Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats PTG bolt choices experience/advice needed

I'm building a light weight long range rifle with a titanium Remington 700 action and a proof barrel. I want to order a ptg 1 piece bolt but not sure on two things. First I want it fluted and want to save as much weight as possible (I know it's going to be fractions of an ounce...flame on) I'd like to get the large spiral but it looks like it doesn't leave much of a bearing surface. Will it have chatter across the top round in the mag and will it wear fast. I'm going to specify the correct size and would like it to be smooth and chatter free for years. The small spiral cuts look really small. Next thing is the extractor. It's going to be a magnum. Undecided on caliber still, but leaning towards a 300 rum. (Flame on again for building a 7lb 300 RUM) It looks like they don't offer the regular rem extractor on their mag bolts. Choices are sako, m16, or mini m16. For reliability what's my best choice? Thanks.

PM223,

This is a 1-piece PTG bolt with large spiral flutes:



A closeup:



This is also a 1-piece PTG bolt, as that's who makes Stiller's bolts:



Will it have chatter across the top round in the mag? The large spiral ground bolt is not as smooth as a straight bolt, but it still works fine. I haven't noticed that it wears any faster than a normal bolt would. There is a bit of chatter across the top round, but not enough to be irritating to me.

For the extractor, I would get the mini M16. That's what I have in both of mine. I've read of some problems with the sako extractor, and I don't think you need the M16. I have not had reliability problems with the extractor.

If you note in the second picture, the metal is in the white. And the handle metal color does not match the stainless in the rest of the rifle, so I had mine cerakoted. I was stationed in Louisiana at the time, so little brown specs were showing up on the bolt handle even if I ran a dehumidifier all the time. Further, the aluminum bolt knob will be a different color than the handle, and that irritated me. Cerakote stainless fixed the problem, and now it matches as in the top picture.

If I order another bolt, though, I'll get the small spiral cut and the Rem extractor. I think I like the small spiral cut look better, and I think the Rem extractor is fine and supposedly does provide some gas pressure problem mitigation. Probably only a theoretical advantage.

v/r
Joel

And I do see the 300 RUM, and I know PTG doesn't make the Rem extractor for the mag bolt face. I just wouldn't build a 300 RUM. It's your shoulder, though, not mine--you can do what you like!

v/r
Joel

I'd skip the fluting all together.Fluting on a bolt gives crud someplace to go in your action.And creates more problems than it solves.
A 300 RUM on a 7 pounder is interesting.
I had a NULA on a 300 Win mag.All up the thing was like 6 pounds.
Nice to carry.
Nightmare to shoot.
You never going to be happy with the way it shoots.
There to hard to controll.
It went down the road awhile ago.
I'd skip the proof barrel as well.
If its carbon wrapped its big money for no gain.
Not sure if you have a bolt for it now.
Not sure what type of hunting your planning on doing.
Sounds like a light weight carry rifle for general hunting.Where you might want to reach out alittle with.
I'd do a 270 WCF.
You will enjoy it more.
You will shoot it more.
You will kill more game with it

dave

What Dave said about a 7 lb 300 RUM. It'll be so unpleasant to shoot it will likely start collecting dust rather quickly in a gun safe.

OP have five bolts from PTG I much prefer the plain with the m16 .lots of spare parts this is my newest.
Think a 300 rum at 7# would have to have a break

Thanks joel I appreciate the pics. I'm not a fan of the large flutes either. I think I'll get the small.

Dave I see where you're coming from but it's just that I have those rifles. I have rifles for every occasion. Most of my big game hunting is done for wt in the eastern woods and 90% of the time I use my model 7 308. This rifle I plan to use for elk and hunting public land walking a lot. That Nula you had sounded like a bad azz gun. The bolt I have has been opened up to lapua mag bf. As for the 270....we won't go there.

Before I saw these replies I moved this to the hunting rifles section. Thanks again

Fred looks nice and thanks for the advice. Undecided on the brake. I hate brakes....

Im a YYUGH fan of the 270 WCF.
Your good as long as you have a couple....
I always liked the rifle in the link above.
But if your looking to play.
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/10017794/1
Depends on what type of playing your planning.
I did not get along with my NULA very well at all.
The recoil was very sharp and hard to control.
Even for Mr. Forbes stock.
I would rather hump more weight and have something like the 7mm WSM in the link above...

dave


dave

I hate breaks as well but I like my retinas attached 😳😁

I agree, and that most LR rifles tend to be way to heavy in my opinion, so in my little group some of us own lightweight LR 300 RUM rifles that come in around 9.5 lbs. So that's not as light as what you are building, but that's also with big azz scopes so that you can actually see stuff at 1800 yds...but they do all have brakes.

We found that the best bullets that are effective at LR, 215-230 gr, with enough powder to push them at speed are too much fun for us to shoot from prone without one. The lighter rifles are harder to shoot accurately when they jump around so much...brakes help with that.

Keeping in mind that the goal is to actually hit the target, apparently it's too much excitement for lightweights like us and more than we can handle, but you may be a lot better shooter than any of us and your experience might be different.

I've always tended to favor more bullet over more powder, because the benefits of higher BC lasts for the bullet's entire flight regardless of starting velocity.

I don't know anyone who has a 7lb 300 RUM all up, with or without a break, but contrary to my first opinion, it sounds like it will be a nice rifle, and I'd be interested in seeing the targets at LR distance and a video of you shooting it when you're done.

After your first range session this rifle would be for sale faster than 300mags customs..............

Lol

My son-in-law had a light weight 300 RUM, first without a break and then with one...Someone stole it...Other than feeling violated I considered it one of his luckier days without a gun...

Anyone ordered from PTG recently (last 2-3 months or so)? I've heard in the past that orders were taking way longer than promise and some folks were getting the run-around.

I'm also looking into a short Mag bolt from them.

I've ordered from PT&G numerous times in the past several years, twice in the past two months. Using both the internet and on the phone, nary a problem for me. That may not be a fair comparison as I have a soothing voice and a charming personality...

Sensible. Godspeed, Sir.

Dave,
Found a NULA 40 in .416 Remington Magnum for sale online the other day. They claimed it had only been fired by Mr. Forbes himself. Somehow I believed them... He had sighted in a Schmidt on it and they had removed(salvaged?)it... I think you could buy that rifle without checking the throat for fire cracking and erosion... (grin)

Sorry for being off topic guys...

Regards, Matt.

Matt,
My NULA had a 1996 Serial number on it.
Had the smith scope it.
The lead was "new".
It had been shot very little.
All you had to do was shoot it once....

dave