Bolt Handles

13 August 2008, 22:24

TC1

Here are a couple Mike McCabe did for me that I'm very happy with. No such thing as the perfect handle.

Half Moon rifle shop Oberndorf style on a 1910 Mexican M98

McFarland on a Safari Arms M98

Terry

14 August 2008, 08:54

zimbabwe

Here are a couple of my favorites

14 August 2008, 09:07

Trax

TC1,
Do you have an email contact for Mike McCabe?
could be just the guy to tune&barrel my M98, + a fine bolt handle at the same time.

14 August 2008, 10:03

vapodog

quote:
Originally posted by Trax:
TC1,
Do you have an email contact for Mike McCabe?
could be just the guy to tune&barrel my M98, + a fine bolt handle at the same time.

He posts here as Z1R and here is his website

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Winston Churchill

14 August 2008, 10:22

Trax

Thanks Vapodog.

GunMaker,
are they images of your work?, interested to see your straight handles, if you do them.

My bolt handle ideally needs to clear a leupold 2.5-8x36 with its centre mounted 1.48" above bore centre, on LR m98.

15 August 2008, 03:01

gunmaker

quote:
Originally posted by Trax:

GunMaker,
are they images of your work?, interested to see your straight handles, if you do them.

Yes that's a bolt handle I welded on. I don't have any pics handy of a straight one. Maybe in a few days.

15 August 2008, 07:01

Dall85

Thanks for some great pics and ideas. James, I am really interested to see the straight handle you welded on.

16 August 2008, 00:36

Idared

While surely not "Perfect" here are some bolt handles forged fom the original military ones I like.

A couple of Springfields

And one on a Mauser

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"We do not exaggerate when we state positively that the remodelled Springfield is the best and most suitable "all 'round" rifle".......Seymour Griffin, GRIFFIN & HOWE, Inc.

16 August 2008, 09:10

Trax

17 August 2008, 08:19

M1Tanker

Here are a few of mine.

Jim Dubell on a 1909 Argie 375 H&H.

This one is by Mike McCabe on my M48 I use in ViMBAR matches for the "sniper" classification.

Another by Mike McCabe. This one is a Holland bolt handle on my Rem 700 tactical .308.

And the last. also by Mike McCabe is on my Winchester 52 I am turning into a mini "express" rifle. I wish I had photos of this in the rifle since this photos does not show how great a job Mike did and just how classy it really looks.

17 August 2008, 22:15

michaelj

Here's one I am working on

18 August 2008, 00:37

Jim Kobe

One I did, or two

18 August 2008, 05:30

rem721

Jim, show us the underside of the root where you often don't weld them. And you wonder why my comments.

18 August 2008, 06:13

butchlambert

rem721,
Somebody is gonna grab you by the root and we won't wonder why.
Butch

18 August 2008, 06:43

rem721

Latent Homosexuals, huh?

Look Butchy, if you can honestly say that Kobe is as talented as Jim Anderson, then say it here and I won't bring up Kobe again. But I have a feeling that you can't bring yourself to say it publicly.

The reality is I've called him on it before, he fessed up, but said he did that long ago and had since graduated to doing it right. Well, I've since spoken to two people that recently had him do work and its the same old story.

18 August 2008, 07:31

butchlambert

Rem 721,
You're a little touchy aren't you? Ever figured out why people dislike you? You're not smart enough to have a clue.
I'm not the person to tell you who is the most talented smith out there. The work that Kobe has done for me is every bit as good as I would expect from the other talented smiths on this forum.
Where are the photos of your custom bolts?
Butch

18 August 2008, 19:26

Jim Kobe

Let me put this to rest.

I will be the first to admit that I am not as talented as James Anderson!

Rem721 keeps coming up with this story about the "people" who have not been pleased by my work but will not tell me who they are so I can make it right with them.

Rem 721, you are on my ignore list. Go eat a big bowl of Phuque!

18 August 2008, 20:02

tiggertate

quote:
Originally posted by M1Tanker:
Here are a few of mine.

Did you have any issues with heat on thebolt lug?

