MP, Thanks for posting the Matthews patent. My Scott apparently use a set-up like Fig 1 as it has the top lever & single sliding underbolt.
It is my personal opinion that on a double bolted gun every effort should me made to insure the rear bolt is actually doing the work. It has approx twice the leverage of the forward bolt thus can hold the force easier. The main advantage of the double bolt would seem to be the longer bearing of the bolt & with the rear lug penertrating it upward force is applied both in front of as well as behind the lug thus lifting the bolt level against it's bearing rather than with a tendency to tip up the leading edge. All very small concerns with a well fitted gun & several highly regarded & quite successful single bolt designs have been used over the years, witness the Parker & Win 21, both single underbolted guns. The further from the hinge, the greater the leverage & the "Flimsier" the bolt can be & still successfully hold the forces. The greater leverage was the principal used in top bolted guns as the WR, Lefever, Alex Brown's rotary bolt etc, all were quite successful.
PS; The more bolts a gun has the harder it becomes to insure each is doing it's share. Buy a "Cheap" gun with multiple bolts & you can rest assured that most likely a single one of them is actually "Doing ALL the Work".
Last edited by 2-piper; 10/01/07 08:32 AM.
