FGor anyone who has a second cross bolt in a Whitworth 458 WM. Where is the crossbolt placed & how wide is the actual bolt ? There does not seem to be much wood in the rear for a bolt to
go through. Second question is the bedding from
the factory good enough for use or does it generally require a rebedding ?

My 458 only has the 1 bolt. The bedding is good and very tight. The previous owner (jimatcat)shot the rifle a bit and didn't think it was needed. The tang is properly relieved and my barrel has the second recoil lug as it is a later rifle. Pics here: My Whitworth 458 Whether or not you need a second bolt and a re-bed would have to depend on what it looks like out of the stock. If you plan on shooting much replace that brick hard recoil pad with something softer. Comparing the Whitworth pad SXS with a Pachmayr I was shocked how hard it really was.

quote:

Originally posted by clayman216:
FGor anyone who has a second cross bolt in a Whitworth 458 WM. Where is the crossbolt placed & how wide is the actual bolt ? There does not seem to be much wood in the rear for a bolt to
go through. Second question is the bedding from
the factory good enough for use or does it generally require a rebedding ?

clayman,

I am presently finishing-slowly-stocking and fine tuning a Mark X .458 Lott, so may be of some help. Locating and drilling for the rearward crossbolt requires careful measurements if using the factory trigger. The trigger hizzie shows is the one to which I refer. That trigger group asks much wood removal to fit. Mine, when located, ended low on the stock and close to the bolt knob and lower than the front bolt. This replaced, straight down Burgess knob is, obviously, forward of the factory swept knob. It does not look bad at all, though I was apprehensive. Another note is, if using a Talley cross bolt, and file-contouring the round nut to the stock, one will need to kill the case hardening prior to filing. I ruined a perfectly good file prior to dawning. These cross bolts are 1/4" diameter and round all the way.
I believe the sole function of the rear bolt is to minimize or negate any outward springing of the stock side walls at the magazine and keep the weakened wood web behind the magazine from fracture and well worth the effort.

I can not speculate on the factory bedding. My barreled action is from 1975 and has never had a round down the tube. No sights and no barrel mounted recoil lug. My solution is a Recknagel ring base with integral lug. Am using iron sights, so killing two birds with one fitting. Will bed both lugs in epoxy which should be sufficient.
Way more than requested, I know. PM if you want to chat.

P.S.
Recknagel produces a cross bolt with a flat spot. Perhaps a minute advantage. I make a spanner for the round nuts by grinding little posts on a 1/4" drive socket of appropriate size. Cheap and quick.

Luck,

Stephen

There is plenty of room for a second cross bolt, it should almost touch the rear of the box, you can take a file and flatten it to half if you must but I have never found that necessary, and it also depends on the trigger you have in the gun..The very fact that its the thinnest part of the action is the best reason for a cross bolt. I use two in most big bores of 416 and up...Some even put a third just behind the tang screw in the V of the checkering, but I have never found that necessary.

In a .375, a good glass bed job is all thats required and cross bolts arn't necessary, but they never hurt..If I had one cross bolt on a .375 as you do, then I wouldn't bother with two but I would use my money to get a good professional glass bedding job...I'm a believer in glass bedding on bit bores, an ounce of prevention, beats a pound of cure and all that stuff....

Clayman,

I have full length glass bedded and double cross bolted both of my Whitworths (.458 & .375)
I filed a hunting report about hunting in Deka around Sept/Oct. of 2010. There is a picture of my Whitworth .458 leaning against a Cape Buff. You can clearly see both cross bolts. Take a look.
Tip Burns did the work on the .458. It is a tack driver.