Bolt Stops

[chemcal]

Which bolt action rifles have true bolt stops as opposed to using the sear to stop the bolt(like Rem 700)? Is this a deal breaker?

[tobnpr]

You mean as in the Mauser action? Only that one, to my knowledge anyway.

You need to explain what you mean by "is this a deal breaker".

Assuming you feel you need that characteristic, why?

[44 AMP]

The Mausers, the Krag, the Springfield, the Enfield, the Winchester 70, the Rem 700 series (also 600s), the Arisaka, the Ruger 77, and quite probably several others I can't think of off the top of my head have "true" bolt stops.

[Mosin-Marauder]

K-31 has a true bolt stop.

[Mobuck]

I'm of the opinion that only those designs that require you to pull the trigger to remove the bolt are guilty of using the sear as a bolt stop.

[44 AMP]

ok, some designs do use the sear, what's the issue with that?

[chemcal]

using the sear to stop the bolt will wear out something. As a boy scout, I remember an old savage anschutz that the bolt could be pulled out over the sear. It was used to show the worn groove in the bolt. Didn't mean much then--now, it seems like a funky way to cut costs on a good gun. Rem 700s are made like this; if you plan to shoot alot, do you need the mauser type action?

[precision_shooter]

Tikka, some savage rifles (my model 12), CZ, all have true bolt stops...

[Mobuck]

Rem 700s are made like this;

So what's that little tab thingy you depress to remove the bolt?

[44 AMP]

As a boy scout, I remember an old savage anschutz that the bolt could be pulled out over the sear. It was used to show the worn groove in the bolt.

Lots of .22s use that arraignment. Getting a groove worn in the bolt is most likely due to not holding the sear away from rubbing on the bolt during removal and reinstallation (aka operator error). Hundred of untrained scouts learning could do that...or it could simply be the way the design works in normal operation. Parts that wear on each other but don't cause issues over the expected service life of the gun are not a big concern to the maker.

Rem 700s are made like this;

No, they aren't. They have a separate bolt stop assy, which is independent of the sear, or any other parts.

If you are thinking about the issues that have happened with Rem 700 triggers, they are not a result of the sear being used as a bolt stop, because its not used that way. The issues come from other causes.

[tobnpr]

Don't know why I didn't equate the bolt releases on my Savages and Remingtons with the Mauser bolt stop that first came to mind...same function.

It is an interesting point I hadn't thought of before.

But, wouldn't this really be an issue for guns/bolts that are "run hard"?

As in competitions, rapid fire exercises, etc. where there's the real likelihood of slamming the bolt back into the sear (if no bolt stop were present)?

In casual target shooting, I just don't run the bolt hard on extraction- and though I've never paid much attention to it, I'd bet much of the time I never even run the bolt far enough back to contact the bolt stop. I could see it being a concern otherwise.

So not to hijack...but what popular, modern rifles don't have a bolt stop?

[44 AMP]

Every bolt action I can think of has something that functions as the bolt stop. From the budget single shot .22 through milsurps to modern sporting bolt guns, ALL of them have something that keeps you from just pulling the bolt out when you pull it back.

Some .22s use the "sear" or the sear part of the trigger, etc. Which is not automatically such a bad thing, if you think about it.

First, there isn't all that much force involved when you cycle a .22 bolt action. The short bolt throw (travel distance), and relatively small bolt mass really doesn't give you much force when operated by hand.

Second, what impact there is on the sear, functioning as the bolt stop would be on the FRONT of the sear (muzzle side), not the back, where the critical sear/firing pin engagement is.

Maybe not so good an idea for a center fire, with its heavier bolt, and much longer "running room", but .22s have been made that way for well over a century, without it being a serious issue.

The Mausers, and several other contemporary designs incorporate the ejector into the bolt stop assy. It may even be the same part. More modern designs usually don't, the bolt stop assy having no other function than to retain the bolt in the action.

The guns we call milrsurps (and civilian models based on them) were designed and built to be robust, bolts were expected to be slammed back and forth by soldiers in combat, and were made to take the pounding. Things do break, sometimes, everything does, but the bolt stop is one of the parts that usually breaks less than other, harder worked parts in these guns.

In the early 70's, I "broke" the bolt stop on a Remington 600. Childish ignorance and sloppy reloading practices resulted in a HORRENDOUS overload, estimated at 110,000psi +. The case ruptured, and venting gas broke the extractor & pin, the bolt stop pin, and the sear pin. (also hit me in the cheek ALWAYS WEAR EYE PROTECTION!!!!!).

The bolt stop itself did not break, just the pin that it was mounted and pivoted on. The rifle was repaired, and I still have it 40 years later, still fully functional. (and me, more than a bit wiser about the incident). In fact, that Remington carbine has held up better over the last 40+ years than I have!

[chemcal]

Thank you for the info; my error on the 700- i was looking at a 721(I think).

[Rancid]

Weatherby's evidently don't have a bolt stop. You pull the trigger to remove the bolt.