I picked the bolt up from the PO, this morning. My initial impression was "HOLY S&!^"
The pictures (neither Paul's, or mine) do his work justice. The fluting is amazingly precise and smooth. And the finish?... "Finer than hairs on a frog", as my great uncle used to say! When I first thought about doing this, I wondered if the end result would be worth the money. Now, with the finished product in hand, I can honestly say that it was worth every penny, if not more. I have to thank Paul for answering my questions and concerns, his amazing craftsmanship, as well as the speedy turnaround. He is a professional in every sense and an asset to this site, for sure.
One of Paul's photos from above, lightened up a little:
The finished product in my action:
I also wanted to take this opportunity to show off the bolt shroud that I got, while Paul was working on the bolt, itself. I wanted to replace the OEM shroud with something more durable, while still maintaining the lines of the original bolt. I happened across an aluminum replacement while surfing Ebay one night. It's offered by Southern Ordnance Sales, out of Florida. So, when I got the bolt home, this morning, the first thing I did was to swap out the shroud (took about ten seconds). The black anodized finish is an almost perfect match to Paul's finish. As you can see, the shape of the shroud is just slightly different to the OEM part, but still keeps the same basic outline. The fit is perfect.
The shrouds, compared:
And, in the rifle:
So, now I just have to endure the torturous wait until my stock is finished, in about July and this project will be complete. I have to thank Paul again for his great work and suggest that anybody who has been considering having him work on their bolt, but may be having reservations, to go for it. You won't be sorry.
Thanks again,
John
