The upper is by far the most funktional, leving max vood in the stock, kombined with the extra bend towards the stock, as soon as it has curved out of the stock, resulting in acceptans of the lowest mountinghight, together with the extra bend clearing your thumb fre of the scope.

It is very much the style i use when reshaping old m98 and m96 bolthandels, althoug i prefer to forge them instead of welding new handels on.
Mostly because you can forge and reshape and polish only spending 5 minuts , instead of ½ an hour on welding.

Another problem i have seen on many welded bolthandels, is that the bolts often is not suted for welding, so the often break of

I like the bottom one.

Terry

I have always liked the style in the bottom picture rather the swept back type.

Bottom easy!

Like Kobe's work on them knobs

I like em' both. Vapo you got some nice toys

I've always felt that the centerline of the bolt handle & knob should split the distance between the trigger and the front of the guard. I greatly favor straight handles over swept ones.

Anyone who has used a heavy recoiling rifle with the bolt knob too far back knows why. In fact I just got done straightening two bolt handles on very light L61R Sakos (a .338 and a .375) that caused one too many bloody knuckle.

As the others here have opined, both are nice. For a lighter recoiling cartridge that will wear a sope of any size, the top is tops.
My 416 Taylor project will eventually have the bottom style.

LD

I actually prefer this model myself, but it is close to Kobe's design.



but the Burgess design here is excellent too. However this is an Enfield 1917.



I will be actually having the brand-new bolt handle on my Motana 1999 changed to the straight 90 degree model with a pear shaped knob like the above rifles.

Of all of the mauser bolt handles I have ever seen I think the one by David Miller is the best. He somehow makes it look as though the handle grew out of he root of the bolt rather than being welded on.

I like this one:

Nice long original Mauser pear shape. Who is doing it?

Actually, those are Talley handles, IIRC, and you can get them through Brownell's. The only thing I don't particularly like is that they are a little big in diameter for a smaller caliber. But, I believe they can be "lathed" down to a smaller dimension and still retain the same shape. I'm going to try this on one of mine, using my "vertical lathe" (aka drill press)...

MKane160

Personally, I like #2.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Kobe:
Personally, I like #2.

The score is 28-4 in favor of #2 Jim.....

It seems like most like yours best!!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by z1r:
I like this one:

Mike, is that one of yours? Very clean!

Malm,

Yes it is. Thanks. The pic doesn't quite show how the handle angles forward. It's the only pic I have of that handle though. The camera crapped out, lol.

z1r

very nice handle.

Rich

Vapodog,

To me, straight bolt handles are far better looking than other variants. So #2 is great! But it's all a matter of taste really.

quote:

Originally posted by ErikD:
Vapodog,

To me, straight bolt handles are far better looking than other variants. So #2 is great! But it's all a matter of taste really.

ErikD my old friend.....good to hear from you.....and of course I always value your opinion.

Thanks for contributing.

I made this one for a 300WM for use with heavy gloves:

Wow, that looks like the gear shifter off a chevy pickup

If that's the bolt knob, I wonder what the trigger guard looks like?

I think it depends on the action and the artistic intent. ie classic European jager type or modern American. They both have their place in forming perfect harmony.

I really like an Obendorf handle.

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:
I really like an Obendorf handle.

Oberndorf, oberndorf!

quote:

Personally, I like #2.

I think you are getting in a rut Jim .

LD

This bolt handle got cut and an extension welded on when the angle was changed.

I built a fixture for polishing. The 3M 2000 grit wet-or-dry paper makes the metal shiney.

I think the top is a cast design sold under the Brownells name. If I recall the bolt handle is hollow too. they have that "sand cast" look when you get them with seam lines and take a fair bit of effort to polish and clean up, but they look good (for a swept bolt) when done.

The second seems to be a Talley. I really like the Talley (Mauser Oberndorf) pear shaped handle. The Burgess is beautiful, but I really prefer pear handles without serrations as they are so silky smooth in the bare hand.

they come with a chunk of bar stock left on the shaft so you can lathe mount them or even turn down the chunk to get a longer handle if you like. the talley also takes TIG really well and caustic blues without an obvious seam line.

How prone to breakage(sp) is a welded bolthandle?

My hunting rifle, wich was a Remington 700, was sold and upgraded to a Howa because I liked the features it had, over the Remington, including a one piece bolt/bolthandle.

The word integreal just sounds better on a rifle, but, Im sure, well made, a solderd on handle, will not fail.

quote:

Originally posted by Nortman:
How prone to breakage(sp) is a welded bolthandle?

My hunting rifle, wich was a Remington 700, was sold and upgraded to a Howa because I liked the features it had, over the Remington, including a one piece bolt/bolthandle.

The word integreal just sounds better on a rifle, but, Im sure, well made, a solderd on handle, will not fail.

This is always guaranteed to start a “lively†discussion...but a properly done weld (which would include brazing) can be as strong or stronger than the base metal being joined. A poorly done weld (including brazing) can, and often does, fail at the joint.

Remington bolt handles are brazed on, not soldered.

#2 all the way. My P-17 is getting that done.

Vapodog,

Do you have a pic of the backside of the handle (#2) or rather one that shows the side profile if you are looking at the bolt from behind?