Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles A Tale of the "Stainless Steel" Forbes, and Rate of Twist

Sounds like actions with tighter tolerances are less apt to use stainless bolts in their stainless actions.

Why do some people think a fluted bolt is a problem regarding dirt and water? That dirt and water is there regardless of whether you see it on the bolt, or it sticks to the rails or ends up in the mag well. I guess it makes people feel better if they cannot see the existing dirt instead.

Re the fluted bolts, I am going to guess and say that maybe the Forbes and NULA's looked a bit too similar, and that the reason for the change could be driven by marketing. As someone stated earlier, since NULA never felt compelled to flute over many years, why would Forbes suddenly feel the need to do this for "functional" reasons.

I have an older Forbes w/o the flutes, and a new one with them. Personally, they don't bother me, but I think the original non fluted looks better. The flutes on the new Forbes are *very* shallow, and seem to me to be cosmetic in nature.

As to the rate of twist on a 243/6mm, I have a question about faster twist rates. In the Nosler manual, it states "a twist rate that is too fast can cause light weight, lightly constructed varmint bullets to literally spin themselves apart".

Has anyone ever experienced this? I wonder what was driving Nosler's statement. Is it more prevalent with larger calibers? I would think that there must be a point of diminishing returns and/or worsening performance with too fast a twist for a given caliber. Just curious......

FWIW, I have never gone heavier than 100gr out of my 84M in 243 with it's 1 in 10, and haven't had any accuracy issues yet.

The adults are talking... you may have overlooked the FACT a LOT of finely ENGINEERED rifles use all SS receivers and SS bolts. All SS revolvers have been in use for 50 years.

Chromoly bolts in SS receivers is an exercise in pole vaulting mouse turds, but that seems to be what you're good at.

I think you may be right about that.

I haven't handled a SS M700 in a good ten years, and memory does funny things...

700 SS used a SS bolt body with a CM head. Brad, are you seriously trying to say that actions like Borden and Defiance Machine are substandard because they use a CM bolt body ?

You f'ing dumbschidt, none of those other actions weigh 20oz.

This^^^

CM bolt doesn't bother me at all.

Melvin with tell you a CM action is stronger than stainless and will take higher pressure before letting go, and that is why he doesn't use stainless.

I bet the guys at forbes just stay up at night thinking what they can do so the vast majority of people wont buy their product I mean why else would they use chrome moly bolts with flutes and twist the .243 1-10

and poor old Melvin what does he know he has only been in business since well.........he was eighteen fixen and makin guns danged old hillbilly last time i talked to him he was well past 7000 ultra light arms rifles built by his company.

Opinions very. If you like it buy it if you don't don't buy it.
When I had Melvin build my Nula, they would not flute bolt or barrel. Bolt just made action weaker, and made barrel not be as accurate. SS action he wouldn't make because they couldn't get the tolerance as tight as it needed to be. Makes me wonder if milling is better now or tolerance not as good on Forbes rifle. Maybe that's part of the $2,000 plus difference.

Never said it, or implied it. Just said it's a solution in search of a problem.

What ever happened to reading comprehension?

I see you're in the bottle early. The Kimber is quite close. Almost identical. It's all SS.

What were you saying then when you said the use of CM bolts and SS bodies, were a solution to a non existing problem (paraphrased).

There are a whole bunch of actions that use SS bolts without any problem. If Forbes/NULA has such tight tolerances that it's a no/go, then so be it. I personally see it as an issue.

Not only because it is marketed as a stainless rifle (and it's only partially so), but also because an action with such tight tolerances bothers me.

The first purpose of a bolt action rifle is to function well. This is more important than absolute accuracy. I've noticed my ULA is so tightly put together that it doesn't like to operate real well when dust or particulate snow is introduced to the action. It works, but the amount of debris that makes it sluggish would not even be noticed by a Mauser 98 or a Ruger 77.

It's not just VLD's. Try a 90gr E-tip in a 10 twist.

But the point being, that those standard bullets shoot just as well in a faster twist, so why not twist the frigging barrel right to begin with.

Just had an Email from Rick at Forbes in response to my question about a fast twist 243 or 260,

"Possibly a faster twist on the 243 but not no go on the 260 at this time. Have no fear, things are on the drawing board "

Keep pestering him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The squeaky wheel wins!!!! Hopefully....

Good to hear! Fingers crossed for a 1/8 .243.

Actually, he's never cleared one.

Still thinking about the 1/8 243. Anyone heard what they've got on the drawing board?