G W Wade Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Was hoping one of you more smarter pards could tell how long the tab on the bolt is supposed to be. Installed one in a friends rifle this morning and the tab seems longer than mine. Both have been repaired. Everything timed up properly so no problem just question that came to mind. Thanks for looking GW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Well, it needs to be long enough to work and no longer. Here's what I like: The horizontal portion (next to the bolt face) should be the same width as the rim thickness. You want to support the rim as best you can, but nothing more left, because any extra length starts moving the tip of the tab out towards the carrier. The ramp on the tip should be about a 30 degree angle (down from bolt centerline). Ending with a rounded tip. And very little "back angle" underneath the tip, just a rounding. You don't want the tip to be a bayonet that stabs the cartridge case head! Depending on how thick the tab is left, that gives a ramp section that is about 1.5 to 2 times as long as the cartridge rim thickness. So the tab ends up total length of 2.5 to 3 times the rim thickness. David Chicoine's book Gunsmithing Guns of the Old West has a great set of drawings on his idea of the original Winchester factory tab shape. I haven't opened my copy of that book in several years, so I don't know if I agree with his drawing any more or not. But they are probably about right. http://www.amazon.com/Gunsmithing-Guns-David-R-Chicoine/dp/0873492528 (PS after looking last night, I see he shows the Winchester design for the tab - as a flat tipped chunk of metal. We now know that shape is not great when running rifles at speed!) BTW - I can't recommend this enough. If you have a busted toggle link bolt tab problem, send it to Lassiter! He turned one around for me in a fantastically short time and very reasonable repair cost. He's a jewel in the crown of Cowboy shooting! I final fit that repaired bolt back into my main match rifle in my hotel room in an hour, and replaced a broken firing pin and fit that for length in another hour, and the next day that gun shot 6 flawless stages, and 6 more the second day, at BorderTown speed. Wow. Good luck, GJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G W Wade Posted October 26, 2015 Author Share Posted October 26, 2015 THANKS Joe! was expecting an answer of 1/8in or .100 and got an education instead. Plus 1 on Lassiter. He has been my goto guy for cowboy problems and mods. Great service and quick response Thanks again GW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Just measured the replacement tab that Lassiter put on my bolt. It's now 0.120" long (projection from the bolt face) and 0.100" thick (vertical, at the bolt face where the tab is level, not the ramp section). I took about 15 thousandths off when I fit it, and it runs well with the timing I already had set with the short stroke kit already in the gun. (There would be plenty of metal left to take more off, if carrier clearance were needed.) That is considerably thicker than factory (thus stouter), and has much more ramp than what Chicoine shows in his book, so that the bolt will scoop up a round if the carrier height is just slightly low. Makes for more reliable feeding at speed. Good luck, GJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palo Verde, SASS # 56522 Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 GW, OEM tab is usually .065 to .070 inches in length (from face of breech bolt to tip) I usually build them at about .065 to allow for a hair tighter timing -- but I'm not sure if the "hair" really makes much difference but it makes me feel good different strokes for different folks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fast Enuff Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 I just saw a brand new bolt last weekend that a shooter had ordered because their original had broken a tab. If I remember correctly, shooter said they ordered it from VTI which gets in Uberti bolts. The bolt tab was now a reversible piece, held in by a pin very much like the way our favorite smiths are repairing them now, enabling you to turn it around and have a second tab if the first one gives out. Question is, now that it's a separate piece, is it now more durable also? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Coffinmaker Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Maybe. Coffinmaker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G W Wade Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 Thanks guys. starting to feel special getting all this free knowledge. seems like you can learn a lot around here if you ask the right question , then shut up and listen. GW already downloaded this to hard copy for future reference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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