Making Custom Bolt Handles

Have you checked the cost of custom bolt handles lately? The cost is out of sight. So, how about making your own? Now, the choice of weld on bolt handles is scant. There aren’t many around. I realize this may sound like a lot of trouble, especially since military conversions are being done less often these days due to Mauser rifles becoming collector items. Still, there are many around that could use a little personal touch. Add in that a little skill and additional know-how certainly will not hurt anyone.

Using the small stock-size steel from a local supplier, these bolt handles can be made for less than $1.00. With the larger size stock, the cost is a little less than $2.00 each. I have made bolt handles with irregular shapes to save time when a ball was not handy and waiting for materials was either not good or just not desirable. Some were T-shaped, some square or oblong, and others where any shape that could be made without machinery.

A ball still worked out to be the best looking and the most comfortable while in use. Stock Material For stock materials, seek out steel balls from Mc Master-Carr (McMaster.com, An ideal size includes 3/4-13/16" ball bearings. For example 3/4" general-purpose 1010 or 1020 low-carbon steel is $14.85 for 50 steel balls. 13/16" of the same alloy is $12.56 for 20 balls. You’ll also need low-carbon steel 7/16-1/2" O.

D. round bar stock from your local hardware store or other supplier. 7/16" 1006 low-carbon steel stock is around $6.00 for a 36inch length and half-inch O. D. lowcarbon steel is around $7.00 for the same length. Manufacturing Method The knobs pictured here were made from a 3/4" ball bearing that was heated to a bright, cherry red and allowed to cool. This annealed the ball and allowed it to be drilled and machined to the desired shape.

The shaft was made from a 1/2" round low carbon steel bar obtained from my local hardware store. To eliminate the annealing step, just order steel balls in the desired size from an industrial materials supplier. Mc Master-Carr is a good one to check since they have their entire catalog available online for easy ordering.

Center drill the ball in the lathe, then drill a quarter-inch hole all the way through if you intend to have a hollow bolt knob. After the quarter-inch through hole is finished, either drill part way through or drill to the desired finished size for the handle shaft. After the shaft is installed, taper the open end of the knob with a 3/4" countersink to a nice design.

If the knob is not to be a hollow one, just drill the finished shaft for a press-fit size part way through and pressing in the shaft will be adequate. Another nice handle can be made without drilling the ball by creating a flare on the ball end of the shaft to accept the ball. This is fixed in place by silver soldering the ball on to the shaft and using the flare as a custom feature. I have a Forster/Bonanza Gold Inlay Filling Kit for guns that has done a good job on several firearms.

Dress Up An undercut flare at the ball end of the shaft can make a really nice custom touch to the finished handle. Cut two grooves around the ball while in the lathe and then filling in with silver solder or gold fill will make a nice touch. Similarly, the grooves can be used to do a little checkering between them. The ball can be silver soldered on a flared shaft without a hollow end ball with a small groove made on the end of the ball the same size as the flare. Fill this in with silver solder o gold fill.

Leave a small line of solder or gold at the flare edge. This will leave a decorative, filled groove on each end of the ball. Alexandria VA 22310 This bolt handle took me 1.5 hours to make in total but a little playing with design took about 30 minutes because I changed my mind a couple of times. It is unique, fairly good looking, and did not cost very much to have a nice, custom bolt handle.

If the material was handy and a design was already in mind, I think I could make completed bolt handles ready to decorate in around 45 minutes in production lots of five units or more at a time. This bolt handle is scheduled to go on a Turkish Mauser that has been in my shop for work off and on for about a year. Some decisions with the type and height of the scope mounts held me up for awhile but a standard two-piece Weaver mount was finally selected.

A 1917 Enfield barrel chambered in .30-06 with nice rifling removed from a 1918 rifle was cut and threaded for use on the Turk. This will be re-chambered for .308 Winchester when a reamer can be located. If you order the 50 ball lot you will have balls to last for along time and there are other advantages to having this many on hand. They can also be used for pads for custom bipods and other projects around the gun shop. Of course, there are those that may tell you that you don’t have any balls!

So… this solves that, I suppose. Anyway, with this creates plenty of stock for custom bolt handles and other projects. AG