Bent bolt handle for Mosin Nagant

[Lee M.]

Turned-down bolt handle for Mosin Nagant

I know beggars can't be choosers but does
anyone know where you can get a turned-down bolt handle for a Mosin Nagant. What I'm
referring to is the handle that is found on
the sniper mosins. I see companies like
Tapco and Centerfire Systems offering
conversion kits, but I don't want to cut the
old handle off and drill and tap for the new
handle. IMO, it looks like that would be a
weak spot and plus it is not aesthetically
pleasing as the sniper bolt handle. I found
a couple of turned-down handles on e-bay, but they were going for $80 and higher. That's a little steep for me to say that $80 is all
that I paid for a M44 w/ synthetic stock from Centerfire Systems. Any comments
appreciated. Are the turned-down bolt handles that rare to be bringing such a premium?

 

[James K]

Due to the design of the M-N, even a turned down bolt handle is going to require a forward mounted, high mounted or offset scope. There is no way around it.

There is no reason the original bolt handle can't be cut off and a low type welded on. If the job is done well, there should be no problem. I prefer to forge the handle down on a Mauser, but on the M-44 you don't have enough handle to do that. Spare bolts are available if you want to use a bolt other than the original.
(Remember headspace, though, the 7.62x54R is a powerful cartridge and nothing to take chances with.)

The trouble with all this is that unless you have the experience to do it yourself, it will probably cost about as much as the $80 you mention. Maybe it would be better to just leave the M-44 alone or stick on a side mounted scope.

Jim