Husky safety help!

You guys really think I should be concerned about the heat treat on it at this point? Because that's far more concerning than my safety not working... Is that even something that can be checked/tested?

cosmic said:
A lot of the Swede target rifles have the stock wood and tang metal relieved to allow the bolt to rotate more. Likely easier than modding the bolt...
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Yes that does sound easier... Anyone else care to comment on this option?
 
The heat treating at the time was case hardening. With the case hardening lost, the wear resistance of the metal is reduced. So the bolt lugs will wear more quickly. However, if you are shooting the rifle infrequently, this may not be an issue.
Plan B would be to get another bolt... Why don't you put an ad out on the EE?
 
I have done a few mauser bolt handles - cut partially through the root about 1/4" or so from the bolt body, heat red and bend the handle down, then fill with weld. Make another partial cut lower down on inside of bolt handle shaft - heat red, bend out and fill with weld. Grind and polish. The two cut / bend / weld add a bit of needed length to the bolt handle. Have never started with a "bent" one - only worked on straight handles. Generally want the bolt handle to "stop" rotation on solid contact of the bolt handle root with the receiver ledge, and not touching the wood of the stock, at all. As mentioned above - might need to be "clocked" - that safety notch partial circle needs to be exactly in line with the groove in the rear bridge - Top Dead Centre.

So far as I know, the first heat treat area to be concerned about is the cocking cam surface at the rear of the bolt - if it softens, then it can gall and bind up against the cocking piece cam face. For that job I always have a heat sink screwed into rear of bolt, heat control paste slathered all over, and bolt body in a pair of forging blocks as much as possible for welding - they are also a great heat sink. If you start with shiny polished steel surfaces, the heat colors will tell you how hot you were - straw gold/yellow is up to 450 degrees F, browns and purple are mid to high 500 degree F, dark blue you are pushing 600 degree F and that is getting into annealing (softening) temperatures. Using heat sinks and heat control paste, the colour does not get to the bolt body at all. You would have to get the whole thing stupidly hot to be taking out the hardness all the way up at the bolt lugs, by welding on the bolt handle. I do not think the bolt body, between the cocking cam and the lugs, is hardened at all.
 
Potashminer said:
I have done a few mauser bolt handles - cut partially through the root about 1/4" or so from the bolt body, heat red and bend the handle down, then fill with weld. Make another partial cut lower down on inside of bolt handle shaft - heat red, bend out and fill with weld. Grind and polish. The two cut / bend / weld add a bit of needed length to the bolt handle. Have never started with a "bent" one - only worked on straight handles. Generally want the bolt handle to "stop" rotation on solid contact of the bolt handle root with the receiver ledge, and not touching the wood of the stock, at all. As mentioned above - might need to be "clocked" - that safety notch partial circle needs to be exactly in line with the groove in the rear bridge - Top Dead Centre.

So far as I know, the first heat treat area to be concerned about is the cocking cam surface at the rear of the bolt - if it softens, then it can gall and bind up against the cocking piece cam face. For that job I always have a heat sink screwed into rear of bolt, heat control paste slathered all over, and bolt body in a pair of forging blocks as much as possible for welding - they are also a great heat sink. If you start with shiny polished steel surfaces, the heat colors will tell you how hot you were - straw gold/yellow is up to 450 degrees F, browns and purple are mid to high 500 degree F, dark blue you are pushing 600 degree F and that is getting into annealing (softening) temperatures. Using heat sinks and heat control paste, the colour does not get to the bolt body at all. You would have to get the whole thing stupidly hot to be taking out the hardness all the way up at the bolt lugs, by welding on the bolt handle. I do not think the bolt body, between the cocking cam and the lugs, is hardened at all.
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If you look at the picture, you can see the bolt handle is brown closer to the bolt body, and then goes blue, and then silver. Is this something worth being concerned about?

I've contacted the seller, going to see if I can exchange it for another one of the 9.3 Huskies they've got for sale. Their website says I have to pay to ship it back, plus a 20% restocking fee for returns, which for a defective and potentially dangerous rifle sounds like a bunch of bull#### to me, but we'll see how it goes. I'll keep you guys posted.

edit - appears they are not open til tomorrow. Bah...
 
