How difficult is it to put a left hand bolt on a right hand 700? How expensive? It seems a fix I could live with (LH bolt, RH port) to make a good gun a little better for me. I have LH bolt guns already, but I have a particular RH gun in mind. I understand there will be some stock work involved.
"One shot is usually enough..."
Posts: 487 | Location: OK | Registered: 02 February 2003
Get the right hand bolt and have it professionally fitted.....the LH is just not going to work without extensive work.....It won't work at all IMO!!!
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Posts: 28849 | Location: western Nebraska | Registered: 27 May 2003
Originally posted by eskimo36: How difficult is it to put a left hand bolt on a right hand 700? How expensive? It seems a fix I could live with (LH bolt, RH port) to make a good gun a little better for me. I have LH bolt guns already, but I have a particular RH gun in mind. I understand there will be some stock work involved.
I think you will find that the stock work is going to be the very least of your problems.
Considering the cost of 700 actions and even complete rifles have you considered just buying a left handed one? By the time you are done, assuming you even find someone to do the work, you could have probably bought three or four brand new left handed 700’s and still be ahead of the game.
Posts: 466 | Location: South West USA | Registered: 11 December 2006
Originally posted by eskimo36: How difficult is it to put a left hand bolt on a right hand 700? How expensive? It seems a fix I could live with (LH bolt, RH port) to make a good gun a little better for me. I have LH bolt guns already, but I have a particular RH gun in mind. I understand there will be some stock work involved.
Won't work. If you did change handles the extraction, ejection and cocking notch is wrong.
I have seen several pre-64 model 70's done this way but as to how they work and shoot I don't really know. There is one at the local gun show here that was done by a smith in NY.
Posts: 1605 | Location: Wa. State | Registered: 19 November 2001
Left handed actions are true mirror images of a right hand action so obviously everything is “backwards.†As malm pointed out a left hand bolt is never going to be adaptable into a right hand action.
It might be theoretically possible to convert a right hand bolt, in a right hand action, to have a left hand operating handle but even if you figured out how to do that the direction of rotation of the bolt body would have to remain the same as it was so what you would end up with would be a bolt that unlocked on the down stroke and locked on the up stroke.
To even contemplate such a massive and complicated conversion (even if it was possible) on an action that is readily available in left handed configuration is just plain silly. Sounds to me like one of those “Gee, look what I did†projects.
Posts: 466 | Location: South West USA | Registered: 11 December 2006
over the years i have seen two standard mausers , one model 70 and one remington 700 converted to left bolt use. they were all at the same gun shop abeit at different times. never had the chance to see what was actually done to make them work, but they are out there. i believe boddington has published pictures of his such converted mod. 70.
Posts: 981 | Location: Shenandoah Valley VA | Registered: 05 January 2005
The gun smith who is doing my 35 whelen right now (on a true left hand mauser by Zastava) Has turned Right hand actions into left hand operated bolts. But is a VERY time consuming & expensive operation. It is WAY more cost efficient to just get a LH action. Especially when you consider Remington has made a TON of left hand rifles.
Here is a picture of a conversion he did. He changes the ejection port & everything. This is an original mauser action (I think 1909 arg.) With his full blown conversion. It is chambered for teh 6.5x55 mauser. A beautiful gun.
Mauser 98 converted to left hand Rebarreled to 6.5 X 55 and restocked
