A bolt stop is a small arm at the back of the receiver that was intended to keep the bolt from falling out during drills. I don't have any knowledge that those were welded. On the other hand, the magazine cut off switch was indeed welded which did keep the bolt from being removed as it couldn't be centered to that function. I do know about the rods, looked at one the other day as a matter of fact.
As the late Turner Kirkland was fond of saying, "If you want good oats, you have to pay the price. If you'll take oats that have already been through the horse, those come cheaper."
I thought the bolt stop was supposed to keep the bolt from moving forward, when loading the magazine with a stripper clip or loading a single round when the muzzle may get depressed. There are two indentations on the bottom of the left locking lug that the plunger (tit) on the bolt stop pushes up into when the bolt is to the rear. The spacing of the indentations coincides with the magazine cut off. Cut off in the "on" position keeps the bolt from being able to strip a round from the magazine. Cut off in the "off" position allows the bolt to go all the way to the rear, allowing a round to be stripped from the magazine. The indentation that the "tit" engages depends on the position of the cut off - on or off. The cut off also prevents the bolt from accidentally being removed. The bolt is removed by placing the cut off about half way between "off" and "on".
The bolt stop does not put very much pressure on the bolt, and is easy to over come. Back in the day, many match shooters would remove them anyway. The bolt stop was eliminated during WWll. Regards, Johnny Lawson
Johnny,
"I thought the bolt stop was supposed to keep the bolt from moving forward, when loading the magazine"
You are correct, I did misspeak and should have said moving forward. I have read where it was for manual of arms maneuvers but the consensus indicates it was simply to keep the bolt back while loading. Either way, appreciate the reminder.
Kurt
As the late Turner Kirkland was fond of saying, "If you want good oats, you have to pay the price. If you'll take oats that have already been through the horse, those come cheaper."
JimF, As usual, you are correct. I got so busy remembering which bolt lug had the indentations that I got the "on-off" part goofed up. Thanks for the correction. Regards, Johnny Lawson
I have a Hoffer-Thompson .22, a Mark 1, and a A3. I enjoy them all. The Mark 1 is a blessed rifle. It is effortless to shoot and never misses. It seems to do all of the work, I just hold it and squeeze the trigger. The Hoffer-Thompson .22 gets a lot of attention. Folks are expecting the sound of a .30-06, and the .22 short really surprises them with its lack of noise. The only real problem is that you have to be very careful not to drop the aux. chamber on its nose. J.L.