I have a little 222 BSA which has primer burns ,pitting ? on the bolt face .Wondered the best way to remedy this ,have it refaced ? but then would this affect the headspace ?any ideas ? thankyou

Dear tankhunter:

The only way that I have seen primer pitting repaired, is through TIG welding and then resurfacing the bolt face. The resurfacing only goes to the original bolt face depth, since the weld fills in the primer pitting. So there is no need to re-qualify the barrel for headspacing.

Personally, I've never had it done though.

Sincerely,

Chris Bemis

Does the TIG welding can alter the bolt hardness?

quote:

Originally posted by wildboar:
Does the TIG welding can alter the bolt hardness?

Yes, of course it does to some small or large degree, depending upon the treatment. The red-hot weld will be instantly quenched by the mass of the bolt head unless the bolt is pre-heated, and afterward (during cooldown) the quenching action will be similar unless the weld area is prevented from rapid cooling by insulation and post-weld heat-treatment (PWHT). If your pits are very small and your TIG welder guy is an EXPERT (i.e. can weld foil), then the hard spots will be tiny and probably not significant even if not pre-heated or PWHTed, but I'd do it anyway if it wuz mine. If your pits are large or your welder is the usual average-skill TIG workman, then I strongly, very strongly, recommend the pre-heat and PWHT.

Seems to me like a rather drastic cure for a rather minor problem, but different strokes...
Regards, Joe

Tankhunter, Option (A), If the pitting isn't too deep, the bolt face can be re-cut and the barrel set back to correct the headspace. Under some circumstances, and depending on the bolt, you can even re-bush the entire face. For yours, if the pitting isn't bad, I believe Option (A) might be your best bet.

How is the pitting hurting anything but appearances?

Take a small radius tool say .015 tool nose radius and machine an annular ring in the bolt face at the diameter of the burn marks. Machine about .003 to .005 deep. This will clean up the marks and leave you with a neater appearing bolt face.
If you can't stand the thought of that try it. It does not mess up the heat treat and can look well done.
Then if you don't like it just bore the bolt face out about .050 deep to the dia. of the burn marks. Press fit a hardened steel plug. Say RC 40 or so. Then machine off the top of the plug flush with the bolt face and drill and ream a new firing pin hole. I have a Swedish Mauser with an arsenal repair like this.

quote:

Originally posted by tnekkcc:
How is the pitting hurting anything but appearances?

And the answer is???? roger

Thanks for the advice ,well yes really only the appearance of it ,the bore is perfect and its accurate ,i was thinking of selling it since i bought another one in far better condition .Its just if i try to sell it, there will be no end to the whining of potential buyers about it[the pitting] iam sure .who will insist on buying for next to nothing .will give it some thought thanks again