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The colour thing is only helpful on previously brightened steel, and then after heating. The colours polish off fairly easily. So, if bolt body was buffed after welding, the colour would be gone. To be honest, I have never seen that plan of welding on a bolt handle - either in a gunsmithing text book, gun article or in my hands. Virtually all I have seen end up much like on FN Mausers or Parker Hale sporters - a rectangular "root" for 1/4" or 5/16" protruding from the rounded bolt body, then a close to ninety degree shoulder to a sweeping bolt handle. Higher end examples do a straight bolt body angled down, but I have never handled one to know the details of that installation.
 
It is hard to tell from your picture, but I would be concerned if that is dark blue I see on the cocking face surface, on the lower part of the bolt body. Calls into question the internal bolt threads for the shroud, as well - you definitely don't want them to be galling!!
 
The best resolution to this problem is to send the same pictures to the vendor as we have seen, and ask to return the rifle for a full refund.

The rifle is definitely not functioning properly, because the bolt not closing properly.

Ted
 
Why not? said:
The best resolution to this problem is to send the same pictures to the vendor as we have seen, and ask to return the rifle for a full refund.

The rifle is definitely not functioning properly, because the bolt not closing properly.

Ted
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That is the route I am exploring at this point. They are closed today, but I filled out a contact form on their website. Once I hear from them I will send them the picture showing how the rifle clearly isn't going into battery if necessary. Hopefully they will offer me a full refund/exchange and offer to cover the shipping because this rifle never should have left their shop in the first place IMO, but we will see. I might be willing to cover shipping, but there is no way I'm eatting a 20% restocking fee, as that would be putting me out around $80 on a gun that was only $210 to begin with.
 
Tried their Contact Us form on their website. No answer yet. Tried to PM them here because I saw they were actively posting stuff. No response. Looks like I'm calling them on my lunch break tomorrow, which is frustrating because I can't exactly send them pictures via phone call...
 
Another thing to look at. The reason for leaving the original bolt "root", or exactly reproducing it, is that there is a bevel on its leading inner corner. (It is on top, when the bolt is fully closed.) As the bolt handle is lifted, this bevel engages on the bevel on the rear of the rear bridge and provides camming leverage to move the bolt rearward, just as the bolt lugs come off their seats in the front receiver ring. From your pictures, it is not apparent whether that leading inner bevel has survived.
 
Finally an answer. It's going back, and they're exchanging it for another one. I'll take some pics and post them up that show just how fubar this bolt is, it's really something...

Potashminer said:
Another thing to look at. The reason for leaving the original bolt "root", or exactly reproducing it, is that there is a bevel on its leading inner corner. (It is on top, when the bolt is fully closed.) As the bolt handle is lifted, this bevel engages on the bevel on the rear of the rear bridge and provides camming leverage to move the bolt rearward, just as the bolt lugs come off their seats in the front receiver ring. From your pictures, it is not apparent whether that leading inner bevel has survived.
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Im pretty sure that's buggered. So is the cam lug infront of the bolt handle. It's really something...

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Gun went back, and I got my replacement in the mail yesterday. Much happier with the new one. Metal and stock are in better shape, safety actually works, and the bolt handle looks leagues ahead of the last one.

Canada post returned the package to the sender without charge. I had opened it and everything, then took it to the post office and they returned it as "item refused by recipient". Is that normal? Seemed odd to me, I fully expected to have to pay...

The new rifle was listed at $10 more than the first one, and they didn't charge me for the difference. So in the end I didn't have to pay return shipping, and I got a (slightly) higher priced rifle in exchange. I was a bit ticked off with Frontier to start with, but they made it right so I'm happy. I would buy from them again - not something I would have said a few weeks ago.

Thanks to everyone who helped me sort this out. Your opinions and insight are greatly appreciated!
 
Suther said:
I had opened it and everything, then took it to the post office and they returned it as "item refused by recipient". Is that normal? Seemed odd to me, I fully expected to have to pay...
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That's not normal. With my local post office, if you walk out the door with it you have to pay return shipping. I have to refuse it at the counter or pay the freight.
 
9.3mauser said:
That's not normal. With my local post office, if you walk out the door with it you have to pay return shipping. I have to refuse it at the counter or pay the freight.
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That is what I expected to happen. This package was signed for at my door, then brought to the post office a number of days later.

Has anyone else had a similar experience to mine?

Ted, I'll take some pics tonight and post em up.
 
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