Project Mauser

[dburkhead]

Minor update:

Got the replacement bolt stop assembly (bolt stop, spring, ejector, and screw) today. I'll install it when I get home this evening.

In another forum it was suggested that the feeding problem is caused by the left rail pushing the cartridge too far to the right. On the 4th round, there's less tension so the back can adjust to let it feed more easily. The suggested fix was to polish down the left rail a bit.

 

[dburkhead]

Took the action to a friend of mine's (one who owns many Mausers) to see if we could identify the problem. He pulled out several different Mausers including an Israeli Mauser in 7.62, a Czech and (IIRC) one more 8 mm. He also pulled out some 8 mm dummy rounds (made from actual 8 mm Mauser rounds with dead primers and the cases drilled crosswise).

First, the 8 mm fed fine in my action, which is good. If it hadn't, that might have meant that the receiver was damaged, possibly beyond repair.

We then tried the .308 dummy rounds that I had. Slowly feeding them one at a time (and forcing past the "sticking" point, on the 2nd round, we saw that rounds 1, 2, 3, and 5 would "push feed." #4 popped up out of the magwell almost immediately after the bolt started coming forward and did a controlled feed. Now, I have been told that Mausers don't "push feed" but are rather "controlled feed" rifles, however, I have to wonder. We tried the dummy rounds in the Israeli and Czech rifles and in both they push fed. We also tried the 8 mm dummies in my action and in another 8 mm and again the push feed. So, I dunno. I know what I've read. I also know what I've now seen in several different Mausers.

At the very front of the right rail there was a lump of metal (see picture). It was out of the way when the longer 8 mm cartridges were fed forward, but the shorter .308 came across at a sharper angle and the shoulder of the round would hit this lump and stick. The #4 round, however, would pop up out of the magwell and come in straight so it never encountered it. None of the other Mausers had a similar lump in that position so I suspect it was just the result of some sloppiness in the manufacture of the receiver.

A few minutes with a file planed down the lump. Now both 8 mm and .308 feeds nicely.

One thing we noticed in looking over the other Mausers was that the Israeli Mauser had a small block at the front of the magazine filling most of the space in front of the follower. The followers in both the Israeli and in my action were the same length (checked with both removed from their respective guns). I could probably fabricate such a block and either press fit or solder it in, but is something like that available commercially?

 

[fireball168]

Commercial Mausers in short action calibers have the spacer in the back of the magazine well.

Unsure of what GPC is selling these days, they used to sell a spacer for the front of the magazine well for 7.62x39 conversions, they don't call this out:

MAUSER | 98 | ITEM#1052480 | e-GunParts.com


Mauser Short Action Magazine Feed Kit | e-GunParts.com=


These Gibbs style magazines actually work pretty decent all things considered.

Mauser 98 3 Round Detachable Magazines | e-GunParts.com=

 

[dburkhead]

Don't want to let this go too long without an update.

Work is continuing. I'll try to get some pics up soon.

Working with a friend, I've ground off the stripper clip bump, sanded, and polished the bridge sot that it looks nice.

I've continued that, sanding the rest of the receiver to "pretty it up" in preperation for refinishing to come later.

Incidentally, there were some burrs on the underside of the receiver, where the trigger guard/magazine housing fits that caused a gap on one side when the magazine housing was secured to the receiver. Removing those burrs (without cutting into the metal underneath) fixed that. The magazine housing now fits tight without any visible gap. Rounds still feed nicely so this change didn't muck up anything else.

I had looked into buying a replacement bolt body with a bent bolt handle for a low scope mount. Hoosier Gun Works had a couple listed on their web site, but when I called them, they were gone. Oh well. Next option was to have the handle cut off the current bolt body and a new one welded on. One option was simply to have the original handle cut then welded at the new angle. However, I found this online and decided I liked it better than the original. I'm hoping the knurled handle will give me a more positive grip over the smooth original if I'm wearing heavy gloves in cold weather. I've ordered the handle and will be jobbing out the work (friend of a friend networking) once the handle arrives.

The next task after that is having the receiver drilled and tapped for a scope mount. I'm really not keen on spending the money for a jig to do it (right) myself, so that, too will be jobbed out (same friend of a friend networking).

A question on scope mounts. I've seen some claiming to be for "Mauser FN" and at least one for a Mauser 98 that says "does not fit Turkish Mausers." The receiver is a Turkish Large Ring Small Shank Mauser. Why would a Mauser 98 scope not fit that? Likewise, would these "Mauser FN" mounts fit or not? For various reasons I'd prefer to use a one piece mount rather than a two piece. What, exactly, do I have to look for?