And the last. also by Mike McCabe is on my Winchester 52 I am turning into a mini "express" rifle. I wish I had photos of this in the rifle since this photos does not show how great a job Mike did and just how classy it really looks.

20 August 2008, 20:41

30 Caliber Mag Fan

quote:
And the last. also by Mike McCabe is on my Winchester 52 I am turning into a mini "express" rifle. I wish I had photos of this in the rifle since this photos does not show how great a job Mike did and just how classy it really looks.

Not to Hi-Jack the thread on Bolt Handles but, Bill would you be so kind as to elaborate on your project on your Model 52. That sounds like a really neat project. I have a Model 52 reproduction from USRA and I have always thought that it would be a great starting place for a project but, unsure as to what could be done.

Thanks in advance.

23 August 2008, 04:55

gunmaker

Here's a few pics of some straight handles I had available. The blued one I did about 18 years ago. It's the original handle that was cut at an angle and then bent with a torch and the V shaped cavern filled with weld.

The one in the white is a left handed mini mauser.

23 August 2008, 07:40

22WRF

I really like the bent one shown above by Gunmaker, and the first one by Zimbabwe, but once again, the nicest looking one I have ever seen is this one by David Miller. Even taking away all of the embellishment, it just looks right.

23 August 2008, 08:07

Nick Hughes

I like the David Miller too. Can someone explain how you get that "look" of the round shank protruding out from the top of the handle? I have done a fair job of duplicating it but if anyone has some insight I would like to here it. When I get back to my computer I will put up a pick of a model 70 that I did

23 August 2008, 08:11

22WRF

Nick

Have you figured out how he got those raised panels?

23 August 2008, 08:19

Nick Hughes

No...

but I haven't really tried my hand at checkering either. I can do it I just wouldn't let anyone see it LOL.

23 August 2008, 12:01

Trax

quote:
Originally posted by 22WRF:
Nick

Have you figured out how he got those raised panels?

Probably the same way these raised panels were made,
a bolt handle made from scratch, via a pair of very talented patient hands.

23 August 2008, 19:31

Jim Kobe

Brownell's used to sell cast steel replacement bolt handles that had the raised panels cast into the know. Don't know if they still carry them or not.

23 August 2008, 19:39

22WRF

quote:
Originally posted by Jim Kobe:
Brownell's used to sell cast steel replacement bolt handles that had the raised panels cast into the know. Don't know if they still carry them or not.

I have purhcased these before. The problem with then is that they are too short, and the knobs are too small. They might work real well on a small action project though.

23 August 2008, 19:48

22WRF

quote:
Originally posted by Nick Hughes:
I like the David Miller too. Can someone explain how you get that "look" of the round shank protruding out from the top of the handle? I have done a fair job of duplicating it but if anyone has some insight I would like to here it. When I get back to my computer I will put up a pick of a model 70 that I did

I am not a machinist, but isn't there a tool that you can put onto a milling machine so that you can cause the part to rotate around the cutting tool. I don't know what they call it, (maybe an indexing tool) but I would think that if one installed that tool, and then put the bolt handle in there and rotated it in a circular fashion underneath the cutting tool one could come very close to getting that "look" of that round shank protruding from the top of the handle. And then it would be a matter of a little bit of file work to blend it all in.

23 August 2008, 19:58

vapodog

I always enjoy these threads as I get to see some beautiful work......and that David Miller piece is indeed magnificent.....I tried it once (no photo will be posted) and I will try it again but in the net result I still like my Dakota handles just fine.

23 August 2008, 21:26

22WRF

Another thing I like about that David Miller piece is the ratio on the checkering. In most checkering on bolt handles one usually sees 2.5 to 1 or 3 to 1 checkering, but looking closely at his it seems that he is using 3.5 to 1 or maybe even 4 to 1 for his ratio. And that seems to allow him to get away with using a larger size checkering, like maybe 30 lines to an inch rather than that real fine 40 or 50 line per inch one sees so much. I think it looks fabulous.

23 August 2008, 21:29

22WRF

quote:
Originally posted by Trax:

Trax

Its none of my business, but I am just curious. Are you the owner of that beautiful Echols-Burgess 1917 Enfield Rifle?