On my .458 Alaskan there is a forward crossbolt. No slots or holes on face of bolt, which leads me to believe it is a cover for the bolt or cosmetic. Probably thinking this light .458 may need crossbolts. Any one know for sure?

Thanks

The couple MKXs I had with a cross bolt you could see the bolt just behind the action recoil lug when you tool the action out of the stock. I did have one that simply had plastic inserts for looks and no cross bolt.

Might try a magnet to see if there is any metal.

Thanks I'll check it out. I did not see them when I took the action out but would like to know for sure.

I have only seen them be cosmetic "bolt heads" with no bolt whatsoever. The cosmetic cross bolt heads actually weaken the stocks. As with much of the Whitworth rifle, they are pretty rough from the factory and need work to make them functional.

To make matters worse, the cosmetic "bolt heads" are an odd size that does not correspond to any cross bolt I have seen for sale in the US. You either have a gap around the bolt head or have to turn ebony plugs larger in diameter than are needed for any US bolt.

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I have only seen them be cosmetic "bolt heads" with no bolt whatsoever.

Hmm I know my 375 Whitworth had a cross bolt. But I bought it used so maybe it was after market. I know my 458 is cosmetic. No longer have the other one but I thought it had a bolt but it has been 10+ years and I don't bet on my memory anymore.

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You either have a gap around the bolt head or have to turn ebony plugs larger in diameter than are needed for any US bolt.

You can fill with Acraglass or whatever the black bedding material is, too. Easier than ebony but not as nice, I suppose.

Thanks for the input. Sounds like they are fake. I like the idea of replacing and filling them in. That should work and be fairly inexpensive. That is what I thought all along.