Ultimatum Precision redesigned bolt for the U300: reduced bolt lift

Ultimatum Precision is a new company from British Columbia offering custom 3-lug bolt action receivers that fit a Remington M700 footprint.  The action is known as the U300.  In my initial review of the U300, Ultimatum Precision U300 bolt action review: Initial impressions, I noted the bolt lift was stiff.  At the time I was told they were working on a solution.  Well, here it is, a newly design bolt.

The new bolt is the one on the left (above).  Note the external appearance is the same.  The only other part that appears different during visual inspection is the firing pin, which now passes through a smaller diameter hole.

How does the new bolt affect bolt lift?  It decreases it.  Bolt lift is hard to measure with the tools I have on hand.  To determine what the bolt lift was before and after installation of the new bolt, I used an electronic scale hooked over the end of the bolt knob to open the bolt when the firing pin was down.  With the original bolt and my scale, I measured an average lift of just over 17 pounds.  The new bolt reduced this lift to just over 12 pounds for a bolt lift reduction of approximately 29%.  For comparison purposes, a factory long action Remington M700 had a bolt life of 6.5 pounds when measured with the same technique.

It should be noted that the head space on the test rifle decreased slightly with the new bolt, but one or two turns with a reamer should fix this.

I’m glad to see Ultimatum Precision is responsive to consumer feed back.

Like this post?  Follow us on Facebook!