Procedure for Removing the Bolt from the Action
and
Rifle Disassembly

The following is the method to remove the bolt from the receiver.  It is not complecated once you see how it is done.   I can imagine that this was not easy to do in the trenches of WWI, and I bet extra top screws were issued to all the troops.  When you click on the thumbs, a larger copy of the image will load into a new window.


Step 1:



First, move the bolt back so that the front lugs line up with the wider spaced area at the rear of the action.  In the above photo, the start of the widened area can be seen just in front of the lugs.  Now remove the top bolt and place in a safe place.



Step 2:



Now the tricky part.  Get your fingers, I use my thumb and forefinger, into the action and grip the front of the bolt head.  As seen from the above photo, rotate the bolt head clock-wise until the small retaining lug moves free from the block of steel the top screw attaches to (I don't know its technical name).   I have found that once I get it started, I can then push down on the lower bolt lug to finish the rotation.  The small retaining lug has been rotated free in the above photo and can be seen just in front of the near rear receiver wall.



Step 3:



Now, grab the bolt handle and pull the bolt body out of the action.  You do not need to pull the trigger to release it and the bolt head will not, can not follow the bolt body.  The small retaining lug will snuggle up to the rear wall of the action and keep it from moving any further.  Now reach into the action and remove the bolt head, don't worry, no small parts will come loose, the bolt head is a single unit.



Step 4:



Here is a close-up of the bolt showing the three pieces:  the main bolt body, the bolt head with locking lugs, and the top screw.  The small bolt head retaining lug and the associated slot in the bolt body can be seen in the above photo.



Step 5:



Here is a close-up of the bolt showing how the three pieces all fit together.  To replace the bolt, just reverse the steps, after you have done it a couple of times, it is actually pretty simple.  I believe this removal procedure will work for most Lebel and Berthier bolt actions, but I can't say for sure.

If you wish to continue to breakdown the rifle, please continue at the link provided below.

    Berthier Disassembly


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Last Updated 09/10/01