welding on a rifle bolt... i have questions

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45ACPKING

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so I have a m14 bolt that headspaces beautifully in my rifle and dimensionally it is in A+ condition for a used bolt. Problem is, it could use a thou or two added at the back bottom of the bolt so that it pushes the hammer for better engagement with the rear hammer claws in the trigger group. Can this be professionally welded... or a bump tacked on and then resurface to the desired dimension?

What pitfalls may be expected and I am guessing this will cause the material to need to be re hardened.
Is it advisable to do this? Any thoughts from those with experience?
 
from what i've been told, the heat from welding can cause damage to other parts of the bolt, hence it should be disassembled as much as possible beforehand. i've never done nor have i ever been asked to do it. brownells has a compound known as" heat stop" which prevents too much heat transfer to other parts of the bolt.this is definately something to be discussed with your local gunsmith, if he or she is in the know about heat application.foreging bolt handles on mauser actions to accomodate a scope is some thing i have done and heat stop does work.
 
45ACPKING said:
so I have a m14 bolt that headspaces beautifully in my rifle and dimensionally it is in A+ condition for a used bolt. Problem is, it could use a thou or two added at the back bottom of the bolt so that it pushes the hammer for better engagement with the rear hammer claws in the trigger group. Can this be professionally welded... or a bump tacked on and then resurface to the desired dimension?

What pitfalls may be expected and I am guessing this will cause the material to need to be re hardened.
Is it advisable to do this? Any thoughts from those with experience?
Click to expand...

Hmm...are you currently having issues with the trigger group?

This leads me to believe that your trigger group/stock/receiver are not correctly 'matched.'

I believe there is a sticky thread on the Main Battle Rifles forum about this.

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=91174
 
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i am familiar with what you mean winz..... This is not the situation I'm in... though i could solve the problem by adjusting stock fit..... it's not the answer in this situation. measuring the rear diameter of the bolt shows it is a thou or two smaller than the norc bolt in the area that contacts the hammer.
Very careful selection of a stock that fits just right is also a way to go....
I do have 30 some usgi stocks coming.... I'll just have to find one in that batch that fits the bill if i can't fix by adding a touch of weld.
 
Using very localized heat and silver solder may be an alternative to weld. I would still disassemble as much as possible and use "heat stop", wet rags or wet sponges as heat sinks to minimize or stop distortion completely. I don't know how gunsmiths feel about it, but this has worked well for me in a variety of areas that tend to take a lot of abuse and I haven't had very many failures. just another 2 cents worth.
 
With the paste and using a Tig welder I don't see why this could not be done. The Tig keeps the heat localized well and as long as you don't do too much at once it shouldn't affect the rest of the bolt.
Dave
 
thanx for the comments guys. I think the tig method will be the way to go. I have an extensive back ground in steel fabrication but not the welding side of things. Mind you there's a big difference between welding/fabricating structural steel and a rifle bolt :D
I'm going to head over to Dlask Arms and see if Joe can fix me up.
cheers
 
45ACPKING said:
.... measuring the rear diameter of the bolt shows it is a thou or two smaller than the norc bolt in the area that contacts the hammer...
Click to expand...

I can't imagine that .001" - .002" difference in diameter could make any difference.
Perhaps something else is the root of the problem, and could be an easier fix.
 
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Building it up with steel would be easily done. It would then have to be machined down to meet your dimensional requirements. It would not be difficult to keep the heat away from the bolt face and lugs to avoid them losing their temper. However, regaining the desired surface hardness where the welding and machining was done would be challenging. What would happen if the repaired area wore down? What sort of failure would result?
 
45ACPKING said:
i am familiar with what you mean winz..... This is not the situation I'm in... though i could solve the problem by adjusting stock fit..... it's not the answer in this situation. measuring the rear diameter of the bolt shows it is a thou or two smaller than the norc bolt in the area that contacts the hammer.
Very careful selection of a stock that fits just right is also a way to go....
I do have 30 some usgi stocks coming.... I'll just have to find one in that batch that fits the bill if i can't fix by adding a touch of weld.
Click to expand...

I see. Judging from your first post it could have been mistaken for the typical tolerance woes.

You would know best what to do. I think stock modification(or in your case, simple trial selection, when you can choose from 30) would probably be an easier fix than doing any welding.
 
Forget TIG thomas.........Go to your local machine shop and ask the to resistance weld you some shim stock onto the bolt it self........Its just a small section so it should take literally 45 seconds, I would do it but our shop doesnt have one any more.

The shim stock comes in intervals IE
.001
.003
.005
.010
ETC

So add them up and lay one of the other or simply use one........The guy will place his resistance wleder over top the shim and your bolt and ZAP itll get fused to the bolt............Then if its possible get him to run it on a surface grinder if you want or need to - But I would just shove my diamond files over top just to make sure its some what even - No biggie.

TIG welding is possible.......but that will take LOTS more hand work, Simply becasue its not literally possily to weld 100% flat, Instead itll be convex or concave.........
I just bought my self a 300amp TIG welder to acompany my MIG welder and other goodies in my shop. Once I got her welding the way she should I will send out feelers for M305 guys like you and I who need some quick or non critical welding done!

Take care Thomas
 
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