Switching bbls/bolts between BAT actions

T

Tod Soeby

New member
I was reading another thread and didn't want to hyjac it . My question....I now have 3 8.5" BAT actions. Two with a mag bolt face and one with a standard bolt face. I had planned on switching bbls/ bolts...kind of mix and match, between all three as the need arises. I have always been under the impression that this was OK since BAT holds thier tollerances so tight. Also, pretty much all of the smith work has been done by one smith, if that matters.

Now I read on another thread thst this is not such a good idea.

I plan on giving BAT a call on this when I have time to call them at the time when they actualy answer the phone.

What say you, fellow shooters?
 
ok...so...not a good idea, I'm going to blow my face off, or not a good idea, accuracy will suffer.

I can live with one....the other, not so much!!!!
 
I would call it an inconvenience. If you've got 3 now, how many more setups could you want? Me personally, I'd want as few guns as possible and just get the ones I had, to shoot good.

Swapping bolts in my opinion is a waste of time. Why bother? Is $400 really going to change our lifestyle? If so, I think a different hobby is in order. As longas work has not been done to the actions, they are probably close enough to get away with this. But if it was me, it would mean I would have to test-fit every single case with both bolts now instead of just one. Can you say P.i.t.a.? When I get to the firing line, I do not want case fit to be one of the things on my mind. The less chance for error the better.

I think I'd just buy another action if it came to this point. That's just me.

Also, I think it would make more sense to me, to move one bolt between several receivers. But if you're talking about playing musical chairs with the bolts, I would not do that. First, I see no legitimate reason to. Second, I see no monetary savings coming from it. Third, there certainly is no extra convenience from this. In fact, it is pretty much the opposite.

No safety issues imo, other than possibly grabbing the wrong bolt, (using a Mag with a 6BR), and having something rupture. Not only must the case fit and the bolt fit, but you also must have the same bolt head recess depth (more critical than the other dimensions for safety, imo)
 
Since I believe it was my comment:

I can't imagine it being a safety issue. Military rifles are built with just that in mind.

Bolt thrust is overlooked by most shooters. Like may things, if they can't measure it, they ignore it, or at best, look at the label. If it's BAT, it must be good.

But the fit of a bolt to receiver is going to change a bit over time and use. Or so some gunsmith's say. They wear in together.

We're told by those can accurately measure chamber pressure and therefore calculate the load on the bolt (to a degree) that variation in bolt thrust is one of the greatest contributors to variation in barrel vibration. Did you think it was only bullet velocity that varied?

I don't know of anyone who has actually set up to measure bolt thrust and correlate it with shot dispersion. It could be done, and likely would be quite interesting.

Would also be very interesting to see how many variables would show up. Some we already know -- or think we know:

(1) Your think head clearance (headspace) doesn't matter? How about *variation* in head clearance?

(2) You really think you can get all the lube off the case by wiping *Imperial Sizing Die Wax* off with a towel? Or do you think variations in the amount of lube left on a case don't affect bolt thrust?

(3) You wanna run that "short and fat" advantage by me again? Ooops, it is a compromise, bad with good.

I'm sure there are more.

When trying to tune a load, I don't want to add the fit of the bolt to the receiver to everything else.

I'm sure there are more important things that effect accuracy, like bullets and barrels. Esp. at 1,000 yard benchrest, where differences in equipment capability vary more than with point-blank benchrest. But we're catching up. You ever see the PB guys swapping a bolt between actions?
 
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Ok...lets back up a bit. One of the BAT's in question (RB RE Mag bolt face) is mounted in a McMillan A5 Tactical Stock. I plan on making it to some "practical" matches this winter where this gun will work much better than a big BR gun. It is chambered in 300 wby (of course), but I would like to screw my 6.5 WSSM tube from another BAT on this action, as I don't need the big 300, and all of the pain and suffering that go along with it, not to mention the cost of components. The bolt would not need to be changed for this. I also plan on trying a different non mag bolt (.473) in a dasher on this platform, also. Who knows, I may try some different combos next year in 1K COMP.

I am going to hang around tonight and try call BAT for thier opinion.
 
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Tod Soeby said:
ok...so...not a good idea, I'm going to blow my face off, or not a good idea, accuracy will suffer.

I can live with one....the other, not so much!!!!
Click to expand...

Sorry Todd, I didn't know this posted when I shut down........ I was interrupted, didn't nave time to clarify.

Others have filled the void quite well.

There are no safety issues. NO you're not going to blow your face off.

My biggest problem with the idea devolves to vibration control (accuracy.)

And YES it's also a pita. I've got a rifle built by a benchrest gunsmith which has two stocks, two scopes and seven barrels all in one enormous AL case. It's a royal pita. (still kinda' cool though ;) )

LOL

al
 
Ted- I am using BAT Bs in short-range and use the same bolt in two rifles. I do so because the ejector on one is perfect and the other one is not. I will eventually get the other bolt reworked to make it better. Both rifles have shot teen aggs in competition using the same bolt. Bruce's stuff is spot on. I used to switch barrels from a 3-lug to a 2-lug with no problems and using the same cases (same reamer of course). Don't have the 3-lug anymore as I prefer his 2-lugs.

