Mosin Nagant : How to sniper style bolt handle +

To make a "sniper style" bolt handle:

First of all "thank you" to GSWagner for his excellent tutorials for Mauser and Mosin. If you haven't seen his site check it out here: http://www.gswagner.com/

He figured out that silver solder can be used to attach sporter bolt handles which is easier for those of us that don't have a welder and results in a nicer looking bolt.

Anyway, I ordered a "Sniper style" bolt modification for $30 from an eBay seller, his work was top notch but after examining it I decided it would be very easy to do. So I gave it a try myself - Below are my findings.

Dissasemble the bolt, chuck the bolt body in a vise, and with a reciprocating saw remove bolt handlet.


Then chuck the handle into the vise and remove the ball.



Choose a 1/4" or 5/16" bolt, chuck it in the vise, and remove the head, then flip it over and remove the threaded portion. Note : the threads can be used to attach a ball that Wagner sells (but you will still have to remove some) here:
(for 5/16") http://www.gswagner.com/forsale/boltkits/mnboltkit.html
(for 1/4") http://www.gswagner.com/forsale/boltkit ... ltkit.html


What we have now is a bolt body and ball without handle, and a 5/16" bolt without threads or a head (which will be the new handle).


I decided it's safe to drill slightly less than 1/2" into the bolt body without going through.


I transferred that measurement to the new handle.


Chucked it in the vise at the mark


and using a rubber mallet I pounded the handle to bend it. Using a "true angle" for measuring I bent it until it read "110". A is vertical to the vise, B is aligned with the bent handle.




Now we have the bolt body and ball without handle, and the new handle with the correct bend.


Next I transferred the safe depth to the drill press, and drilled the holes in the bolt body and ball to accomodate the new handle. Using step drilling I started with 1/8" and worked my way up to 5/16"




Then silver solder it and you're done.  Steve wagner has some pages about silver solder:
http://www.gswagner.com/misc/silversolder.html
http://www.gswagner.com/misc/silversoldertest.html

So that's how they make them! You can do it too :)


Note, this handle will not clear the ATI scope mount. It is a replica of the sniper bolt handle.

I have no pics of the silver soldering process because I did not silver solder the "sniper style" bolt handle. The one pictured was purchased.

I instead made a very low profile handle to clear the ATI mount. Difficult to see in this fuzzy pic - I used a grinder to make the bolt body flat after I drilled it, and used a dremmel with cutting disk to extend the hole into a channel. Then cut the new handle right at the bend so it would clear the ATI mount.


Pictured below is the rear of the barelled reciver, the ATI mount, and the bolt body with new handle "test fitting" to see if it clears the ATI mount


However, in hind sight, I think the "sniper style" bolt handle could clear the ATI mount if the mount was cut after the 3rd cross. Pictured below is the crosses numbered, and the red line where it could be cut.



Here is the Mosin 91/30 with that bolt, after lots of grinding and attaching a plastic knob with JB Weld.





The knob is only $7 here: http://tinyurl.com/389qxr

It's got a vintage Japanese manufactured Tasco 4X scope, circa 1970, and Leupold vertical rings. The scope mount is reinforced with JB Weld and very rigid.



The Blackhawk cheek pad works great and can be made very rigid if you tie it once around the butt and tighten it all around with pliers. It gives the stock a cheek height similar to sporter stocks.





Making a bolt handle that will fit around the ATI mount and rear-most ring-base is tricky, the space is tight.

Nice to hear from you Clark :)

I was able to edit and correct that mistake (formerly I thought it was JB Weld)


Edited by spystyle - December/09/2009 at 16:26