Have a question for those using heavy-caliber rifles. What do you consider the maximum caliber in a rifle for NOT using cross-bolts? Is it the same for wood and synthetic stocks? How about different actions?
Thanks

BTT

I believe the 375 hh/ 376 steyr to be A line... 416s and higher genrealy should have one...

the recol difference in a 416 taylor/rem and a 458 lott and teh damage done is a WORLD of difference

jeffe

I'm not sure a well made synthetic should ever need one in any caliber.

Without glassing the recoil mortise then I would want cross bolts on the 375 H&H and up..With a glass bedded rifle I would want them on a 4548 Lott and up..but I like them and think they class up a rifle, so I have them on many of my rifles...

Glass stocks can come apart just like any other material..I know one of Ross Seyfreids high dollar synthetic stocks frizzed up alike a porqupine from recoil with the 575 Nyati...Looked like a fuzzy alley cat...I have seen the sides of the action come apart on one ocassion with a 505 Gibbs Imp......Anything made by man can fail....

Thanks a lot for the replies. Have a .375 H&H with a synthetic stock, and a 416 Taylor in a laminated stock, but no cross-bolts on either. Haven't had problems, but just wanted to be safe.

Ray, based on how they came apart do you think a stock bolt would nhave nade a difference? Just curious.

I'm having Serengeti stock a MRC action for me. The rifle will be a standard 358 win. The stock is laminated and will also have the action glassed.
Serengeti recommends a cross bolt in any rifle shooting a bullet 200gr. or larger.
Don't know why, but I figure they know a heck of a lot more about it than I do.
Now out of all the other rifles I own, (8) the only factory rifle with a cross bolt is my 338 Model 70.

Tigertate,
I don't know the answer to that, maybe is the best I have to offer on the one that broke in the magazine mortise. the other had nothing to do with coming apart, it just unbraided or unraveled, whatever...I'm also suspecious that some glass was removed to fit the oversize box thereby thinning the sides..And there is a lot of difference between glass stocks and how they are laid..I suspect it's just like most things, you get what you pay for...

A proper piece of properly laid out and cured thin shelled walnut is about as indestructable as any material in the world short of Titanium..and end grain wood is as tough as any glass and won't craze over the years or fracture like old glass will...

I have seen some wood near 150 years old on some English big bores and double rifles that has never split, cracked or whatever and is as good as the day it was made after all the torture of hunting varied climets and Lord knows how many rounds fired through it, thats a pretty good track record...

Well one thing about cross-bolts, if they are not done properly, the stock will crack in short order. When done right they sure do add some class to a rifle. I have been shooting a Brno ZKK 602 in 375 for some ten years now. I have not had any problems, Lon Paul worked it over. No cross bolts. I sighted it in when I got it, and it still zeroed. Now I had a 7 x 57 that was not properly bedded and it cracked the stock behind the tang in 7 shots. So its best to have a smith that really knows what he is doing.