"Who Says The Bolt-Action Is Slow!"
By FINN AAGAARD
AMERICAN RIFLEMAN September 1982, pp. 36-39, 72-73
"Smoothness is of much consequence in a bolt-action, whereas the length of the bolt travel really is not.
The slickest action in my rack is that on a 35-year-old Model 70 chambered for the .375 H&H Mag. cartridge.
Despite its half-inch longer bolt throw, it is significantly faster than a new and still slightly rough short-action
Ruger Model 77 in .243 Win.
"A new bolt-action is usually anything but slick. A chap who knows what he is doing can quickly remedy that
by polishing the cocking cams and lapping the bolt into the receiver. But the ignorant or careless
can ruin the rifle equally quickly, especially if he gets lapping compound on the mating surfaces of the bolt lugs
and their seats in the recesses. Cleaning all the oil off the bolt, cocking cams, and inside the receiver,
then putting the rifle in a padded vise and cycling the action 200-300 times with the trigger removed
will improve things considerably. And it's a lot safer."
Yep, I sure do like the 20-degree shoulders on anything.
They put that shoulder angle on the .338 Lapua Magnum when it was developed for possible machinegun feeding ease.
Actually has lots of case body taper too, like the parent .416 Rigby.
The taper on the body of the .404 Jeffery is quite minimal, but it sure makes up for it with the slope of the 8*30'31" shoulder angle.
The .416 Rigby has much greater body taper than the 404 Jeffery, and then the crazy abrupt 45-degree (exactly !) shoulder angle.
Somehow, both of those odd ducks had a great following, and still do.
No extra life insurance required for working those bolt throws, same as with the .375 H&H.
Approximate bolt throws:
Short action: 3.1"
Standard action: 3.4"
Long action: 3.6"
Magnum action: 3.8"
That would make the difference between a .243 WCF and a .375 H&H like Sir Saint Finn said, half an inch.
Work those bolts hard and fast whenever they are worked,
but get them slick first.
Maybe you will live to tell of it.
