S.atkeson,
You can purchase replacement bolt heads from Pacific Tool and Gauge. They don't mention what size firing pin hole they utilize. I 'd give them a call and ask the question if I wanted one of their bolt heads. I have heard of people drilling out the firing pin hole on the newer bolt faces to fit the older larger firing pin. However, I have no first hand experience with this and do not personally know anyone who has done it. Perhaps another board member with first hand experience and/or more knowledge will chime in on that subject and enlighten both of us.
When I was in a similar predicament and unable to wrangle all the necessary parts, I watched the Classifieds section of this board and ended up purchasing an almost complete long action bolt from another member. I confirmed with the seller it was one of the "newer" bolts and utilized the smaller diameter firing pin. Once I added the ejector and extractor parts, it worked like a charm. So, to answer your question --- a new complete bolt assembly will work. If you swap out your complete bolt, I recommend checking your headspace if you are not installing a new barrel. It will likely need to be reset. You probably already knew that, but figured I'd mention it just in case.
Bookmarks