I have here an old Remington model 788 in .223, that someone broke the bolt handle off of. I was visiting a friend and his son show me the rifle, said his uncle broke the bolt handle off because the bolt wouldn't close. The handle itself is missing, long gone. He must have used a hammer or something.:banghead:
With the spring out, the bolt closes just fine, so I don't think there's anything else really wrong, but I would be real hesitant to just have someone weld another bolt handle on. Is this something a good welder could do? Would it be safe, since the locking lugs are so close? If so, where could one get a new bolt handle?
I told him I thought it would be best to just sell it for parts, but he thinks he should just weld a chunk of rebar on it and call it good.
Any ideas?
With the spring out, the bolt closes just fine, so I don't think there's anything else really wrong, but I would be real hesitant to just have someone weld another bolt handle on. Is this something a good welder could do? Would it be safe, since the locking lugs are so close? If so, where could one get a new bolt handle?
I told him I thought it would be best to just sell it for parts, but he thinks he should just weld a chunk of rebar on it and call it good.
Any ideas?