Has anyone bushed a firing pin hole on bolt action rifle?

I have a desire to bush the pin holes and turn down the pins on some of my bolt action rifles and I am curious how they normaly secure the bushing in the bolt. Any assistance would be appreciated. Sicero

why?...jim

Jim. what would you suggest if you were getting severe cratering of the primer and you had 12 thousands clearance on the firing pin. I was thinking bushing the firing pin. Have you ever bushed a firing pin? Sicero

Have you considered an oversized firingpin??
it is nnot a good idea to alter the bolt faace in that manner.
think 60,000 psi

I wouldn't worry as much about a little bushing in the bolt as I would the 120 thousands of unsupported brass case between the chamber and the bolt. I thought about cutting the firing pin off back in the bolt and welding another one on so I could make the end of the pin larger to fit the hole and this may well be the way I fix it. Bolts are bushed all the time and I was mere'ly trying to find out how it was done. Sicero

What I have done in this situation is to TIG weld the hole as fast as possible and then redrill the hole the size I wanted. Heat sink the lugs, apply power until the edges begin melting, bring up the power and add filler and shut off. Allow to cool and drill the new hole.

YMMV.

we routinely bushed the block when converting single shot actions for modern cartridges....mann niedner or modified mann nieder so it cud not be blown back ....krag bolts were altered for hornet ...yeah , i know single lug & ? case hardenening .........dont see a problem xcept tooling to cut & thrd a shouldered bush .Or xcess heat from a weld ...never had anything but stick & torch available, so wud be squemish abt heat near lugs, although stick welded on a lot of bolt handles w/out softening cocking

Doc, can you give a brief overview of the conversion of a Krag to 22 Hornet? Not that I'm going to do it (I'm too fond of my Krags to modify them) but it's one of those things I've always been curious about.

Bushing firing pin holes has become a common practice on older benchrest guns for the very reason you describe. What I understand is that a bushing is press fit into the bolt face. Where's it gonna go? I would think it could be done with JB weld too. As long as it is seated firmly against the bottom of the recess, the pressure is straight back. An .062" pin tip is what is used, and make it a nice close fit when drilling the pin hole.

If you go to BR Central and do a search, there is a couple methods/posts on doing this.

On Colt 45 auto pistols sometimes the firing pin hole isn't centered on the primer after installing a match barrel and bushing,or longer barrel link.I've had to install an offset firing pin bushing on several 45's and the bushing is pressed into the breechface.

Brownells sold the offset bushing kits for 45's.I would be worried about creating an area that could be prone to stress cracking if you pressed a bushing into a high pressure bolt action rifle.

Thanks RWS and others. I know it is common practice, I just didn't know how it was done and I am too cheap to pay a gunsmith $40 + shipping to do it for me. Sicero

I turn up a bushing from an allen screw and set it in 1/8" deep. You need to look at the size of the hole and the way it enlarges behind the bolt face to determine the diameter you'll make it, so there's adequate shoulder to keep it from setting back. A thou' press, drive it in good with a punch and hammer before facing it off so it doesn't wind up setting back a little after it's fired.

Yes, doc, I'd like to hear more on that Hornet perversion. I've got a couple Krags laying around too.
Thanks,
Jim

Yes, doc, I'd like to hear more on that Hornet perversion. I've got a couple Krags laying around too.


Habu & Jess
bushings i have done have been on single shots....but have seen couple krag hornets ..they were done in the thirtys when NRA sold krags for $1.50 or so , & money was scarce as were bolt actions ...by 1955 ,we were flooded w/ military surplus ......conversions used a bush to reduce opening in end of bolt to surround the hornetrim ,like a flattened doughnut ...joint was clearly visible ,so probably a lite press fit...side loading slapped off ,eliminated & a plate fitted ,so cud be inletted in stock ....SS loading platform pinned in ...it wud have been possible to spot anneal in the center ,drill & thrd to hold the bush , as well ..we welded a lot w/ wet torch,wet rags, even in h2o , up to the area welded, so anneal cud be done w/out affecting lug ,....( maybe a little drawn temper wud help the deep case)...extension was silver soldered on extractor .....i was dubious of strenght on first SS xtractor done this way , but none failed....simply cut off old one & s/soldered in a plate on a ledge cut in shank ....fit the plate into end of barrel & cut the rim hold w/ the reamer.....even fitted up some rimless w/ wallowed out action pin hole & spring loaded from side of action or front for overididng the rim as block closed ....

....by the time i started right after war, conversions to krag hornet were already passe
FWIW ...i menioned earlier that i saw a win.lowall rebarrellerd to 218 mashburn bee abt this time ,done by mashburn arms , st.louis mo. . so apparantly he thot a lowall wud hold an improved bee,contrary to most arms pundits of the time.....

best wishes
docn8as

sicero ...you want a reasonably small firing pin tip for high vel. crtrdgs (circa .0625) ....a large pin doesent make much fifference till u puncture a primer , greatly increasing the back thrust, & volume ...provision shud be made for routing any gas emminating from rear of case

best wishes
docn8as

doc, It is a CZ rifle and they are vented out the side of the bolt and action. I also thought of cutting the firing pin off the main shank and drilling for a pin size to fit the existing firing pin hole whitch would make the firing pin over .070. Do you think that would be too big? Sicero

CZ is one of the better ones.........i wud use a .070 pin & not ever look back , ( well radiused point ) .but dont know what it is chambered for & if u are having primer flow into xcess space, ur primers are too soft or your load/bullet too HOT
more difficult to read pressures w/modern primers than older ones , but flat might be ok ,protruding ,no .....
if u worry abt case separation, my yugo has the recessed breech , ...not sure its any better , but sme cud be done w/ CZ. & u wud not have to work over a top mt. for a shorter action,but large ring , as i did for a 257 imp.

best wishes
docn8as

In my experience, CCI has the hardest cup of all. I have a Panda that will blow a Federal primer, but the CCI's hold up. Maybe try this before having the work done.

rws, How big is the firing pin and the hole through the bolt in the Panda. Sicero