To remove the bolt, pull it completely to the rear. Push the bolt forward about 3/8 inch, then rotate the bolt handle down another 70 degrees or so and remove it from the receiver. It's as simple as that; there are no buttons, levers, etc. To replace the bolt, just repeat the steps in reverse, first matching the beveled end of the track with the sear.

The hinged floorplate is released by a small tab located in the front of the trigger guard. The trigger guard was enlarged for gloved fingers, and the trigger bow was reshaped to fit.

The i-Bolt's Tru-Set trigger offers shooters another first--a fully adjustable trigger that doesn't require removing the action from the stock for adjustment. A small screw sits ahead of the trigger, and shooters can adjust the pull weight from 6 down to 3 pounds by turning the screw counterclockwise with the provided tool. Just like a riflescope, there are clicks caused by a ball detent that represent one-pound increments. Monotonous tests with a Lyman digital trigger-pull gauge proved the system worked as advertised. There was also generally no more than 4 ounces of variance between resets. The adjustable trigger proved to be one of the biggest design challenges of the entire project.

"I had this idea in my head for years and never could make it happen," Skrubis said. "We tried to design it on our own at first, but then quickly turned to an outside source. Timney is the first name that came to mind, and we called up owner John Vehr and said, 'Can you make one?' We were thrilled with the results."

A three-position safety is part of the trigger group and is operated by way of a lever that sits on the right side of the bolt shroud. Conventional lever designs did not provide a positive stop at each position, so Timney designed a lever that moves on a linear plane instead of an arc. There are corresponding holes for each position in the safety stamping that are locked in place with a ball detent. When pulled to the rear, a small arm on the stamping comes up through a cut in the receiver and into a notch between two sections of the bolt, locking it in place. That position also locks the sear in place.

The cross members in the stock’s forend strengthen this critical area while reducing weight. S&W calls this network of cross members X-Bed, which also increases stock-to-stock consistency.

The bottom metal is an anodized aluminum casting. The enlarged trigger guard easily accommodates a gloved finger, and the trigger bow has been reshaped to fit. Hinged at the front, the floor plate is released by a small, serrated tab inside the front of the trigger guard. The magazine spring is captured between the floorplate and plastic follower, and an aluminum stamping forms the magazine box. The two action screws are at the front and back of the bottom-metal assembly and hold all the components together when tightened.

THE .30-06 i-BOLT'S 100-YARD FACTORY-LOAD GROUPS
FACTORY LOAD	GROUP 1 (inches)	GROUP 2 (inches)	GROUP 3 (inches)	GROUP 4 (inches)	GROUP 5 (inches)	AVERAGE ACCURACY (inches)
Federal Fusion 150-gr. Pointed Softpoint	1.475	2.395	1.218	1.481	2.631	1.840
Remington Core-Lokt 150-gr. Pointed Softpoint	3.168	1.082	1.701	1.313	0.823	1.617
Winchester Supreme Elite 150-gr. XP3	2.337	2.635	2.398	2.627	2.782	2.556
Federal Premium 165-gr. Nosler Partition	2.246	2.361	1.774	2.508	2.183	2.210
Hornady InterLock 165-gr. Boattail Softpoint	1.209	2.479	2.527	2.445	2.398	2.214
Remington Premier Accu-Tip 165-gr. Boattail	1.209	1.901	2.441	2.706	2.730	2.197
NOTE: Each group is for five rounds fired from a Caldwell Lead Sled DFT at 100 yards

The Monte Carlo stock was designed by Smith & Wesson and is pretty standard in most dimensions--length of pull, etc.--but the wrist is exceptionally small. It is injection molded and made of long-fiber polypropylene with a 20-percent glass fill. Unidirectional checkering panels are found on both sides of the pistol grip and forend, and the sling studs are molded in to be flush with the stock. The Smith & Wesson logo adorns the grip cap.

There is a chamber in the buttstock for a recoil reducer. At press time, the final design of the reducer had not been decided, but the weight will be around 15 ounces. Instead of mounting on a threaded rod, the unit will use rubber friction washers so it can never rattle loose.

The i-Bolt's 4140-carbon-steel light-profile barrel is button rifled. It measures 23 inches long, 1.205 inches in diameter at the chamber, and tapers down to .665 inch at the muzzle. The ream tolerances are +/- .00035 inch. This tight tolerance is what drives barrel performance and assures consistency from barrel to barrel and in bore and groove diameters. Barrels are pin or air gauged, depending on caliber.