A bolt-action handgun. Why would anyone make a bolt-action handgun?
Is it a minimalist kit with only a few moving parts for the budding gunsmith? No. Is it chambered for elephant gun belted magnum rounds that would destroy a conventional pistol? No.
Is it a convoluted design built to comply with California’s emerging and increasingly intolerant firearm laws? Of course it is.
Introducing the Easy Bolt, the patent-pending Glock-compatible bolt-action slide modification kit by Inlander Arms for the California home gunsmith market.
Every year California’s roster of approved handguns shrinks a little more. Because of this some see home gunsmithing as the future of pistol ownership in the Golden State.
Thanks to the huge Glock aftermarket, several companies have begun work on 80 percent Glock-pattern pistol frames and kits. These kits aren’t considered firearms by law because they are non-functioning.
Recognizing this, California legislators have regulated the private manufacture of handguns as well, implementing strict restrictions on what kinds of pistols home gunsmiths are allowed to build.
“California law requires all individuals building handguns to make it a single shot bolt action or break top action,” explains Inlander Arms.
“Before the Easy Bolt, there was no practical way for most people to achieve compliance. The only option was to hire a machinist or gunsmith to custom-fabricate a solution. The Easy Bolt is universal in design and can help you stay in compliance with multiple builds.”
The kit is fairly simple. It clamps onto the pistol slide and locks the slide into battery. Lifting the bolt unlocks the slide allowing the user to cycle it manually. The conversion is non-permanent and requires no special tools to install.
To make the kit comply with the rest of the legislation it needs to be used with a zero-capacity magazine, non-functioning magazine release and extended barrel.
Inlander Arms decided to place the bolt on the right side so that the majority of shooters will have to take their hand off the trigger to cycle the action for safety reasons. With a standard-length barrel installed the bolt sits in front of the muzzle, a risky combination. Because the kit works with both standard length and extended barrels the extra safety step was added.
See Also: Barrett’s Bolt-Action Hunting Rifle: the New Fieldcraft
Ultimately this lets builders use proven semi-automatic components to build single-shot firearms. Previously California law allowed the sale of semi-automatic pistols converted to single-shot handguns but legislators barred the practice in 2015.
Using the Easy Bolt, home gunsmiths can take a “virgin” frame and build it into a single-shot pistol from the start using easy-to-find, off-the-shelf components.
Currently, Inlander Arms is offering the Easy Bolt kit at the introductory price of $149. The company also has bundles including the kit, extended barrel, and 80 percent frame starting at $269.
Time will tell if Inlander Arms will also develop a slide that feeds from stripper clips for out-of-state users looking for the best in late 19th-century pistol technology.
Visit Inlander Arms for more information.
Shop for Glock handguns on GunsAmerica.