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November 1, 2013
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Louis Luttrell said
The ground surface is always beneath the anti-bind lug that rides in the left action rail as the bolt is cycled.
Lou, on my #24408 bolt, I make out virtually no diff in polishing around the serial. I do see the two “parenthesis” marks on either end, but they’re hardly more than shadows. Maybe greater dif would show up in daylight, but even if it does, it won’t be as extreme as the bolts in your photos.
March 12, 2023
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seewin said
The Hornet bolt print shows .055″ for depth.Steve
Well this is crazy. I am getting around .010 with my depth mic. 
March 12, 2008
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I’m sorry, I misunderstood what you were looking for. I thought you wanted the depth from the bolt face to the end of the bolt.
Steve
March 12, 2023
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seewin said
I’m sorry, I misunderstood what you were looking for. I thought you wanted the depth from the bolt face to the end of the bolt.Steve
Ah, No problem. Still, in person and on my photos of the bolt grind it looks much deeper than it is.
March 12, 2008
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Here is one of my pre wars up close. They all vary a bit. Some very rough, some not so much.
Steve
March 12, 2023
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seewin said
Here is one of my pre wars up close. They all vary a bit. Some very rough, some not so much.Steve
Thanks for the reference, that’s an early serial! Based on this and the input in this thread I think I have the original bolt. Tomorrow I’ll remove the action and see what lies inside.
June 4, 2017
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seewin said
Here is one of my pre wars up close. They all vary a bit. Some very rough, some not so much.Steve
I wonder if the grind area is simply a way of protecting the electric pencil numbers from wear by making the area lower. Maybe it removes surface harding and allows the marks to be deeper? T/R
March 12, 2023
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Action is out! First lets look at the trigger. Fortunately this is just a shoe (is that correct?) with setscrews on one side that clamps onto the trigger.
Its hard to make out the first letter of the marking ?enshaw? The number is 52.
Trigger assembly pics:
March 12, 2023
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Now here is an interesting find. At least I think it is, I am relying on the wisdom of the collectors here.
The bbl is stamped 35 meaning 1935 bbl manufacture, although they didn’t do a great job striking the 3. What Surprised me is that Kilbourne is stamped under here too! Actually “Kilbourne 3”
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March 12, 2008
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Marcus Tillius said
Action is out! First lets look at the trigger. Fortunately this is just a shoe (is that correct?) with setscrews on one side that clamps onto the trigger.
Its hard to make out the first letter of the marking ?enshaw? The number is 52.
Trigger assembly pics:
Yep, that is a factory trigger with a Harvey Henshaw trigger shoe. That is the reason it looked odd in your 1st pictures.
Steve
March 12, 2023
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seewin said
Marcus Tillius said
Action is out! First lets look at the trigger. Fortunately this is just a shoe (is that correct?) with setscrews on one side that clamps onto the trigger.
Its hard to make out the first letter of the marking ?enshaw? The number is 52.
Trigger assembly pics:
Yep, that is a factory trigger with a Harvey Henshaw trigger shoe. That is the reason it looked odd in your 1st pictures.
Steve
10-4. What do you think about the bbl markings?
Marcus
March 12, 2008
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The 35 does look strange, definitely done with 2 different stamps. It appears to me that the rifle was actually chambered by Lysle Kilbourne. That’s neat.
Steve
March 12, 2023
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Magazine Sheet Metal question. was it typical in the factory to grind the spot welds and front of it after bluing it? I’m not surprised that they ground the excess expulsion from the spot welds prior to fitting, but not sure about the front, and if this was done during fitting.
Marcus
March 12, 2008
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I’m don’t recall seeing one ground on the front like yours, but have seen lots of them with the rivets ground. I wouldn’t be surprised if Winchester didn’t grind the front as well. That was a pretty complicated magazine with all the various parts in it.
Steve
March 12, 2023
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seewin said
The 35 does look strange, definitely done with 2 different stamps. It appears to me that the rifle was actually chambered by Lysle Kilbourne. That’s neat.Steve
That is awesome! I am thinking that too. Is there any reference to Kilbourn that I can research? I’m inferring that this is #3 of a group of original wildcat hornets but I’m not coming up with much on the internet.
Marcus
March 12, 2008
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There is tons of info out there on the K Hornet as well as the multitude of other Hornet wildcats. Seems like everyone had their own idea bettering the little gem. I know American Rifleman ran several articles on the K Hornets and Kilbourne in the 40’s. I have several vintage books as well on the cartridge and its design, but very little on the man himself. As I recall he was from New York and developed some other K cartridges as well. There were actually 3 versions of the K Hornet, the Junior and one other that I don’t recall the name.
Steve
November 1, 2013
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Marcus Tillius said Is there any reference to Kilbourn that I can research?
Short chapter on K in Practical Dope on the .22, by F. C. Ness, but no bio. Lived in Whitesboro, NY, but he was only one of many wildcat gunsmiths “improving” factory cartridges during the ’30s & ’40s, so really no great “celebrity.”
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