Anyone have any tips or tricks on cross bolts? Talley seems like the obvious option, but I’m guessing they could rust inside the stock.

Anyone ever use something like these stainless sleeve bolts with an ebony plug on top:

https://www.mcmaster.com/stain...-steel-sleeve-bolts/

Talleys are good. Those other options look too much like hardware stuff to me. Traditionally crossbolts have been square or rectangular. In times past they were inletted behind the recoil lug and the ends hidden behind ebony inlays. Another option might be to machine a square mortise on the underside of the barrel and add a 2nd recoil shoulder with steel square stock inletted into the stock. Completely hidden and quite effective.

The bolts Bobster mentions are available from Recknagel. They have robust nuts on each end to mitigate possible splitting tendency

Don't worry about rust; the rest of your rifle is not stainless I presume.

Can someone explain what the cross bolts actually do. Do they hold the stock together and keep it from splitting down the middle? Or are they there to provide a solid steel area behind the recoil lug?

Almost seems like epoxy and a wood dowel would function as well if you are putting a ebony plug on top.

has 2 main functions, outside of looks
1: keeps the rifle from folding OPEN (like an accordian) to keep from splitting
2: provides repeatable stable mounting of the action to stock

not all xbolts do both

i realized i missed a question.
alternatives?

i like stainless or brass allthread or cut off bolts, with ebony caps .. but that's just me

D’Arcy Echols fitted threaded rod in the synthetic stock I bought off him for my Mod 70 375 H&H.

I have seen beautifully inletted London made magazine rifles split from being too beautifully inletted!

The late Jack Lott had some photos and description of hidden cross bolts in the Big Bores magazines, two of IIRC, back in the ‘80’s.

There's an article by Lott in an old Gun Digest regarding hidden bolts. I've used the method and it works.

More here:

http://huntingetc.blogspot.com...re-rifles-stock.html

Can you simply drill a hole and epoxy some steel all thread rod in each location? And then cover with wood caps?

Or is it critical that the bolts hold the stock together with some tension, like the Talley bolts would appear to provide?

quote:

Originally posted by Tex84:
Can you simply drill a hole and epoxy some steel all thread rod in each location? And then cover with wood caps?

Or is it critical that the bolts hold the stock together with some tension, like the Talley bolts would appear to provide?

This works fine on my 500 Jeff - wow, that's an old pic from a terrible camera

i use a 3/8 router bit to make the counter sink holes (in a mill) then use a 3/8 plug cutter in a 1/4" piece of ebony ..

Cross bolts are function and decorative. If one prefers, they can be functional but not decorative. The crossbolt keeps the stock from spreading and splitting from recoil forces. One can inlet a piece of threaded rod or even a wood dowel behind the recoil lug mortise and, even more important, behind the magazine well and ahead of the trigger group. I have inletted a piece of 1/8x1/2 flat bar, with the guard screw passing through it, into a model 70 stock. I sink it 3/8 " deep and cover it with Acraglas. On a Mauser, I prefer to use a 3/8" square piece of walnut with the grain at right angle to the grain of the stock. I kind of prefer to use wood just because wood goes with wood! I won't build a stock without using some method to try and prevent splitting like this. Regards, Bill

I like talleys, they are made right and they work.
I have no use for hidden cross bolts as they have been know to allow a split..I don't care for wood plugs because the bolt head itself is an assist to strength of the cross bolt..I can only base this on my use of cross bolts over the years on every big bore Ive owned, and I like to glass the metal cross bolt into the wood, allowing the cross bolt to be greased is Ok I suppose, I don't and I believe the glass makes such a tight fit that rust isn't a problem....Others may have a different approach..

Agree with Mr. Atkinson 100%: Another effective way to prevent a split is to make sure the reoil tug is NOT tightly fitted all the way across.


Just a scape in the center will transfer recoil forces to the edges of the lug recess where,,,if you observe...all the way back past the magazine well that recess has support from all that wood behind it.

At what calibre level do crossbolts become advisable?

My s/h Zastava 9.3x62 does not have one but had been glass bedded and has given no trouble so far.

The wood is reasonably good in this rifle, but I split the cheesy stock on a 300 Win mag Zastava by firing it in a home-made lead sled.

I guess I forgot to mention that all rods, dowels, bars or blocks are glassed into the stock. By the way, I think laminated stocks are more often in need of this than good walnut is; they have a real tendency to split. Regards, Bill

Yep...those lead sleds really give the stock it's ultimate test.

I cringe when a client tells me he used one sighting in his 500 Jeff!

I use a 1/4'bolt with the head and non-threaded part cut off, and glue it in with epoxy putty. I first drill thru with a 3/16 bit, then mount a Fuller C-6 counterbore on the bit to make a recess for the plugs. The counterbore makes a clean 3/8 hole. I then drill thru with a 17/64 or so bit, to make some clearance, and butter the hole and the threaded rod up with epoxy putty, slide it in and clean up the mess, and tap in the plugs. The strength is increased considerably if you "prime" the inside of the hole with unthickened epoxy, using a Q-tip or a pipe cleaner.

The hardest-kicking rifle I own is only a 338, but it's been to Africa, Siberia, Alaska and has many rounds shot thru it w/o a problem.

I do it the same as this but instead of drilling a clearance hole for the threaded rod I drill and tap the hole. Then screw the rod in with epoxy.