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Extended charging handle/bolt handles

John A.

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After looking around at some aftermarket extended charging handles and seeing some of the obscene prices people are wanting for them, I decided that I would take a few minutes and make my own. There's no way I want to pay $30+ for one. Not when I can make one myself out of $1.50 worth of materials.

So, in about 20 minutes of time behind the lathe turning down and shaping a piece of 6061-T6, and some 5 minute epoxy glue, I have a handle that will likely outlast me. Aside from just using the epoxy, I also blind pinned the new handle through the OEM nub hiding underneath of there with an old drill bit by drilling 90% of the way through and then binding the bit making it snap off in there and then filed the little burr off smooth and it's barely noticeable on the top of the new handle. It's not going anywhere and is absolutely solid. It should become completely invisible once I spray it.

I haven't painted it yet because it was almost dark, and it's supposed to be near 60 tomorrow, so that will be acceptable enough to do some cerakote as long as I heat up the part before airbrushing it.

Anyway, this is the first time I've ever made an extended handle and am pretty happy with the way it turned out. It'll give me more surface area, better grip, and a little more room to work the action once I get the scope mounted on there. It's longer than the OEM handle, but not by a whole lot. I didn't want to go overboard making it too long, or too large of a diameter but the factory handle was just tiny. Especially after I put a scope on there.

I am now planning to make an extended bolt handle on a savage mk2 next that will be similar to the fv-sr handle. But I need to order a 43/64 bit first so I can slide the new one over the old and affix it.

Anyway, I wanted to share some pictures of the extended 10/22 knob. I think it'll do.

And yes, I cut and recrowned and threaded the barrel for one of my cans late last Thursday too. It currently has an A2 flashider on there serving as a thread protector until I get the micro-phantom style, which I think will suit the small taper profile of the 22 barrel better.

homemade extended 22 charging handle 001.JPG
homemade extended 22 charging handle 004.JPG
 
Looks good John!!
 
It looks cool, but I don't understand why you didn't turn it all out in one piece and then just file in the notch?

[Edit] Sorry, I forgot what the spring end of that bit looks like. Much more complicated than the 353t or 887 handles.[/edit]

I will admit I need to do this for the Stevens 887. The handle is dinky and it's plastic too.

On my Mossberg 353t it is steel, but it's impossibly tiny. After my first range session with that gun I had a blister on my finger.
 
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Thanks for the compliments guys. I was just wanting to try something a little different for a change. I think it'll work out alright.

I admit that I really enjoy creating things on that little lathe. I started out with a rough idea of what I had in my mind, and after a little while, that's just how it came out. Not exactly what I had in mind to start with, but it kinda progressed into it.

Caddmann, as for why I didn't make the entire assembly, there was really no reason to. The factory handle was exactly what Ruger knows works. The grip surface was just too short and I wanted a longer one.;)
 
Well as long as it's solidly attached it doesn't make any difference.

You didn't actually shorten the original charging handle to make this work did you?

After I read your post I looked at a lot of aftermarket 10-22 charging handles on eBay Etc.. some of them look like one piece designs and most of them obviously were not.

Since the 10-22 is my wife's gun, and she has not yet complained, I'm going to leave hers for last, and concentrate on making one for my 887, which (odd and archaic as it is) is one of my favorites. The only thing I really hate about that gun is the tiny plastic charging handle.
 
No, I didn't shorten the original bolt. Though I doubt that it'll ever see the light of day again.

Once the hole in the new bolt was filled with 5 minute epoxy, and once the old handle was inserted into the hole, the epoxy can't really let it slip or move once it was cured.

And on top of that, like I mentioned earlier, I did blind pin it into the factory steel handle just as a precaution, so I'm confident to say that it's not going anywhere.

I even baked it at 325* for an hour after I applied the KG gunkote satin black today. There were no issues with anything. The satin black turned out a little glossier than I liked, but that was because of the low humidity and heat. Had it been hotter and more humid during the summer, would've lost more sheen than it did.

savage extended bolt handle 010.JPG

At the request of my youngest son, I did make him an extended bolt for his little savage 22 that was more akin to the fv-sr model that I use most of the time.

Here is a comparison picture that I found in a google search.

93R17FVSR-013.jpg


I left the curvature the same as it has always been because it's easier than torching it and straightening it. And besides, the slight curve makes it pretty easy to work the bolt too at the factory angle anyway.

I did cut the ball off of the end of this bolt though. There is no purpose to leave it. I also blind pinned the new handle on the bottom like I did the other.

savage extended bolt handle 001.JPG


savage extended bolt handle 004.JPG

And since that gun is already water dip camo'd, I refinished the bolt in FDE cerakote so it'll look better on the gun. There is a little more shine in this photo below because it's still wet. Once it's cured, it'll be a lot duller appearance.

savage extended bolt handle 006.JPG

savage xtended bolt 004.JPG
 
Nice job John. I like em...

Could this be done to the marlin 60? I hate the small handle.
 
I would think so Rip.

I'll look at it tomorrow and take some measurements, but yeah, I think it'll be about like how the Ruger 10/22 was.
 
I recently bought a Marlin 60 and it's not quite broken in yet.

it should pretty be pretty easy. As a matter of fact the lever should be easy to make complete from scratch.

I just bought a new Savage Model 12 and this thing is definitely not going to need a bigger bolt handle. It's got a stainless steel golf ball on the end of it and I can barely get the safe door closed. :rolleyes:

I'll post some photos of the new gun later tonight.
 
No, I'm cheap and don't want to buy one. Least not when I have about a foot of 1" diameter aluminum rod and a lathe in my basement ;)
 
I enjoy using mine. I just wish I had some formal training on it. If I did, I'd probably be dangerous. Right now, I'm just a liability to my home insurance carrier LOL
 
Great work, John, but one thing....just remember that that 10/22 is a blowback rifle. It works on the specific ammo being used overcoming the inertia of the bolt block to push it back to cycle the weapon. Add too much mass and you get cycling probs.
 
True.

The ones I have made for the semi's only add about a 1/4 of an ounce though and are made from 6061 T6 aluminum.

I have shot the tar out of it. And with some pretty low powered subsonics and it's not affected anything.

The big honking handle on the savage is a different story. It's probably close to an ounce in weight. But obviously, it's manually operated so it could be 12 pounds and would still work.

Thank you for the compliment. I'm glad you liked them.
 
Nice John...

I own a Marlin Model 60...and a Marlin Model 80C Bolt action.

If you decide to mass produce, count me in !! ;)
 
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