Once that's done, I think' I'll be ready to install the barrel and either get it finish reamed and headspaced (provided I can find someone who can do that reasonably local to me) or rent reamers from here. The question there is: do I want the floating or the solid pilot reamer? Also, do I need a separate throating reamer? If so, I need to consider the cost of that in determining what is "reasonable" in terms of having it done.

Oh, and I'll also need to get a side-swing or other low profile safety since a scope would get in the way of the original Mauser safety.

At that point, I believe I'll have a shootable rifle. I can put it back in the original stock (with suitable modification of the barrel channel) which has already been chopped in the original "sporterizing" of the rifle so further modification doesn't bother me from a "historical" perspective. I'll want to get a better stock and a better trigger, but I can do that in stages while having something to shoot.

 

[fireball168]

...would these "Mauser FN" mounts fit or not? For various reasons I'd prefer to use a one piece mount rather than a two piece. What, exactly, do I have to look for?

The front receiver ring is the same OD between military and commercial Mausers, typically within in a few thousandths.

The rear bridge is the difference. The commercial versions (FN among others), have a slightly different draft angle on the side cuts away from the top radius in addition to having no charging hump.

Best case scenario - set the receiver between centers in an indexing fixture and surface grind the front ring and rear bridge to the point your scope base is flat (assuming it doesn't have built in elevation) and you've got proper contact between the base and the receiver before the drill and tap.

... or rent reamers from here. The question there is: do I want the floating or the solid pilot reamer?

Also, do I need a separate throating reamer?

I quit using Elk Ridge/Shawnee - too much drama involved there.

4-D Reamer Rentals is run by the Zeglin family. While I have little respect for Fred and the way he runs his side of the business due to some ongoing die delivery issues - the reamer rental side of the business (son-in-law I think) has been excellent.

A floating pilot reamer allows you to fit the pilot size to your bore diameter, down to .0001" (provided you've got the pilots, I only keep them around in .0002" increments).

A solid pilot reamer typically has a pilot anywhere from .0005-.0012" under the nominal bore diameter, which allows yet another potential source of misalignment not to mention the pilot is fixed, so its not turning with your barrel - and likely scratching the hell out of the bore ahead of the throat.

A throating reamer is used to increase the throat length on a chamber. If you're getting the chamber you want (Call PTG/Clymer/JGS - whomever for a print), there shouldn't be any need.

 

[fireball168]

On further review, it would appear I'm repeating myself - and have answered some of these questions already.

I'd recommend surface grinding the receiver ring and rear bridge. Set the action up on a mandrel between on a tailstock and dividing head and grind the front ring true to the bore centerline, then start in on the rear bridge. You'll have a "true" surface for your scope mount, and you can grind it identically to a commercial/FN action for available one piece scope mounts. If you plan on shooting it very far - EGW makes a Commercial/FN rail in either 0 or 20 MOA versions. $75-125 from most reputable gunsmiths.

Jim Kobe, among others, sells a wonderful two position shroud safety ala Winchester Model 70. $100 or thereabouts exchange.

 

[dburkhead]

On further review, it would appear I'm repeating myself - and have answered some of these questions already.

Ah, but the latter answer, by going into more detail, was far clearer (to me at least) than the former answer so sometimes repeating yourself, in somewhat different words, is good.

 

[dburkhead]

As promised, pictures.

First, there's the receiver after the recent round of work. The stripper clip "hump" has been ground off, smoothed with a file and sandpaper, and then the bridge was buffed. In addition, I've gone over the exterior of the receiver with emery paper, starting with 220 and ending with 400:

Next, the new bolt handle has been welded on. I had that done and some grinding of the high spots on the weld beads was done before it came back to me, but I did the rest of the finish work with files and sandpaper (generally wrapped around a file). It's a bit rough, particularly on the inside of the bend, but adequate I think.

Finally, the new safety for use with the scope has come in. I kind of went "low road" here with a two position safety, but for which I have a third "disassembly position if I remove the scope first (which is easy now since I don't have a scope on it yet).

Some work was needed on the safety to get it to work with this bolt. Specifically, it needed some beveling at the corners so that it would fit in ahead of the cocking piece. I don't know if the safety was intended to be beveled to allow it to be moved to the third, "disassembly" position (the instructions provided with the safety were kind of minimal), but there was a "divot" in the safety at that point for the cocking piece to fit into and it was relatively easy to bevel the edge leading up to that so that the safety could be switched to that position:

So now we've got three positions:

Ready to fire:

Safe:

Disassembly:

The disassembly position would probably not be reachable with a low scope in place, but is really only needed when I want to disassemble the bolt.

Next step is to lap the bolt and receiver lugs.