Bolt action handgun questions

[brant]

I have wanted a 250 savage improved rifle for a long time. Now I also want one in a handgun as well. I am considering going with a bolt action. I have a few questions for those in the know?

For starters, what are the pros and cons of the grip position? In the rear or mid position?

I have always preferred the older Remington bolt rifles to a savage. But the savage striker has a neat feature of right hand loading but left hand bolt. Can anyone comment on use of the striker?

Any experience with the Wichita?

[Ken O'Neill]

Personal preference. In the XP-100, I have always preferred the center grip. For me, it has always balanced better, and can be shot offhand if necessary. Only one of the eight XP's I owned was a rear grip, a 7mm BR with a Herrett after market stock. I thought it was unwieldy.

I'm right-handed, but after years on Metallic Silhouette ranges, the right hand bolt felt fine, and normal.

I had one Savage Super Striker in .308 with the laminated wood thumbhole stock. That bugger was HEAVY. Again, after years with XP-100's the left hand bolt was no advantage to me.

I have no shooting experience with the Weatherbys or Wichita bolt guns. They are rare to almost non-existent in this area.

On another note, you will find a .250 Savage or AI to be excellent.

[blazenet]

I agree with Ken, I prefer the center grip for better balance. Never owned a Weatherby. Wichitas are high quality(currently own 5), I shot my first 40x40 with one. I like the left hand bolt one the Wichita, but I am just as comfortable shooting an XP.

[brant]

Good info. Thank you. Another question about center or rear mount grip. Does one lend itself to better scope placement due to eye relief when using handgun scope. I know some use a rifle scope, but I do not intend to do so.

[pacecars]

I find that it is easier for me to operate the bolt with my right hand and load with my right hand. I don’t see a need for speed or to keep the gun in the same spot like you would in target shooting or silhouette maybe. The XP is lighter than either the Savage or a Nosler which are the only ones I have experience with

[Ken O'Neill]

When I scoped an XP-100, I used a Burris base made specially for the XP (I no longer remember the number). This allowed the scope to be mounted forward a bit, which helped the eye relief considerably with pistol scopes, for shooting from the bench, creedmoor, or in hunting positions.

I reach over the top of the gun and scope, reloading with my left hand, right hand retaining the grip. No problem, with just a little practice.

[potatojudge]

It seems like center grip has the advantage for hunting and offhand shooting and is probably better suited to a pistol scope though rifle will work, and the rear grip is more amenable to a pistol or rifle scope and shooting off a bench or bipod.

I have both and each has their place. For a hunt, I usually take a mid grip with a rifle scope because if I'm gonna have rifle range I want the better selection of rifle optics and better light gathering.

If you go XP, I have a new 1:7.5 twist 250AI light profile remage barrel that should screw on just fine. I ordered a 25 CM and 250AI at the same time, but the CM had a slimmer profile so it went on the Mod 7. This twist allows for the 130+ grain Bergers, Blackhack, or Hammer bullets as well as traditional weights.

[gnappi]

The rear grip guns like the Contender or Wichita have the advantage of less muzzle rise (to me) by virtue of the majority of weight further forward. That said after I got my XP in 7BR The shootability of the center grip trumps any perception I had over recoil arresting in rear grip pistols.

I shot Wichita center grip in .308 or some 7mm flavor and always wanted one but the stars for gun and finance availability never aligned :-(

As far as bolt handedness goes I never found the XP to be an issue, the shell drops right in without possibility of it falling out. As a matter of fact, I think tilting to load the XP is a plus as the LH bolt seemed to be awkward if I were using a glove and I felt the round could drop out.

[bigbrowndog]

I have both center grip and rear grip. I prefer the rear grip, but it may be because it is ambidextrous where the center grip is right hand only. I waiting on a Rockwell stock to arrive that is center grip but ambidextrous. Been waiting a while maybe I should call.

Trapr

[lar4570]

I would like to apologize for the Savage Striker. I thought it was a good idea at the time...

[bradshaw]

Nov 5, 2023 23:17:35 GMT -5 brant said:

I have wanted a 250 savage improved rifle for a long time. Now I also want one in a handgun as well. I am considering going with a bolt action. I have a few questions for those in the know?

For starters, what are the pros and cons of the grip position? In the rear or mid position?

