I enjoyed your posts on how to cycle a bolt action quickly. I used to think I could work a bolt quickly. I realise now that I need a lot of practice if I am ever lucky enough to pursue dangerous game. I tried several different types of bolt actions. Even after reading your posts, they all hung up somewhere if I tried to cycle the bolt as quickly as possible.

The one exception was my Mannlicher-Schoenauer which I could cycle very quickly without a hangup. A part of the reason for this was the slickness of the action itself. However, the "butterknife" bolt handle seemed to be a contributing factor. The flat part of the bolt handle was perfect for opening and closing the action. The thin leading edge of the bolt handle discourged gripping the handle too tightly and fighting the bolt.

I notice the old Mauser sporters tend to have butterknife bolt handles. Did the old gunmakers know something that we don't?

Hunt1,

Having had a MS and using another Mauser now with a butterknife handle I find it unusual that you say they are easier to use.

At least they are not for me. The one on the MS in particular is far forward too.

I grip a bolt with my thumb and fingers. They don't bind or jam on me but maybe Allen can give some details on how he does it.

Everything can be improved.

Savage99

I have never been a fan of the butterknife bolt handles. I have always found them uncomfortable. I have wondered why the Germans, who are notoriously practical people, would use them on their finest rifles. It was interesting for me to find that the very feature that made the bolt handle uncomfortable had the benificial effect of discouraging my tendancy to fight the bolt when I cycle it quickly.

I have a couple of butterknife handled rifles and they are nice to look at. These are sporters and since I hunt with single shot rifles out of choice I can make these work too.

They are not as easy to operate as you say.

As to the best way to hold a bolt or operate it there is a recent thread here that the search function should find on bolt operation.

Butterknife bolt knobs look pretty but suck trying to work fast. I have identical rifles one with the butterknife and the other with a nice round knob. The round knob is light years better when working fast. There's a reason that the better tacticals have larger than normal bolt knobs.........DJ

I´m with hunt on this one, I can also shoot my Mannlicher faster than any other gun.

Opening the bolt with your thumb and fingers takes positioning and that takes time. A friend taught me to "rip" the bolt open with the palm of my hand and slamming it shut using the base of the palm. Works well and easily becomes second nature.

Cewe, your friend's method is pretty-much the method I use, which is the old military method, or about the same proceedure that Colonel Jeff Cooper has very astutely recommended over the years.

Grasping the handle with the thumb and forefinger takes too much time. I slap the bolt up with the palm of my hand, let the bolt handle knob pivot in the palm, hook the little finger slightly, slam the bolt back then forward, pivoting the bolt knob on the palm and following through with the thumb slightly forward, and then down. The downward momentum will get your hand back into position for firing right away. Every action works with every succeeding action. With practice, this takes just a split-second, and the rifle remains at the shoulder.

This proceedure works best with a bolt handle design that features a fairly large, round knob such as the Model 70 Winchester I usually hunt with. I don't believe I'd care to work a butterknife bolt handle the same way!

The main thing is, don't fight the rifle, go with the natural movement of the bolt. Work the action, but let the action do the work!

AD

I took a closer look at the bolt handle on my MS mod 72 and it´s not a traditional butterknife like the one on another MS I used to have. The 72 has a much better knob, easier to grip.

I love that gun!

Allen explained that a lot better than I could.