Jeff
 
Thanks Todd, that was kinda in my HG post yesterday, glad your comming to shoot with us this winter. Let me know what Bat has to say, cause I don't think its a dumb idea to swap, who's to say a new bolt will shoot better than a used thats wore to match another action, the new one will not match either, so why not swap? If you know what I mean. Gordy Mitchell
 
Tod
Out here on the westcoast things are done differently.Bob Dorton has 4 of the big 2X10 BATS and they each have 4 bolts with them.Both of mine have 3 bolts 0.473,0.532 and 0.590
I don't swap bolts between guns and I don't swap barrels between guns but I do have several barrels for each bolt size on each action.
If the wind is howling you can leave your 6Dasher in the bed of the truck and shoot your 338 Lapua Improved instead.
As to the BAT clearances being perfect I don't buy that at all.I have a spare 338 Lapua size bolt and it didn't fit either action.I called BAT and Bruce said it was best to send him all of the bolts at the same time so they would all work trouble free.
Out here we switch from 600 to 1000 yards all the time and if you like to try things out you either need a dozen actions or a spare bolt.
Lynn aka Waterboy
 
Well, I talked to BAT last night. Short answer..(ya right...from me!!:D) There is an issue when swithching bolts between early build actions and more current actions. From what I gatherd, you can not put an older bolt in a newer action....there isn't enough clearance in the action when that bolt is all the way closed....it won't close all the way. I think that is right....mayby visa versa. I will check after deer seson, as I have a new and old BAT.

Another possable issue is when going with a smaller bolt face (ie..going from a .532 to a .473) something about the coned bolt may not match up perfect with the bbl....idono... I am about the furthest thing from a gunsmith there is and still be able to recognize a gun from a stick!!! I just don't have the vocabulary.

Anyway, no safety issues, other than not being able to close the bolt:eek:..which sounds like it COULD be an issue if not checked out.

Thanks for the responses,
Tod
 
Tod,

I suggest you consult with your gunsmith to the scenario's.
IMO- everyone else input is hypothetical (including Bat's) to his.
For he is the one who makes the final clearances, spacings, and fit.
And very possible he has already made mod's to the action's to fulfill his expectations.

A note from me: I suggest not to look at a precision built BR rifle as "replacement parts".
Much like say a factory 351-cu.in engine verses a race engine built by Yate's Racing.

Happy Hunting
DM
 
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Tod Soeby said:
Well, I talked to BAT last night. Short answer..(ya right...from me!!:D) There is an issue when swithching bolts between early build actions and more current actions. From what I gatherd, you can not put an older bolt in a newer action....there isn't enough clearance in the action when that bolt is all the way closed....it won't close all the way. I think that is right....mayby visa versa. I will check after deer seson, as I have a new and old BAT.
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I don't like the idea of the parts moving around, even if it did work, so for me, that's not a downside.

Another possable issue is when going with a smaller bolt face (ie..going from a .532 to a .473) something about the coned bolt may not match up perfect with the bbl....idono... I am about the furthest thing from a gunsmith there is and still be able to recognize a gun from a stick!!! I just don't have the vocabulary.
Click to expand...
That coned face does not have the same dimensions by bolt face size. That was what I was alluding to above. Grammar Police, please verify proper use of alluding. :p

Anyway, no safety issues, other than not being able to close the bolt:eek:..which sounds like it COULD be an issue if not checked out.
Sorta what I was getting at with the mag vs br comment above. If it won't fit going one way, what's that tell ya about the other? Extra space in there. I would think the bolt face depth might be different, and that would be an issue. Or the end of the cone might not be as far forward as it should be.
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Lynn's idea of matching several bolts to barrels and then using them in sets is the best sounding alternative I see here. I'd still keep them with one receiver only. (as I'm guessing he does)
 
Interesting discussion to me personally, not because I'm planning to use multiple bolts in different actions, but because I recently sent a 3L bolt back to BAT to have them install an ejector. The action was purchased from Bruno's several years ago in an attempt to get around the long wait for one from BAT, but didn't have the two optional features I wanted - an ejector & integral recoil lug. Bruce called last week to ask if it'd be OK with me to substitute a new bolt for the one I sent them, to which I agreed, since it was going to be a couple of months before they set up to build 3L actions & bolts. Since I've already got a Krieger on the action chambered for the 6 Dasher, it could mean I'll need to pull it and make some changes.
 
Flatlander
When you get your gun back make up some fresh brass and you'll never notice anything was ever done.
Waterboy
 
I have two BAT M's bought within a year of each other. My first was a multi-flat RBLPRE for a LG with the 0.473" bolt face. When I decided to build a HG on a 2" action, I called Bruce and told him I wanted to use the LG bolt in the 2" HG action, and wanted the bolt that came with the 2" RBLPRE action to be a 0.532" (Mag) bolt face that would work in either action.

So I now have 2 bolts and 2 actions. Each barrel stays with it's own action as the tenons between the MF and 2" are different length, but the bolts work very well in either action. The only difference is the smaller action has a shorter bolt handle but it is not an issue. So far, I have only used both bolts in the 2" action but have not seen any accuracy issue and both bolt/barrel combos shoot very well.
 
Anyone in this thread have a BAT they would like to sell?

Sorry if it's improper to post this here. Mods can delete if need be.
 
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