Hi All,
please don't all get so upset, it was just a question ruminating in my head. I've ' read it' in several places, when reading about No4T's and in loads of pictures of them, a lot have them.
As I wasn't born until 10yrs after the war was over, I cannot be held responsible for the design of a larger Knob. As to the physics, there are all kinds of things that can be done to adjust for that.
My question was really why and which, whoever was there, they must have had some reason for the heavier Knob, lock time was where my mind went first.
It makes the most sense to me, to fit the lightest possible piece, which is why I wondered about the reasoning behind fitting the button type in the first place. Nether the less, someone with more knowledge than I, decided to do so, and for some serious reason.
I'm sure it wasn't just that I, and others see them as cool looking, on our "benchrest novelties" some nigh 80yrs later. Seeing as they go for nearly a buck a year on ebay these day's, and those real rifles are lucky, that see a shooting position these days, and not just locked up in a vault somewhere.
As to what I'm polishing, it's the whole pin, the inside of the bolt, then a chemical peening process is applied to the one part, and the springs,it makes it almost frictionless with a light oil. I don't know about lock times as I don't have equipment for that. I have tested this same process on my suspension dyno, and I know it works there, and also on engines, and nice as it's mostly invisible.
I would think a little preload on the spring, would probably equalise out the heavier piece. making it the same basically, just with a harder hit. I don't know why, but they did they use it, when the other was already in use, there must of been a reason. On a sniper rifle strikes me accuracy would be the main issue. If it was just gloved hands thats good to know, I wondered about the primers back then, I have no knowledge of them. My apologies if I'm wrong, but I thought maybe a harder hit would make sure they went off, never experienced that issue having a larger knob. thanks for the answers.