I have always preferred the older Remington bolt rifles to a savage. But the savage striker has a neat feature of right hand loading but left hand bolt. Can anyone comment on use of the striker?

Any experience with the Wichita?

*****

In Unlimited silhouette, if you shoot from the Dead Frog position, the long forearm with forward balance point lay flat on your folded leg. If you shoot Creedmoor, the pistol leans into your hip. Either design rests on a backpack or ten gallon hat.

Centrer grip vs rear grip, freestyle position common in silhouette
* Center grip----Creedmoor.
* Rear grip----Dead Frog.


Trigger
* Rear grip----same trigger as on a bolt action rifle: direct trigger-sear-cocking piece contact. Trigger connects to sear assembly via link or connecting rid.

* Center grip----trigger attaches to recoil lug on receiver ring. Trigger links to sear assembly via a connecting rod. There usually is a bit of slack. Which doesn’t prevent trigger tune for a clean break.

Recoil
* Rear grip----rearward with less muzzle rise. Rear grip permits pistol to to be a repeater.

* Center grip----more upward rotation and muzzle rise. No room for magazine feed----unless incorporates a clumsy stirrup around mag box.

Single shot vs repeater
Against the dubious advantage of magazine feed, the single shot bolt action has a solid bottom, featuring unparalleled rigidity and super-smooth chambering. More work to glass bed a center grip, the the result is accuracy every bit as astounding as a properly bedded rear grip. I always bed to include just forward of the chamber. My bedding basically follows renegade sharpshooter Skip Talbot, who built my first Unlimited pistol.

The revolutionary H-S Precision Finberthane center grip with aluminum bedding block shoots with the best glass bed job. This arrangement is a true full float.

As bolt action pistols go, Remington’s XP-100 defines the breed. Unbelievable strength, unlimited dry fire, and so on. Like the Remington, the Wichita is built on a tube receiver. The Wichita features a 3-lug bolt, with lugs same diameter as as bolt body (see Lee Martin’s bench rest builds). Wichita lock time is faster than on the Remington XP-100. The Wichita cocking piece/firing pin is very hard, and should not be dry fired without strong snap caps. Wichita stocks are dense black walnut as figure-free as an old Model 70 Winchester.

Weatherby thought to enter the IHMSA Unlimited fray with his MK V pistol, a solid floor plate single shot, built on a compact MK V varmint action, with 6 locking lugs instead of 9 found on the rifle. Way I heard it, 25 were made, or at most 50, before Japanese authorities learned the barreled actions----with rifle barrels----were shortened to 14-7/8” after import in the USA. It is verboten to manufacture handguns in Japan. Trigger linkage has heavy, sheet steel rocker in place of Remington’s smelt bar. Due ro inertia inherent in the bar, I’d avoid too light a tune. The Weatherby pistol was chambered in .308 Winchester, with .22-250 Remington next. Don’t know if any .22-250’s were made. My thumb-hole center grip stock was a beautifully figured piece of Claro walnut. Roy Weatherby told me they’re fragile and too many of ‘em ere ruined in production.

I loaned my Weatherby to IHMSA All-American Bob Thomas, who set aside his Wichita .308 to give the Weatherby its inaugural match. The curmudgeon Thomas shot a 39x40, which pitched jim into silence. I managed a match, dropping 40x40 silhouettes in time for a deadline at Shooting Times. I duplicated Bob Thomas’s load: Speer .308 180 SP over 30 grains of IMR 4895 or Hodgdon 4895 (can’t tell ‘em part on the competition Firing Line). These flat base spritzers averaged 1,800 fps from the slightly-less-than 15” barrel. The load is shootoff accurate for sure.
David Bradshaw

[brant]

Thank you again

[tonyrumore]

The Weatherby pistols were made on the Varmintmaster actions.

You might also consider a Pachmayr Dominator. Those are very easy to rebarrel and unlike the XP-100, you don't have to dick around with bedding.

Tony

[brant]

Nov 7, 2023 17:24:20 GMT -5 tonyrumore said:

The Weatherby pistols were made on the Varmintmaster actions.

You might also consider a Pachmayr Dominator. Those are very easy to rebarrel and unlike the XP-100, you don't have to dick around with bedding.

Tony

i

I would love one, but have never seen one for sale!

[pacecars]

Here you go:
www.gunbroker.com/item/1018065242