Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Best action for protecting the shooter

On page 105 of Frank deHaas' Bolt Action Rifles Expanded 3rd Edition,Frank writes,
"Although the 98 action is a very safe one, I believe it would be even safer by having one or two gas vent holes in the left side of the receiver ring and wall opposite the vent holes in the bolt, as in the O3A3 Springfield"

In the same book Mr. deHaas lauds the gas handling capability of the Savage 110 noting in several places that the design effectively blocks almost all gas from ever getting to the shooter. He goes so far as to say "It certainly is one of the safest turnbolt actions to fire"

The most thorough engineering analysis of bolt action rifles that I am aware of is Stuart Otteson's two volume series, "The Bolt Action, A Design Analysis." He analyses and compares 33 bolt action designs including the all of the WW II military actions (except the Lee Enfield), and most of the commercial actions available up to the mid-1980s. At the end of each analysis he gives his opinion of their strong and weak points. He specifically praises these actions for good gas handling:

Mauser 98
Weatherby Mark V
Mossberg 800 and 810
Schultz & Larsen 54J and 68DL
Savage 110
Voere Shikar.

He does not state that any one action is "best" in gas handling, however I would consider that any of these actions would be in the "best group".

In terms of the thumb notch in the 98 Mauser, Paul Mauser in his patent application specifically describes it as one of the gas handling features of his action, allowing gas to escape from the left lug race before it can reach the shooter (patent drawing shown on p. 82 of "Original Oberndorf Sporting Rifles" by Speed, Schmid and Herrmann). Incidentally, this book also notes that most Oberndorf (aka Waffenfabrik) commercial Mausers retained the thumb notch, and a solid left receiver wall, as seen in FN and Zastava commercial Mauser actions, was relatively uncommon (p. 166, section on Interwar Action Variations, "The Rare Standard Action with Solid Left Wall")

Although like most shooters I have never experienced a case separation, Jack O'Connor reported his experience with one in a "Waffenfabrik" action.

"I was shooting prone when there was a tremendous flash and an explosion right in my face. I opened the bolt and only the rim of the case came out. The head had completely blown off and a tremendous volume of gas had escaped to the rear... That Mauser....took it in its stride and was not harmed in the slightest. I had only to get out the remaining part of the case and go on shooting." In fact he states, "...it [the Mauser] handles escaping gas from a pierced primer or a burst cartridge case better than does any other action. There are two large oval cuts through the bolt into the firing-pin space just back of the locking lugs, which conduct the escaping gas down the left lug race SO IT CAN ESCAPE THROUGH THE DEEP CUT IN THAT LUG RACE [my emphasis added] which is present to enable the shooter to press home a clip of cartridges with his left thumb ... Furthermore the flanged bolt-sleeve tends to dissipate any remaining gas upward away from the shooters eyes." (from "The RIfle Book", chapter on "Bolt Actions Analyzed.")

Very much like my experiences. I did not get the "big explosion right in my face" though. There was just a wierd sound during the shot and the recoil of the rifle was "off". I do not recall any flames or colored gas coming out of the left of the receiver. Upon retracting the bolt I notice some soot on the left side of the action, raceway, and in the lug area of the action. I just had to ectract the remaining case from the chamber. Too new to the rifle game to realize that should of scared me. I just figured it happened sometimes and went on with my endevours. God Bless P.P Mauser !!

Pretty much my experience (many years ago!) as well.

I recall once shooing about 10 rounds from a friend's .22-250 built on a VZ Mauser. Good accuracy...

Next, I picked up the brass. Not a single case had a primer left in it! Talk about excess head expansion.

I had not noticed a thing from the bench.

I thank the Mauser brothers for saving us from our ignorance back in those days!

John

I stand corrected!! Thank you.

Mauser 98 is #1 imo
Don't forget-- about all bolt ations are in some way derived from the Mauser 98.

Amen Brother!!

Ruger No. One

BAR...

Theoretical design features are nice to talk about, but some are more theoretical than others.

Unfortunately, I have been shooting a number of rifles when various accidents happened, from relatively minor ones such as leaky primers to cases that actually partially blew. A few of these were my fault when I was young and dumb, but most were not.

The worst popular action for protecting the shooter in my experience is the pre-'64 Model 70 Winchester. There is abilsutely nothing to keep gas and bits of metal from blowing directly backward into the shooter's face.

The newer Model 70's are better but by no means great. I had a primer blow on a Model 70 Classic action and still got a face full of hot gas and a few primer particles. Luckily I was wearing eye protection.

Then there is the subject of gas diversion (as in the Model 98 Mauser) versus gas containment (as in the Rem. 700). I have had primers and cases blow in both actions, and vote for the 700-type containment. I have never gotten the slightest amount of blow-back from any 700, or a similar action.

The 98 is better, but generally the left side of a shooter's face will still get some gas, whether or not the action is a "traditional" military 98 with the thumb-cut and C-ring, or a modern version without the thumb-cut and an H-ring rather than C-ring.

Actually any bolt action isn't the best choice for protection of the shooter, since the design is essentially a tube within a tube, both pointing back at the shooter's face. This is one reason I tend to vote for containment actions as being the safest.

The Ruger No. 1 is a very good action for protection of the shooter, since there's a thick wall of steel covering the rear of the case. I have had primers blow in No. 1's and never felt a thing. Any other good falling-block single-shot should work similarly.

