This is a cautionary tale of doing something you are so familiar with doing, that you get distracted by something and pull a big piece of stupid.
I was sitting in our living room on the couch cleaning my Sako last night in prep for a hunt this weekend.
I took the BCG out, cleaned everything nice and sparkily clean.
Lubed it up with the perfect amount of lube.
While I had my BCG in my hand, my wife came in and ask me something I was supposed to remember, but I had forgot already.
While I was "passionately" discussing my lack of acknowledgement of her request, when said request is made while I am in the middle something as critical as cleaning my rifle, I inadvertently twisted my BCG to the counter clockwise.
As soon as I heard the telltale "click" I knew what I did. I locked the bolt in the "fire" or "not-cocked" position. I haven't done this in 20 years. Now of coarse my wife thinks the string of expletives is pointed at her. I tried to explain
"I was not swearing at you, but you made me loose focus and......" stomp, stomp, slam goes the bedroom door.
I tried to twist the bolt by hand, and of coarse my hands were all oily. I tried to put the bolt back in, and using the rifle to hold it in place while I throw the bolt, obviously that won't work, the bolt won't go in in the "non-cocked" position.
I take go into the garage to get some towels (so the pliers don't damage the bolt) and vise grips, and I start to twist the proper direction. I twisted to far and "Sploing" goes the innards flying in all directions a crossed my garage! I am holding an empty bolt carrier.
I start searching for the pieces. I find the spring cap under my zero-turn, the spring was all the way a crossed three bays near the door.
After looking for over 10 minutes for the firing pin, I get down on my hands and knees and look a crossed the floor. The firing pin was right below were I was standing, standing vertically straight up, stuck in my rubber floor matting.
Everything looks OK.
I have had this rifle apart hundreds of times, and now I start second guessing myself "did I get all the pieces"?
I go in and actually pull my Sako manual to double check.
Finally, getting everything back together again.
Lessons learned,
The wife will still be mad when you come back in the house all happy and relieved your favorite rifle will be going hunting with you this weekend.
