Open Bolt .22 Rifles

Neat!

That single-shot was considered a “Machine Gun” by the ATF in their hatred of open bolts. Also interesting about the linear fixed firing pins. Since I love .22 revolvers, if I have a misfire I’ll often rotate that misfired round 90, or 180 degrees in the chamber, and often it’ll go off. Cool feature.

Also cool that the mainspring and the recoil spring are the same unit, as well as the bolt and the firing pin. Shame they can’t make them anymore.

One complaint with open bolts is accuracy as so much mass on the gun needs to move before the round is fired and the chance of the gun moving before the round ignites and exits the barrel is high, but with a .22 the bolt can’t weigh much so that is minimized.

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One Response to Open Bolt .22 Rifles

  1. Wally says:

    I’ll can the ATF rant but there was another somewhat famous (well not so much) single shot open bolt that was called a MG. There was a SWD made a SSM11/9, which is a M11/9 with no provision to take a magazine. ATF said it was close enough to a machine gun- and you could make it automatic by removing parts, so it became a MG, legally. And thusly anyone who had a single shot pistol went out and made them into mag fed full autos…. Yay logic.

    I just shot my first open bolt rifle (8mm) and there is some pretty significant lurch as the bolt moves forward. It isn’t horrible, but it’s a strange feeling after firing a zillion rounds from a closed bolt.

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