, and did, cock and load that rifle with one finger.
ONE finger.
The Marauder is (was) assembled in the USA from parts manufactured in China.
They are not caressed like rifles costing 10 times more but they can be massaged to perform like those.
If you do not want someone to address your issues then the only way to solve them is to shoot 10,000 pellets.
The rifle action will smooth considerably!
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A DRY surface on the bolt rod & within receiver where it slides absolutely can cause this.
A heavy body PTFE fortified grease such as Tri-flow super lube does wonders !!
Also in a stock rifle you could be getting some inner tube galling where hammer slides. Taking the receiver assm off the lower, removing hammer and polishing up the bore with some 600 wet/dry can also reduce the felt drag. * Especially the TOP and bottom surfaces where hammer tilts and drags when being cocked.
PS. Run hammer dry w/o oils etc ... If having any moly or graphite powder, burnish some into both hammer and bore surfaces
A heavy body PTFE fortified grease such as Tri-flow super lube does wonders !!
Also in a stock rifle you could be getting some inner tube galling where hammer slides. Taking the receiver assm off the lower, removing hammer and polishing up the bore with some 600 wet/dry can also reduce the felt drag. * Especially the TOP and bottom surfaces where hammer tilts and drags when being cocked.
PS. Run hammer dry w/o oils etc ... If having any moly or graphite powder, burnish some into both hammer and bore surfaces
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The OP has a brand new rifle. It has not been modded nor does he mention adjusting it. I read the OPs post as that he just pulled it out of the box and is finding that the bolt is operating different from PB rifles and the OP is not accustomed to the cocking force being linear and back on his M-Rod vs rotational on the typical cock on opening bolt swing of most bolt action rifles (there are some that cock on closing rotation of the bolt).
The rifles in this thread some are referring to including me have non-standard valves or hammers or other mods that allow for the use of very light hammer springs. An out of the box M-Rod will be harder to cock than a PB bolt gun. The M-Rod hammer (and many such air guns) has a asymmetric load applied to the hammer during the cocking cycle that causes the hammer to tilt and rub on the front edge and back edge of the tube ID. This can increase the force required to cock the gun thus some have installed an anti-tilt mechanism or gone to composite hammers or special lubricants and/or valve designs that do not need a heavy strike of the exhaust valve to function optimally. But the poor OP only has a brand new M-Rod.
Before I got the AGR thumb rest or knew they existed, I had made one from a consumed SprayMax 2K red pop top and an allen key. It worked great, even better than the AGR product because it was longer and size to my hands and grip. But I had to slip it into place with each cocking cycle whereas the AGR thumb rest threads in. Even with a very light spring I find the thumb rest to produce a more tactile cocking cycle as I can feel the sear engage the hammer much like with the side lever converted rifles thus reducing that mushy end point when just racking back on the bolt at the end of a long lever (the bolt handle). And for those who still have unmodded rifles with the standard springs, you know, even with the safety on if your hand slips off the bolt allowing it and the hammer to fly forward that the rifle can fire a pellet! Making sure the hammer has actually engaged the sear and is now safe is important to me. Well, actually, even with light springs and free flight or even a side lever, if the hand slips before the sear engages the hammer, the rifle could have an unintended discharge even with the safety engaged.
The rifles in this thread some are referring to including me have non-standard valves or hammers or other mods that allow for the use of very light hammer springs. An out of the box M-Rod will be harder to cock than a PB bolt gun. The M-Rod hammer (and many such air guns) has a asymmetric load applied to the hammer during the cocking cycle that causes the hammer to tilt and rub on the front edge and back edge of the tube ID. This can increase the force required to cock the gun thus some have installed an anti-tilt mechanism or gone to composite hammers or special lubricants and/or valve designs that do not need a heavy strike of the exhaust valve to function optimally. But the poor OP only has a brand new M-Rod.
Before I got the AGR thumb rest or knew they existed, I had made one from a consumed SprayMax 2K red pop top and an allen key. It worked great, even better than the AGR product because it was longer and size to my hands and grip. But I had to slip it into place with each cocking cycle whereas the AGR thumb rest threads in. Even with a very light spring I find the thumb rest to produce a more tactile cocking cycle as I can feel the sear engage the hammer much like with the side lever converted rifles thus reducing that mushy end point when just racking back on the bolt at the end of a long lever (the bolt handle). And for those who still have unmodded rifles with the standard springs, you know, even with the safety on if your hand slips off the bolt allowing it and the hammer to fly forward that the rifle can fire a pellet! Making sure the hammer has actually engaged the sear and is now safe is important to me. Well, actually, even with light springs and free flight or even a side lever, if the hand slips before the sear engages the hammer, the rifle could have an unintended discharge even with the safety engaged.
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Or the rear of the hammer digging into the tub, common issue with stock marauders which is resolved with MDS hammers or drilling/adding buttons for the rear of the hammer to ride on.
Sometimes polishing the OEM hammer and tube helps but its generally only a matter of time before the problem presents itself again.
-Matt
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Mine was never smooth from the beginning, took everything apart and noticed the set screw for the lug was loose and was digging into the receiver. Polished everything up and greased with redline cv-2. Been smooth as butter ever since.
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The cocking lug screw came loose on one of my rifles but only after many shot cycles. This, the OPs rifle, being a new rifle out of the box, well, who knows these days but would not think that lug would be loose. I used Vibratite on the cocking lug and no problem since on that rifle. I do not think there is anything wrong with the OPs rifle and I do not believe the 20+ pounds to cock it, he is just not accustomed to having to cock a relatively stiff OE hammer spring by pulling back on the bolt. It is kinda weird for shooters of PB bolt action rifles upon first introduction. If it really takes that much force on a new rifle then something is indeed amiss and maybe it needs to go back where it came from.
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Mine definitely had to be lose from the beginning, and just ran with it for awhile resulting in the lug chewing up the receiver. Not saying thats his case, as others mentioned, you need to pull straight back. The action definitely benefits from knocking off all the edges with a good polishing.
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