Ross M-10 bolt missing.

[303 Collector]

I have a chance to buy a Ross M-10 military rifle. The only problem is it does not have a bolt.
Is it possible to source a bolt and is it easy to fit a replacement.
I live in the UK and as well as being a collector (enfields) I am also a Registered Firearms Dealer so no problems with the legal side.

Information

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[AGB-1]

Canadian Ross Mk III Rifle Bolt Assembly ima-usa.com They can be found cheaper, but it takes some searching. AGB-1 Welcome to Ross Rifle Try here also.

[Surpmil]

I would expect a MkIII bolt would not be too hard to source in the UK. I'm not aware how unusual the rifles themselves are over there, but if you want a rifle for collecting or shooting reasons it would probably be better and simpler to obtain one with the original bolt.

Unless of course this is full length, original rifle in which case I would try very hard to find the original bolt if there was any hope of doing so, and failing that, it would be worth fitting another to such a rifle as most were sporterized in the past.

[303 Collector]

Thank you all for your assistance.
It is a full rifle and the bolt has long gone.
I've had a PM from a milsurps member with an offer of a bolt so all I have to do is wrestle the rifle away from its present owner.

[mike webb]

I have read that the 1910 Ross rifles had the mating bolts lapped in for contact with the recesses in the action when assembled at the factory. Any one else heard this before?

[browningautorifle]

I wouldn't be surprised as the time in which they were made was much different to later. I'd think it might not be the best idea to just grab a bolt and get started...

[Surpmil]

I wouldn't be surprised as the time in which they were made was much different to later. I'd think it might not be the best idea to just grab a bolt and get started...

You would want to check the headspace and the contact on the bolt lugs, using engineers blue for the latter.

I've wondered sometimes if the lack of bolt serial numbers on the Ross was due to their being interchangeable. That would mean a very high standard of manufacture and gauging. Of course they were built to a pretty high standard in both material and complexity. It's one of those things that is lost to history unfortunately.

[bushwhacker]

At one time I had 3 Ross mkIII rifles. Two of them the bolts could be intechanged. The third one would not accept either of the other bolts. If I recall correctly, the third rifle's bolt would fit into one of the other two rifles, but not freely. Obviously, I did not check the headspace and was careful to get the bolts back into the rifle they came from originally. There was a lot more hand fitting in those days, as machining tolerances were not as precise.
Bill

[Maple_Leaf_Eh]

Cut down or sporterized Rosses are common enough in Canada. Most guys are looking for stocks and stock parts, or upgrades to existing parts. Try posting your question on Canadian Gun Nutz (it is a parallel site to this one, and stuff gets crossposted periodically).