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mauser straight bolt verses bent bolt

jaegermisterjaegermister Member Posts: 692 ✭✭✭✭
edited November 2015 in Ask the Experts
aside from scope mounting issues , which is preferred straight bolt handle or
bent bolt handle in regards to speed ease of operation with both left hand /right hand shooters?

Comments

  • charliemeyer007charliemeyer007 Member Posts: 6,572 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I don't like straight bolt handles, they stick out to far and snag on the brush.
  • XXCrossXXCross Member Posts: 1,379 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    For a left handed shooter using a right hand rifle, the straight bolt is faster to operate and easier to find when in a hurry.
    Ascetically, the bent bolt is the way to go.
  • beantownshootahbeantownshootah Member Posts: 12,776 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by jaegermister
    aside from scope mounting issues , which is preferred straight bolt handle or
    bent bolt handle in regards to speed ease of operation with both left hand /right hand shooters?


    Bent bolt lies closer to the right hand, so if you're shooting conventionally right handed(ie gun mounted on right shoulder, right hand working trigger AND bolt, left holding forearm), its faster to work a bent one compared to a straight one.

    IE, your hand gets on the bolt faster, then goes back from the bolt to grip faster.

    I don't have much experience shooting rifles lefty (though I probably SHOULD shoot that way, since I'm left eye dominant), but as already mentioned, if you've got the gun on your LEFT shoulder and are holding the forearm with your RIGHT hand, then a straight bolt should be easier to grab and work compared to a bent one.

    Lastly (and this wasn't asked), in general a LONGER bolt gives you more leverage, so if you're shooting "sticky" hot or steel cased surpuse ammo, a longer bolt can make it a bit easier to crack open the chamber and get the spent cases out.
  • Laredo LeftyLaredo Lefty Member Posts: 13,451 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have two straight bolt Mausers. Being a lefty, they are perfect for me. I use my left hand over the top to operate the bolt.

    IMG_0037-1.jpg
  • nononsensenononsense Member Posts: 10,928 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    jaegermister,

    Sort of a mute point, don't you think? There aren't any current straight bolt handle rifles made to compare to nor has there been for about 65 years or so when Mausers were sold in ads in the back of outdoor and adventure magazines. Modern bolt action rifles feature bent bolt handles in order to accommodate rifle scopes and other optical sighting devices. While there may be a handful of ardent supporters of the older war horse rifles for hunting, the modern bent bolt far outweighs the other.

    For a fun few minutes look up the 'Mad Minute' shooting drill:

    "The Mad Minute is best known as a bolt-rifle speed shooting event, which was derived from a pre-World War I rapid-fire exercise used by British Army riflemen, using the Lee-Enfield service rifle. The exercise (Practice number 22, Rapid Fire, `The Musketry Regulations, Part I, 1909) required the rifleman to fire 15 rounds at a "Second Class Figure" target at 300 yards. The practice was described as; "Lying. Rifle to be loaded and 4 rounds in the magazine before the target appears. Loading to be from the pouch or bandolier by 5 rounds afterwards. One minute allowed". The practise was only one exercise from the annual classification shoot which was used to grade a soldier as a marksman, first-class or second-class shot, depending on the scores he had achieved.

    The "Second Class Figure Target" was 4 feet square, with 24" (inner) and 36" (magpie) circles. The aiming mark was a 12" x 12" silhouette figure that represented the outline of the head of a man aiming a rifle from a trench. Points were scored by a hit anywhere on the target. Although a 12" target is often mentioned in connection with the Mad Minute practise, this seems to have been an error originating in Ian Hogg's book, `The Encyclopedia of Weaponry'. No other source mentions a 12" target."

    Best.
  • beantownshootahbeantownshootah Member Posts: 12,776 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by nononsense
    jaegermister,

    Sort of a mute point, don't you think? There aren't any current straight bolt handle rifles made to compare to nor has there been for about 65 years or so when Mausers were sold in ads in the back of outdoor and adventure magazines. Modern bolt action rifles feature bent bolt handles in order to accommodate rifle scopes and other optical sighting devices. While there may be a handful of ardent supporters of the older war horse rifles for hunting, the modern bent bolt far outweighs the other.

    Although I agree 100% with this answer. . .I think its implied that this question is about old surplus military Mausers.

    IE, the real question is, with straight bolt surplus guns still being more readily available, and usually a bit cheaper than bent bolt ones, if you're not going to put a scope on one, does it really make any difference if you have a straight or bent bolt?

    And to be clear for novices who might be reading this, "straight" vs "bent" is not really about whether the bolt is actually straight or curved. Is about which direction the bolt points with the action locked.

    There are plenty of VERY nice modern rifles with bolts that are perfectly straight. . .the bolts just don't jut out sideways parallel to the horizon and perpendicular to the bore axis the way they do on old Mausers or other military rifles (like "normal" Mosin Nagants, etc).

    So to answer the question above, other than simple nostalgia, I think the only reason to prefer a straight bolt is in the relatively unusual circumstance where you know you're going to be working that bolt from an unorthodox position (including left hand working righty bolt).

    Even if you know for sure you NEVER want to put a scope on the rifle, all else being equal, I think a bent bolt is still better for normal use. In addition to the advantages already mentioned above (less overall motion and faster to operate, less snag-prone), starting the bolt throw from a lower position also helps keep the operating hand out of the field of view and sight picture.

    In practice, if you're only shooting slowly, for fun at the range, and you don't care about a scope, then it probably doesn't matter.

    But if you're in combat, or even hunting, where you want the fastest followup shot possible, and need the best visibility, bent bolt is better.
  • jaegermisterjaegermister Member Posts: 692 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    thankyou all for your 1st hand experience. As a lefty I reach over and work the bolt along with rotation of the rifle. Never in a hurry, since i never miss , gave that up years ago! I have encountered a tight case that required me to shift hand position to get more
    upward thrust lift. With the advent of long eye relief scopes , I have assembled several
    scout rifles based on k98's. Considering a left hand stock (cheek piece on right) along
    with straight bolt.
  • v35v35 Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I believe in the panic of combat, the straight bolt is faster especially in rapid fire.
    You can bring more force to bear using the palm vs the first three fingers on a stuck case both in loading and unloading.
  • reload999reload999 Member Posts: 3,080 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have Mausers with both straight and turned-down, and never have given it much thought in terms of ease of use...both work fine for me (right-handed). Aesthetically, I'd have to say the turned down bolt handle looks nicer to me.
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