Can someone please explain (pictures would be ideal) the mod made to permanently affix the bolt handle to the bolt body. Appreciated.

Can't speak regarding Mod. 70, but not uncommon for mil/le applications of Rem.700 to have two allen head screws used to insure the brazed on bolt handle not coming loose. Bolt handle, end attached to bolt body, drilled, bolt body itself drilled and tapped and fastners/screws torqued along with brazing. Some have expressed prblems with bolt handle coming off of the Rem's, but above will definitely prevent that occuring and should work for a Winchester as well assuming you have suffecient material to work with and would think you would. Just a suggestion.

Hi,

What you are expecting may not be possible. Close, but not 100% assured. Even a bolt and handle machined out of a billet can have a fault. As close as you are going to get is as suggested with silver soldering and screws. You might look in to having the handle TIG welded to the bolt and eliminate the screws. I would TIG before silver soldering. Others may support varying opinions.

Google Dan Armstrong at Accutig.com. He has a great reputation and quick turn around so I understand.

Luck,

Stephen

Model 70 bolt handle attachment is going to be hard for me to explain but I will try. I never really understood how it was attached to the body until I bought a rifle with the handle loose. i took the firing pin assembly out and the handle slipped off the body. I should have taken pictures. Previous owner decided a hammer on the bolt was needed to correct another problem. Anyway the bolthandle portion fully encircles the bolt body and is "welded" to the body. I could not tell you what process is used to "weld" them together. I believe it is much stronger than Rem 700 because of the contact area of the weld. I am not bashing the Rem 700 system, just pointing out the difference. So I have to ask, Why are you fixing a model 70 bolt?

quote:

So I have to ask, Why are you fixing a model 70 bolt?

'Cuz it in my 416 Rem that will see buffalo and such. If a simple tweak for "insurance" is viable, well then I will do it.

I honestly never heard of anyone having this "problem" until that gun hack wrote about it being a "common" problem.

Sorta like the fabled 416 Remington "high pressure problem".

Way down on my list of things to fix.

Robin Hurt was the first one that told me that his own personal factory Mod-70 bolt handle had come undone from the bolt body probably 10 years ago. I wrote it off as a fluke and not one month later had one slip loose in my own vise. We now pin everyone we work on and retro fit a pin when a Legend comes back in to be cleaned. Thats one of those "82 steps" we're always catching shit about.

To date we have seen 2 slip

I've TIG welded too many of the so called 1 piece bolts of the post 64 Winchester Model 70's.

The cast banded handles of the Win 70's can't be made from any cheaper material.

As I understand it, the bolt handles are investment cast with an integral sleeve at the end. The rear of the bolt body is turned down and the surface of the turned down portion straight knurled. The bolt handle sleeve pressed onto the bolt body it with a pneumatic press, creating a mechanical joint. Then a copper alloy ring is laid on the bolt rim. The whole aggregate is placed in a furnace and heated to 2000 degrees, at which point the copper alloy melts and is drawn into the knurling by capillary action.

Compared to the method used with the Remington 700 series of actions, this method would seem to be fool proof, but evidently this is not the case. I suppose a bolt handle of inadequate hardness and an unsuccessful brazing process could result in the failures described above.

I have fired thousands of rounds through a post-64 Winchester with never a bobble. On the other hand, I have had a Remington 700 handle come off as I was cycling the bolt while dry firing. Everything else being equal, I would take the Model 70 every time.

I've witnessed ONE out of 100+ post 64 Win 70 bolts that Winchester attempted to silver braze the bolt handle to the bolt body.

Remington 700 silver brazed handles are an engineering marvel compared to Winchester's attempt.

On a post 64 bolt the bolt body is knurled at the end the bolt handle piece attaches to. The bolt handle ring is pressed onto the knurled body along with a copper washer. The whole assembly is then heated until the two pieces are welded together. Essentially a mechanical and welded joint.
Far better than the Remington 700, which has a much higher failure rate, but not as good as a one piece bolt of somehting like a Mauser or a pre 64 model 70.