The Savage 99 and Remington 760 and some other non-bolt actions are also very good, because the rear of the bolt is covered by the steel at the rear of the receiver, effectively blocking any gas that comes back through or alongside the bolt.

MD, what are your thoughts on the Savage 110 actions gas handling ability?
Seems as though several of the features of this action were pretty well thought out in terms of venting gas away from the shooter.

They're very good.

I have posted on this subject before and, as MD mentioned, there are essentially two types of bolt actions concerning gas handling; sealers and venters.
The Mauser 98 and it's commercial variations are venters. So are the Ruger 77, the Model 70, and any others which feature a Mauser-type extractor.
The Remington 700 is a sealer. So is the Savage 110, The Sako L series, the Shulz& Larsen, the MkV, and a host of single shot target actions.
When gas is vented, it has to be vented in a safe direction so as to minimize risk to the shooter. The Mauser addressed this by venting into the left locking lug raceway and out via the "thumb" notch. In the event of a really severe case failure, gas will also be vented out the extractor side. Unfortunately, it will often take the extractor with it. With the Model 77, Ruger vented gas from the bolt into the magazine well. In addition, gas also vented out the loading port and, again, the extractor frequently grew wings as a result.
One adavantage to the venters is that they will release pressure before it reaches levels which might severely damage the receiver and bolt. The sealers have to contain the pressure until the bullet exits the barrel.
When a Remington 700 is fired with a severe overload, the nose of the bolt will actually expand until it fills the barrel counterbore. The small amount of gas which might enter the bolt body through the firing pin hole is vented into the lug recess and out through a hole in the receiver. When this happens, there is usually no outward sign that anything is amiss until the shooter attempts to open the bolt. I have seen a pretty good comparison between a Remington 700 and a Ruger 77 when a severe overload was fired.
The chambering was in 30/06 and the load was 49 grains of 4227 and a 180 grain Sierra (don't try this at home!)and this information was proudly displayed on the box. The ammunition had been loaded by a "friend". The 700 owner fired his rifle first and was unable to open the bolt. Figuring there was just something wrong with the rifle, he turned the bench over to his 77 shooting buddy. When Buddy fired his rifle, it did what it was designed to do and vented! The extractor was never seen again; neither was the floorplate or magazine follower. The stock was split. The scope was bowed upward and severely dented. The shooter was physically unharmed but I can't be so sure about possible psychological damage! The basic receiver and bolt were unharmed and there was no apparent increase in headspace. The remington bolt nose had expanded as it should have and the extractor was wrecked. I made a tool to swage the nose back down, installed a new extractor and the rifle was back in service. I told the two guys to warn their friend (he was shooting a Remington 760) before he shot any of those loads. That they elected to not do so was evident when a Remington 760 came into the shop with the sides of the receiver bulged out, the magazine latch broken off, and the slide locked up solid.
The Savage 110 is also a sealer and a very good one. The early 110's used a counterbored barrel breech into which the nose of the bolt, with it's clip-type extractor fitted. Later models went to a sliding plate for an extractor and the barrel was made with a flat breech. Perhaps the most important feature was the gas baffle which is held between the bolt head and bolt body and which seals off both raceways. Any gas which gets into the locking lug recess is held there and vented through a hole in the receiver ring. Again, it the event of a severe overload, there is usually no outward sign that there is anything wrong. The test of the system that I saw was an impressive one. The load in this 30/06 was 58 grains of what appeared to be Red Dot (stored in a 4831 can and purchased at a garage sale) behind a 180 grain bullet. Again, the shooter was unharmed and, at a glance, there was no real problem with the rifle. Further inspection showed the barrel tenon had expanded considerably and the receiver ring had expanded along with it. Lugs were deformed as were the locking lug seats but the pressure was contained and the shooter protected.
I suspect the safest bolt actions would be some of the custom single shot BR actions. The Wichita 1375, with it's three lugs, full diameter bolt, and robust bolt shroud, would probably handle anything you wanted to throw at it without putting the shooter at too much risk. The Barnard, the RPA, the Hall; these should likewise be very safe. The Wichita Mini had three long, solid lugs, no extractor, and a full diameter section to seal everthing off. This might be one of the safest, strongest bolt actions ever.
The truth is, most modern actions are very safe and stronger than they have to be. There are some cases where the engineers have fallen down on the job (Mossberg, for instance)but these are rare. I have to say, I don't feel all that nervous when shooting my old model 70's and they are, admittedly, far from good. GD

Excellent post GD, thanks for taking the time.

Do the model 70 push feed actions work like the Remingtons and Savages?

No. The Model 70 push feed action is a poor sealer and a poor venter at the same time. The flat breech and recessed bolt face are good but the extractor provides an escape for gas. Gas and primer pieces which blow into the bolt body are vented into the left raceway from which there is no escape until they reach the shooter's face. The sheet metal cover on the rear of the bolt sleeve is retained by a single pin and will separate from the bolt sleeve when gas hits it.
A good sealer will keep everything in the receiver ring. A good venter will divert everything in a safe direction. The Model 70 does neither. GD

I recently helped take apart one of these in 270 Win. What surprised me was the recess for the bolt nose. There was about 1/8+ inch clearance around the bolt nose. Not fitting the bolt nose like a Rem 700 at all. The outer part of the recess was barely thick enough to thread.

Bruce

How do you rate Rem 7600s or lever actions for protecting shooters?

The bolt action !

That big ole falling block on a ruger no. 1.

maddog