Takedown bolt action rifle.

ap3572001

I recently got a HS takedown rifle. Seems like a great idea. Rifle that breaks down. Assuming You are using a short scope, thew whole package is under 24" long. Thats with 24 barrel. If it was a 20" it would be shorter. I wonder how come there are so few of the takedown centerfire boltaction rifles?

nononsense

ap3572001,

Takedown rifles are expensive to manufacture and difficult to make with a high degree of repeatable accuracy. I know the H-S is expensive but you should look at the top end custom hunting rifles such as Mausers, Sauers then the tactical rifles such as Accuracy International, Ultimate Ration, AMSD and the Unique Alpine.

Best.

ADDED:

This is a good page of illustration regarding takedown design:

http://www.z-hat.com/Takedown70.htm

A recent article on takedown concepts:

http://www.outdoorlife.com/outdoor/gear/gunvault/article/0,19912,575989,00.html

Excellent article on a Win. 1894 with lots of photographic illustrations:

http://www.antiquearmsinc.com/1894-winchester-takedown-deluxe.htm

An example from Dakota Arms:

http://www.dakotaarms.com/currentinventory/firearmDescriptions/model76traveler/safariTrav/
(be sure to scroll to the bottom for "more photos")

You might try locating some information on the Savage 99 takedowns...

Best.

king999

The Japanese type 2 Arisaka has a simple, strong, and economocal system. On the surface they seem to want for accuracy, but I believe that is due to relatively poor rifling, not the takedown system itself.
Morty

gruntled

The rifling in a Japanese rifle only looks bad. In fact it is superior. I don't recall the precise term but it is a different type of rifling. There were two types of takedown rifles. The first had a tendency to loosen in service. The type two has a key type locking mechanism that goes through the reciever & engages a slot in the barrel. (Copied from "Small Arms of the World"). I couldn't find a reference to the rifling but the term polygonal seems to come to mind.

nononsense

king999,

Everything is "economical" in wartime when someone wants it produced. If this Type 02 system had been so good, why isn't still around being used? It may have been functional for wartime but in these times of rampant litigation against firearms manufacturers, my guess is that it was passed by for good reasons.

Arisaka M99 Type 02 paratrooper rifles

Intended for paratroopers, the first takedown rifles were made in small numbers from standard Type 99 rifles and featured interrupted screw joint between the barrel and the receiver. This system proved to be too weak, and in 1942 Type 02 paratrooper take-down rifle has been introduced, with a simple and rigid cross wedge lock.

The paratroop rifles were easily disassembled into two parts, the receiver with the buttstock, and the barrel with the forend. To take the rifle down into two major parts, one must unscrew and then pull the cross wedge out and then pull the barrel forward and out of the receiver.


7.7mm Arisaka Type 02 paratroop takedown rifle. Note the steel-reinforced joint area ahead of the receiver

Best.

Attempting to conserve responses but add some things:

Probably the most common of the takedown concepts here is the U.S. is the T/C Contender/G2/Encore. It's fairly simple to have several barrels and forearms for each frame.

I associate takedown firearms with traveling overseas to places like Africa where everything needs to be with you and there are limits as to how many firearms you can have with you. Hunters using double guns can take two or more sets of barrels that have been fitted to the basic frame and cover Plains Game to Dangerous Game to Bird shooting. Hunters using bolt action rifles can two sets of barrels for the same reasoning, one action with barrels for different cartridges.

This is a takedown system that uses the traditional forearm with the barrel:



http://www.sauer-waffen.de/index.php?id=629&lang=en

This is a system of complete interchangeability



http://www.sauer-waffen.de/index.php?id=623&lang=en


The Mannlicher Luxus has a system interchangeable barrels also.

Best.

MP

"I wonder how come there are so few of the takedown centerfire bolt action rifles?"

Because there is not a big need for them. The take-down rifle became popular in America with the introduction of public transportation, the train and streetcar which took people to the range and the hunting fields. When the automobile became common place the take-down was not needed as much. There were several custom makers who made bolt-action rifles into the 1920's.

ap3572001

Ok. How is there no need for them? Or I rather ask, when there would be a need for one? I can see a centerfire , bolt action , scoped rifle that fits in a gym bag, back pack as something very handy.

gruntled

The take down system is in fact quite common. Look at most machine guns.

ern98

Ok, then again there is the so called "switch barrel" rifle. Where a rifle has more then one barrel & scope set up for that action, bolt and stock. These systems can need wrench and vise to remove the barrel or can be near finger tight with a set screw or something like that to keep the barrel in it's proper place. These can be considered a "take down" after a fashion if you leave the barrel off. Still except for special circumstances it is probably easier to just have two rifles and let it go at that.

v35

The Japanese used the Metford style rifling that was easy to clean
since there weren't any sharp angles.
My experience of at least 10,000 rds of 30-06 US M-1 & 2 Ball through converted Arasakas was very good despite undersized bullets.
Interrupted thread takedown systems should loosen from wear.
The Savage and AR threaded collar methods would seem to work better for takedowns.
There may be minute errors in alignment between barrel and receiver with each reassembly. With iron sights on the barrel it shouldn't matter but with a scope on the receiver it might.