C96 bolt repair

[John Sabato]

We have some forum members who are secretly precision welders/machinists. I believe this bolt is repairable, and the cost will be worth the money to restore it to shooting condition.

I would post a thread in the restoration forum and request assistance, and I would bet you will get some. Let us know what happens.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by John Sabato

We have some forum members who are secretly precision welders/machinists....

If a secret form welder [TIG, MIG] is reading this, please get in touch with me. I have some work for you.

[Olle]

Originally Posted by sheepherder

Wifey knows you is 'on-hook'!!!

I have spare bolt from Argentina, but since you are repairing yours, I'll put bolt back in 'Niece's Garbage' drawer.

Please give me your niece's phone number, I believe I need to talk to her before she goes out with the garbage.

As far as the bolt goes, I believe you can make an almost invisible repair by TIG welding it and machine or file it to the correct shape. The welding will be a bit iffy though, the bolt face will inevitably lose temper partially or entirely, depending on how hot it gets. The guy I use for welding jobs does an excellent job on small repairs, he has the skills to put on a bead that's less than 1mm around, and the patience to weld larger areas in increments so the surrounding area won't get too hot.

I still wouldn't shoot the gun after such a repair, unless the bolt was heated during the welding, the correct alloy was used and the bolt heat treated after the repair. This would be a job for somebody with extensive experience in such repairs, so I would probably make it a cosmetic repair and call it a day.