10/22 Bolt comparison (Ruger/Kidd/Dlask)

[Tom E Gun]

I recently had the opportunity to purchase a lightly used Dlask 10/22 bolt for a reasonable price. I didn't need another 10/22 bolt, but I was curious to examine one up close and compare it to a Kidd bolt. Here are a few comparison shots:

top: Dlask (satin silver) , center: Kidd (black scallop), bottom: Ruger ("50 th" with Volquartsen extractor) ....

You have to look fairly hard to find the differences between the Dlask and Kidd bolts. I am planning to do some 50 yard accuracy comparisons between the 3 bolts in the same rifle, using the same ammo, but don't anticipate any measurable differences.

 

[savagecanuck]

You can sure see the difference between the two and the stock one.

 

[wayupnorth]

ive always wondered about the Dlask bolts but just havnt had need of a new bolt yet.
thanks for taking the time to show it!

now i kinda want one to play with!!!

 

[Keep6]

You can see a difference but is there any difference in reliability or feel when the gun runs a different bolt?

 

[Canada tail]

I thought the barrel makes a difference in accuracy. But I look forward to see your test results.

 

[Tom E Gun]

Bolt Comparison, range report

I took my benchrest 10/22 to the range today along with the 3 bolts shown above. I shot a total of 8, 5 round groups with each bolt. Here is the rifle set up:

I tried to keep all conditions as equal as possible for each bolt. I used SK Rifle Match ammo from the same batch for all testing. The take down bolt was re-torqued to 26 in/lbs each time. Here is a summary of the results:

Bolt: / Avg. Group: / Best Group: / Worst Group:

Dlask / 0.442" / 0.345" / 0.567"
Kidd / 0.399" / 0.176" / 0.641"
Ruger / 0.434" / 0.218" / 0.873"


I don't think there are enough groups, for each setup, to draw any firm scientific conclusions, however according to this very limited data it seems that the Dlask is the most consistent while the Kidd is the most accurate. I expected very little, if any, variation in accuracy however I was surprised that there were literally no functional differences. I have had issues in other Dlask 10/22's when shooting target ammo using a Ruger bolt which has not been radiused and polished (this one is completely stock except for a Volquartsen extractor) however the Ruger bolt functioned flawlessly, as did the other 2. The only difference I noticed was that the Dlask bolt has a gritty feel to it as it cycles, I presume this is a result of the slightly textured matt finish.

Here is one of the 6 targets I shot today, (2 per bolt). They are all RFC official targets as I was also shooting to qualify for the RFC 1/2" at 50 yard 10/22 game, this is the target I submitted to RFC (this target was the 2nd using the Kidd bolt):

I'm pretty sure the flyer on group #4 was ammo related. Without that flyer, the Kidd average group size would have been significantly better.

 

[Candocad]

Thanks for posting, I can never get enough of this type of factual comparison. Great presentation too.

Candocad.

 

[LarryG]

Excellent work!

 

[Tom E Gun]

I'm glad you guys found it useful. I will certainly be keeping the Kidd bolt in this rifle, I'm not sure what I am going to do with the Dlask bolt. I may try it in my 10/22 TakeDown. However, the bolt that is in the TD now (a Ruger bolt that was radiused and polished by Dlask about 10,000 rounds ago) is working really well, so I'm not sure it would be an improvement...more testing ahead maybe...

 

[crash277]

you could sell me the Dlask bolt....

 

[Halifax Bob]

nice report, thanks for sharing

 

[Tom E Gun]

you could sell me the Dlask bolt....

Sorry, it's long gone. Personally I would not buy the Dlask bolt. I would get a Kidd or stick with a polished and radiused Ruger bolt.

 

[Tom E Gun]

nice report, thanks for sharing

You're welcome, thanks for the feedback.

 

[Mike112288]

Kidd bolt is worth buying. It’s a fantastic upgrade along with a decent barrel and trigger

 

[Tom E Gun]

Kidd bolt is worth buying. It’s a fantastic upgrade along with a decent barrel and trigger

I agree, the rifle shown in post #6 is all Kidd except for the Dlask receiver. It is the best 10/22 rifle (or maybe I should say best combination of 10/22 parts) that I have owned. I just wish Kidd would make 10/22 Take Down barrels.

 

[saigol7]

Excellent comparison photos of the bolts are very sharp. I can't understand why add the cross pin above the firing pin? Is the firing pin known to jump up? Wouldn't the charging handle keep the pin from lifting?