Number of Bolt Face Extractor's (bolt locking lugs)?

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Okie76

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Hello,

I am a frequent forum browser here but this is my first time posting. Usually I can find what I am looking for using the search function or google, however with the info I am trying to find I can't seem to find anything - anywhere. I am looking at purchasing a new rifle (Bolt-Action) in a couple months and I have narrowed it down to three rifles. The three I am looking at are all very similiar in the exception that one has a 2 claw extractor on the bolt face, one has a 3 claw extractor and one has a six claw extractor.

Why the difference in the number of claw's? Is there pro's and con's behind each amount of claw's or is one type just better than the other for some specific reason? Im clueless on this issue and could use a little help.
 
I've never seen a bolt action center fire rifle with more than one extractor. It would be helpful to know what you're looking at.
 
Ok, that's what I thought. Those are all called the bolt locking lugs - they are what keeps the bolt locked shut so it doesn't jet through your head when you pull the trigger.
On the bolt with 3 locking lugs, the silver piece is the extractor. The extractor is what pulls the cartridge case out of the chamber.
On the 6 lug bolt, it's the black piece.
On the 2 lug, it's hidden from view, but is down in the bolt face recess.

Incidentally, the 6 lug looks like it's from a semi-auto, not a bolt action.
 
If you are talking about a bolt action, the more lugs, the less of an angle you have to turn the bolt to open it. For example Weatherby rifles have six or nine lugs and the bolt is turned 54° to open. Two lug rifles have to be turned 90° to open.
 
The tika rifle has 2 claws, The savage 3 claws, the Vanguard 3. These three cost around 1k. The mark 5 has 6 claws and is 1900'ish. So I would be paying 900 more for less angle on the bolt. Thats pointless unless your rushing shots? The thompson I have now has a 3 claw and the bolt clears my scope with plenty of room so I plan to purchase the 3 claw savage 11LRH. Thanks for the info.
 
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Could there be issues with a inch tube scope mounted to it then, with 2 locking lugs (90 degree)? I don't want to spend a thousand bucks on a gun only to find out Im going to have to get some kind of special adapter or use some southern ingenuity to get a scope on it to prevent the bolt handle from rubbing or clanking up against the scope?
 
Scope / bolt handle interference was pretty much figured out by all the major rifle manufactures back about 1950 something.

If you put a scope with a huge objective lens on a rifle with low or medium rings, it won't fit.
If you use high rings, it will fit.

If you put a more sensible size scope on a rifle with low or medium rings, it will fit.

rc
 
My first scoped/bolt rifle was the thompson I got about 5 months ago or so. My son has taken it over, so now I have to get my own. All I have ever used up until now are open sights and and lever actions.

This coming October we will be hunting in some wide open prairie lands in the pan-handle of oklahoma were 500 yard shots are the norm (or so I have been told). Here in my area of oklahoma the shots are 50-100 yards in brush were regular sights work fine. About the only other scoped rifle I have experience with was my dad's rifle when I was a teenager and I remember the bolt handle always rubbed on the scope, which was why I was worried about it.

I have read that adding higher rings decrease the accuracy of a rifle. With a 90degree bolt does it have to use higher rings for bolt clearance? The scope will most likely be a zeiss conquest 4.5-14x44 / 6.5-20x50 or a Leupold vx3 4.5-14x40 / 6.5-20x44. I'm not sold on which of those 4 yet but will they work fine with a 90degree bolt, not using high rings (if high rings do in fact cause accuracy issues)?
 
I have read that adding higher rings decrease the accuracy of a rifle.
Click to expand...
It does not decrease accuracy.

What it does do is change the trajectory of the bullet slightly, or where it crosses the bore line going up and coming back down.

That is compensated for automatically when you sight in the rifle.

The real problem with high rings is, many rifles stocks don't have a high enough comb to give good cheek support when you raise your head up high enough to see through the scope.

I would suggest though that putting a 6.5-20x44 or 6.5-20x50 scope on a hunting rifle is sheer folly.

Consider a deer 500 yards away has an apparent distance through a 9x scope of only 55 yards.
You can throw a rock almost that far!

All 20x will do for you is magnify your heart beat and shakes 20 times.
And give you a tiny field of view, or not much view at all in low light conditions at dawn & dusk.

It will also give you an excellent shimmering view of the mirage on a sunny day, and a blurry target at long range.

rc
 
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The savage I have linked above has an adjustable cheek rest on it, so that should solve the high rings with cheek rest issue?

The reason for the higher powered scope was for interest in target shooting and prairie dogs (in addition to the 9 days a year spent deer hunting). I wont be shooting more than 500 yards (Deer + Targets + PD), so you think the 4.5-14x40 is the better choice?
 
With the rifle you linked that shows the adjustable cheek piece, yes, the bigger scope will work, but for the reasons mentioned is not the best choice. If you just gotta have more than 9x magnification, use the 4.5-14x40.
 
This thread is pretty funny for spectators !
It be a "claw" .....claw that bolt shut
or a "dawg"......dawg those lugs down
or a "lug"......lug those dawgs down to claw the bolt shut.
 
Fleet,
Do you use a 9 power magnification at 500 yards on paper target?
There's a 3-9 on my son's Thompson and at 300 yards the bulls eye on the target we are shooting is barely even visible (1-in red square)? I haven't shot that target at 500 yards but it's not hard to imagine that one couldn't even see the bulls eye at that distance with a 9 power and if they did I'm just guessing that it wouldn't look like anything, more than a speck. More magnification for that range I don't think is totally unnecessary? Like I said earlier I will be hunting with this rifle, but that is just part of it's intended use, not it's whole.

a5werkes,
It's funny that I don't know the correct name for a part on a rifle, or what it's actual function is? I have searched these forums allot over the past year and don't think I have seen someone with a attitude like your's?

Anyways, thanks for the info for those that actually contributed to my lack of proper gun part nomenclature and actually tried to help with my question.
 
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Okie, I don't use anything at 500 yards - I'm not a good enough shot, and I don't have anywhere to do it even if I was.
 
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