scope - bolt handle clearance problems?

[Sako7STW]

As many of you I have been looking into a new rifle. One issue I have with the dual lug actions is the 90deg bolt lifts. On my sons 7WSM Savage I mounted a Nikon Monarch 4-16x42 and there is very little clearance between the bolt and the eyepiece. It is so close that the bolt kicks open his Butler Creek caps. He has trained himself to let the bolt kick them open all in one action as it is fast that way. It is also pretty close on my daughters Rem 700 in .243. So I am curious if there are any bolt mods that helps with this or do you use a high scope mount and a cheek swell pad or what?

I guess I am just really used to the way my Sako and the Weatherby's feel and have no clearance issues.

 

[CMBTshooter]

Higher rings will take care of that for you. I don't know of any bolt mods that can fix that problem.

 

[RiverRider]

I've had this problem on a couple of sporterized VZ24 copies of the 98 Mauser. The original military bolts were modified for use with a scope, but I had to grind the bolt handles down a bit to avoid having to use excessively high rings. I eventually replaced the bolt body on one of the rifles with an Interarms bolt body because the handle forging job was just downright funky looking...that one worked out very nicely. On the other rifle I ground the handle as far as I dared. I don't think it will ever break, and I sure hope I am right.

One rifle that was a real problem was my Winchester 52 repro. I mounted a Leupold on it and thought I had hit the jackpot...the objective ended up about 1/10 of an inch from the barrel but then I found that I could not operate the bolt. I ended up going with rings that I consider to be too high ordinarily, and then changed the scope over to an older Leupold that has an ever-so-slightly smaller ocular bell. This one ended up being a series of compromises that has left the objective about a quarter inch from the barrel and the bolt handle clears the ocular by less than a tenth of an inch. Sometimes that's what you have to do---I would never even consider grinding the bolt handle on a rifle like the 52.

 

[onesonek]

No experience with that particular rifle, but what I have seen in the past.
I would think the option of having a new bent handle made might be possible. But at greater expense. As mentioned. Maybe higher rings if the height bon't bother him. The cheek pad thought won't do anything for handle clearence. it popping open the flipup cover is a non issue in my mind, as I wnat them open when chambering a firing round. The issue for me is, user freindly operation, specially if I have a gloved hand in cold weather. And that why I would look at a new handle if scope height become problematic.

 

[duckcreekdick]

Bolt handle clearance is more of a problem these days with the bulky scopes shooters insist on installing. If the objective lens doesn't contact the barrel, it is the bolt handle hitting on the ocular end of these variable power scopes. Then because you often have so little space between the end of the scopes' bell taper and the adjustment housing, you must use extension bases and/or rings to make things work. I prefer a trim 6x fixed-power Leupold setup without mil-dots, stadia lines, range finders and the other "hot" features. It's an old-guy thing, I guess.

 

[Guest]

One of the reasons you're facing this issue is the size of the ocular bell on the Nikon. It and the Zeiss Conquest are two of the largest diameter ocular bells out there on quality scopes. You can mitigate the problem by moving to a scope with a smaller ocular bell. Generally speaking, Burris FFII are small, as are most Leupolds, and the Bushnell Elites. Just about the smallest diameter ocular bell I've seen is the Minox ZA series. Perhaps swapping up to a scope with a smaller ocular bell would help your son and daughter. Alternately, you could trade off the 90deg bolt throw rifles and replace them with Sako/Weatherby (Mark V)/Browning A-Bolt/Tikka rifles to keep the bolt throw less than 90deg.

 

[Anonymous]

I tend toward the Leupold fixed powers and haven't had an issue even with low mounts. Leupold's Ultralight scopes have a smaller than standard ocular as well.

Scopes- especially European scopes- are just getting bulkier and bulkier and I'm seeing them mounted higher and higher. Also- Europeans tend to shoot with their head up (without a cheek weld) so a higher scope isn't a problem. Of course, they tend toward lighter recoiling cartridges generally too.

I have a Zeiss Conquest and while it doesn't hit- the clearance from the bolt handle is pretty slim and I'm sure on certain rifles it is an issue.

 

[Sako7STW]

The larger sight picture is a must with my son. His eyes are slightly crosseyed and so as forgiving as possible scope is what I had to go to. I had a Leupold on it and every time he threw the rifle he could only see black. Not an issue with the Nikon.

I was actually more asking along the lines if there is a modified bolt or something for a Rem 700 LA.? I am still thinking about that 338 Rum but am fearfull I will have the same problem as my sons gun.

 

[Guest]

If it's a real issue for you, you can always have a gunsmith rework the bolt handle into a longer style. Maybe a tactical bolt handle would do the trick - stick out farther and eliminate any grasping issues. As long as it clears the ocular bell, you'd be all set. Tactical bolt handle installation should run you around $100-130, knob included. You'll want to make sure the new knob is "extended" and does not widen the existing bolt handle near the scope. It shouldn't be too much trouble to find one that will work.

That Savage is another thing entirely, as it is very easy to replace the bolt handle on that gun. Just do a search for Savage replacement bolt handle and you should find some stuff that might work and some directions on how to do it. Here's an interesting link I found:

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/ ... dle-23593/

 

[duckcreekdick]

I'm thinking that if your son shoulders the rifle and sees only black, it is either a gun mounting problem, an eye relief problem or the stock is too long for him. Eye relief will be shortened at higher magnifications, as well, making that full circle of light harder for him to find. Another reason lower powered scopes are more forgiving for typical field use.

 

[Oldtrader3]

I am not about to start grinding bolt handles on any rifle that I own. Plus I want all of the eye box clearance that I can get in the field so I will live with some compromises on higher mounts and get an elastic cheekpiece if need be.

 

[Guest]

Charlie, the beauty of the Savage bolt (if you can call it beauty...) is that the handle is a simple slip on piece, held in place by a screw on rear cap. Just unscrew, slip the old handle off, slip a new handle of your choice on, screw it back together. No grinding required. Now for the Remmie, not so easy. But in some instances, I'd rather work on the bolt handle than swap to higher mounts. I'd probably just swap scopes to a smaller ocular, though. That's what I had to do with my Colt Light Rifle - use a scope with a small ocular. A Conquest would never have fit on that rifle.

 

[Oldtrader3]

Dub, on rifles where you can swap bolt handles, this may make sense. However, I am not going to grind my Mauser, Sako or Winchester bolts just for more cheek weld. I will adapt instead.

 

[cloverleaf]

On my FN Mauser I eventually switched from a Bushnell to a Leupold because the Ocular bell is just a little smaller, allowing me to use the wing safety just a little better. On My Marlin 22 Mag I took the Dremel to the bolt handle and the reblued the bolt. I would do either again. worked out well for me. CL

 

[WYcoyote]

My bolt handle hit the 2.5x10x40 Bushnell Elite 4200 I mounted in low rings on a Marlin XL7C 25-06. The worst spot was the raised knob on the magnification dial on 10x. Keep in mind this is an economy rifle, surely not a Sako, etc.
I want my scopes as low as possible so I ground off the part that was interfering, polished it, and painted it with AlumaHyde II from Brownells.
It really turned out well, very hard to tell it was altered.

 

[Sako7STW]

Nice work. Thanks for the pics! Does anyone or would anyone out there be willing to snap a shot of how the bolt on their Rem 700 or Weatherby Vanguards are clearing their scopes?