Is squaring bolt face worth buying tool?

[Bayourambler]

Right now I’m awaiting my barrel to be made from shilen so I have worked on my savage reciever. I have installed a ptg bolt and really like how it smoothed things out a little. With all this idle time, I’m thinking of how much squaring the bolt face would help with accuracy. If I had the tool it would be a no brainer , it has to help somewhat . The tool is around $60 and I’m wondering if it is even worth it? I wish I had one to borrow, as I may never use it again!! What do you think ?

 

[Varminterror]

Might ask PT&G if they’ve already cut the bolt face true to the bolt body. Then if you have it sized appropriately for your boltway, and your receiver trued to the bolt way, everything should be in order.

Also - I’d have to check old invoices, isn’t The bolt face truing system more than $60? I thought the facing cutters themselves were something on that order, plus more cost for the threaded centering bushing/housing, and that’s even before you talk about the tools for truing the receiver face to the boltway, lest you cut the bolt face true to an out-of-true receiver face. There’s also a bolt face lapping spud as well. Seems like I have something on the order of $500-600 per set of blueprinting tools for different brands/models - and they still don’t end up as true as Work done on a lathe.

 

[Bayourambler]

Might ask PT&G if they’ve already cut the bolt face true to the bolt body. Then if you have it sized appropriately for your boltway, and your receiver trued to the bolt way, everything should be in order.

Also - I’d have to check old invoices, isn’t The bolt face truing system more than $60? I thought the facing cutters themselves were something on that order, plus more cost for the threaded centering bushing/housing, and that’s even before you talk about the tools for truing the receiver face to the boltway, lest you cut the bolt face true to an out-of-true receiver face. There’s also a bolt face lapping spud as well. Seems like I have something on the order of $500-600 per set of blueprinting tools for different brands/models - and they still don’t end up as true as Work done on a lathe.

http://pacifictoolandgauge.com/sava...mbo.html?search_query=Bolt+lapping&results=12

 

[Bayourambler]

Looks like $54. This is done with an electric drill, I do not own a lathe

 

[Mr. Standfast]

Whether it does a worthwhile amount of good depends partly on your requirements, the fit of brass to chamber, and pressure. The first thing to do is check whether the pressure forces the case head out of alignment with the bore axis, with the rifle as supplied. If it doesn't, any benefit to be gained by a truing job takes a sharp step downward.

 

[Varminterror]

Right - that is the bolt face lapping tool, not the bolt face cutter. I suppose a guy could use the lapping tool for a long time to do the cutting, but I start with the cutting head, then clean it up with that lapping tool. As I said in my post above - that lapping tool you linked is the last step in a series of blueprinting steps to bring the receiver and bolt face dimensions together.

And again - if your threads and receiver face are not true to the boltway, you will do nothing to true your bolt face to the boreline - you’ll be lapping an angled face on what might already be a true face. You will do more harm than good if you simply buy the last link in the chain and pretend it is doing the job.

As I mentioned, I own these tools, and have used them. I certainly would not waste my time to lap (cut) the boltface without truing the receiver face and chasing the threads to true the receiver. The lapping spud you linked squares the boltface to the receiver face, if your receiver face isn’t true to the boltway, then having the boltface tried to the receiver face is wasted effort.

 

[Bayourambler]

Right - that is the bolt face lapping tool, not the bolt face cutter. I suppose a guy could use the lapping tool for a long time to do the cutting, but I start with the cutting head, then clean it up with that lapping tool. As I said in my post above - that lapping tool you linked is the last step in a series of blueprinting steps to bring the receiver and bolt face dimensions together.

And again - if your threads and receiver face are not true to the boltway, you will do nothing to true your bolt face to the boreline - you’ll be lapping an angled face on what might already be a true face. You will do more harm than good if you simply buy the last link in the chain and pretend it is doing the job.

As I mentioned, I own these tools, and have used them. I certainly would not waste my time to lap (cut) the boltface without truing the receiver face and chasing the threads to true the receiver. The lapping spud you linked squares the boltface to the receiver face, if your receiver face isn’t true to the boltway, then having the boltface tried to the receiver face is wasted effort.

I’ll try it as is then. Thanks

 

[BBBBill]

I had posted before, but my post disappeared. Hmmm....
Chucking the bolt in a lathe and indicating the bolt body true, then indicating the bolt face would be the best way to check whether truing is needed.
Absent a lathe, a precision V block would work. PTG is not noted for junk. The bolt is already most likely true on all important surfaces. Call them is the simplest approach.

 

[Varminterror]

PT&G bolt face truing cutter

PT&G Savage Bolt Face Truing Guide

The tool you linked is meant to be used AFTER these tools to polish up the bolt face after the truing cut is made.

These tools linked here are meant to be used AFTER the receiver face is trued with the following tool (plus guide bushings to center in the boltway):

PT&G Savage Receiver Truing spindle

If you’re doing ONE rifle, it’s a better investment to take it to a smith. If you’re doing a handful or more, then the total set of tools is worth it.

A gunsmith with a lathe will yield a much better result than these tools. This system lands somewhere between factory and lathe blueprinted when all used in congress.