origin of "fat bolt" design

[TRX]

The first bolt actions used a small diameter bolt with lugs sticking out. That's still the standard way.

I've been wondering who came up with the full-diameter or "fat bolt" design. Otteson's book says that Roy Weatherby specified a full-diameter bolt when he handed his sketches over to his designer, Fred Jennie, in 1954, for the rifle that became the Weatherby Mark V.

Does anyone know of an example of a fat bolt before Weatherby? I'm not trying to say anything against Weatherby, it's just that lots of things get invented multiple times before they take off, and it seems like such an obvious and economical arrangement I figured someone would have done it in the early days.

 

[jbmillard]

I'm hoping someone will write in and correct me...

I saw a rifle at a range in California about 30 years ago. I asked the gentleman what caliber his Weatherby was and he told me it wasn't a Weatherby. It was a "varre" or "vorre" or something like that. He claimed that it predated the Weatherby rifles. I remember it had lugs like and interupted thread, 9 or 13 lugs as I remember.

Anybody know exactly what this would have been?

Thanks.

Brad

 

[philip brousseau]

German made. kleingunther in texas used the voere receivers and or barreled actions and sold sporter wt. hunting rifles with an extreme accuracy guarantee back in the 60's&70's as i recall

 

[Sunray]

"...was a "varre" or "vorre"..." Voere? German. Started in 1948. Three locking lugs on their .22's.
http://www.voere.com/en/home.html
"...a small diameter bolt with lugs sticking out...." Most are larger diameter than the cartridge case with larger lugs. Weatherby's bolts are just the same diameter as the "bolt head" with more smaller lugs. 19th Century lever actions have bolts that are the same size over their whole length.

 

[TRX]

The only Voeres I can find any detail on appear to be from the 1960s and later. Anyone have a name or model number for a pre-1954 Voere with a fat bolt?

 

[4v50 Gary]

Help me understand what a fat bolt is. I know the Weatherby is a multi-lug bolt (9 lugs) and it's harder to get it to fit than the standard 2 or 3 lug bolt.

 

[Goosey]

Help me understand what a fat bolt is. I know the Weatherby is a multi-lug bolt (9 lugs) and it's harder to get it to fit than the standard 2 or 3 lug bolt.

Full-diameter bolt body (below, left).

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Advantages I can see would be less machining, could machine entire bolt from bar stock rather than a special forging, and you could use a smaller receiver ring to achieve the same locking surface area....also fewer degrees of opening/closing. A little different from the interrupted screw lugs on the Weatherby.....also the Canadian Ross service rifle used interrupted screw lugs in the '40s, but I don't know if they were the same total diameter as the rest of the bolt body.

 

[Gordon]

Advantages I can see would be less machining, could machine entire bolt from bar stock rather than a special forging, and you could use a smaller receiver ring to achieve the same locking surface area....also fewer degrees of opening/closing. A little different from the interrupted screw lugs on the Weatherby.....also the Canadian Ross service rifle used interrupted screw lugs in the '40s, but I don't know if they were the same total diameter as the rest of the bolt body.

Mark V Weatherbys do NOT use "interrupted screw lugs" , and the Ross Rifles were obsolete from Military use by WW1 which did use that type lug.

 

[RPZ]

Just some trivia; Voere made some .22 autoloaders that fired from an open bolt IIRC.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Mark V Weatherbys do NOT use "interrupted screw lugs" , and the Ross Rifles were obsolete from Military use by WW1 which did use that type lug.

You are quite correct, sir, the Ross was withdrawn from svc by 1916. As to the MkV action...what would you call it? I can't find an official reference on the Weatherby site......"Multi-lug" I guess?

 

[Gordon]

You are quite correct, sir, the Ross was withdrawn from svc by 1916. As to the MkV action...what would you call it? I can't find an official reference on the Weatherby site......"Multi-lug" I guess?

I IS a multi lug design.