A well-made bolt-action rifle is a thing of beauty and a lot of gun owners admire them even if bolts aren’t their personal preference for trigger time. Whether you own bolt-action rifles, are considering getting one, or are simply curious, it’s a good idea to be at least somewhat familiar with the various parts. After all, bolt-actions are different than AR platform rifles, and being a well-rounded gun owner means knowing your stuff when it comes to terminology. To help you out we’ve compiled this list of bolt-action terminology to know. It’s not exhaustive, but it’ll help you cover your bolt bases.
Action: The action is a mechanism located in the breech of the rifle that contains the parts necessary to fire the gun. This includes the firing pin assembly, extractor, and other small parts. There are two types of actions: short action and long action.
Bedding: Rifle bedding is a good way to accurize a bolt-action rifle. It involves removing the barreled action, milling out part of the stock, and replacing it with a bedding compound. There are numerous steps to the process and it must be done precisely and correctly, which is why it’s not a task for the average home gunsmith. The end result is an action that’s more securely held within the stock which translates to greater precision on target.
Bolt: The bolt is a metal tube that moves back and forth for the purpose of loading, unloading, and firing the gun. It’s moved forward and rearward using a bolt handle and is designed to lock in place.
Bolt Handle: This is the part that extends from the rearward portion of the bolt itself. The bolt handle varies in size and angle and is designed to facilitate manipulating the bolt.
Box Magazine: A magazine with a general box or rectangular shape that holds rounds of ammunition and might be detachable or fixed (integral). Capacity varies by the model of gun, but generally speaking, bolt-action rifles don’t have significant capacity.
Buckhorn Sights: A type of iron sight commonly used on bolt-action and lever-action rifles. Buckhorn sights feature a rear sight that’s upright and curved in a U, or horn, shape. Sights with inward-pointing upper edges that point at one another are full buckhorns, while sights that are more open and flattened at the top are semi-buckhorns (those are also called flat tops). This rear sight is paired with a front bead sight.
Butt: The butt of a bolt-action rifle is the rearmost portion of the stock that rests against the shooter’s shoulder during use.
Chamber: On a bolt-action, the chamber of the rifle is an open part at the back of the barrel that’s within the receiver and holds a cartridge in place until it’s fired or extracted.
Crossbolt Safety: A circular push-button safety mechanism located at the rearward portion of the trigger guard. A crossbolt safety is pushed over from one side to deactivate the safety and allow live fire. It is activated by pushing it back from the other side, putting the gun on safe.
Drilled and Tapped: The practice of drilling and tapping the upper portion of the receiver of a bolt-action rifle is done for the purpose of adding optics. An increasing number of modern bolt-actions are being produced already drilled and tapped, but there are still a lot of guns out there that aren’t accessory ready.
Extractor: A small metal component, frequently machined from steel, with a hook on one end that connects with the edge of the cartridge for extraction after the shot is fired. With a high round count or components not made to high standards, extractor replacement may be necessary to correct failures to extract or eject.
Firing Pin Assembly: The firing pin assembly is vital to the rifle because the gun can’t fire without it. This assembly typically includes the firing pin, spring, cocking piece, and shroud.
Floor plate: The floor plate is a piece of metal that covers what would otherwise be the magazine well of the rifle. A hinged floor plate is loaded from the top. Typically, a button or lever can be pressed to open the floor plate and eject the cartridges. This is not the same thing as a flush-fit, detachable box magazine.
Forend/Fore end: Often called the forend, fore end, or forestock, this is the front part of the rifle that extends under the barrel. It’s the forward portion of the stock, which is one solid piece, and that can be confusing if you’re used to AR platform rifles.
Forestock: See forend.
Ghost Ring Sights: This type of sight includes a rear sight that’s a complete circle with an empty center and a front sight that’s a post. Focusing on the front sight means the rear, or “ghost” sight, tends to blur and fade away.
Iron Sights: The term “iron sights” is used as a blanket term to refer to any metal or plastic sights that attach to the firearm directly without involving magnification, dots, glass, or other objects. Iron sights are no-frills, basic sights such as ghost ring sights, buckhorn sights, and peep sights.
Ladder Sight: These sights are usually made from metal and lay flat on the gun until in use. They’re then raised into an upright position. Graduations are marked at intervals up the height of the ladder sight and a crosspiece is moved as a focusing point to the level required at that time. Some ladder sights are marked for yardage at each line while others are not. Most ladder sights can also be used as a basic iron sight when folded down, just without the height and marks measuring yardage.
Long Action: A long action bolt-action rifle is precisely what it sounds like — a gun with a longer action, meaning it’s designed to function with larger and longer cartridges. Generally speaking, a long action is made for cartridges between 2.8 and 3.34 inches long, although it can vary by manufacturer.
Peep Sight: This sight has a small rear sight that’s circular with a little opening in the middle and usually a front bead sight (sometimes a post sight is used). Peep sights, which are also called aperture sights, are useful because they can help the shooter’s eye focus and sharpen the target, even at longer distances. The size of the hole in the rear sight varies.
Rail: A rail is either integral to the rifle or added to it as an aftermarket item. Rails are usually Picatinny style, but not always; some rails are Weaver. The rail is used as a mounting platform for optics and magnifiers.
Receiver: On a bolt-action rifle there’s only one receiver, unlike AR platform rifles that have both an upper and lower receiver. A bolt-action receiver is the metal piece found immediately above the trigger that contains the action and other parts.
Recoil Pad: Some rifles have a recoil pad built into the stock while others are added aftermarket. The recoil pad is designed to help absorb felt recoil for a more comfortable shooting experience, as well as a more accurate one.
Short Action: A short action, bolt-action rifle is designed to accommodate shorter cartridges. Short actions are usually made to work with cartridges that are between 2.3 and 2.8 inches in length, although it can vary by manufacturer.
Stock: On a bolt-action, the term “stock” refers to the entirety of the gun’s butt, grip, and forend — it’s a single piece. Some models do have separate pieces, but the standard and classic design leaves the stock as a single monolithic part. Stocks might be made of wood, polymer, or a composite.
Straight Pull: Although not common, some companies do still make straight pull bolt-action rifles. These rifles are designed with a bolt that is pulled straight back to open the bolt and then pushed straight forward to close it. Unlike most bolt-action rifles, the straight pull does not rotate to unlock or lock it in place during use.
Tang Safety: This is a type of safety located on the top, or tang, of the receiver. It slides back and forth to activate and deactivate the safety and is popular among many shooters because it usually doesn’t require as much hand movement or adjustment to manipulate as others, such as a crossbolt safety.
Tubular magazine: This type of magazine is a tube located under the barrel of the gun that has an internal spring and is designed to hold rounds of ammunition and feed them into the gun for live fire.
Ventilated Rib: The rib of a bolt-action rifle is located at the top of the barrel and is a narrow strip of metal or plastic that runs down the barrel’s length from the receiver. A vented rib has gaps between its bottom side and the top of the barrel. It’s made to help heat dissipate while providing a sighting plane for the shooter. While they’re more common on shotguns, there are some bolt-action rifles with vented ribs.
