I just Bought A Project……Opinions

[Sniperhandle]

If you go with the 7x57, you might look for a 1909 Arg. tg/fp. If not altered, it would be the right length for the cartridge, it's hinged, has no locking screw holes and looks Mauser. You would still have to inlet the wood at little forward as it's longer than the FN metal. but the action screw hole spacing.

Argentine bottom metal has become pretty expensive and for a little more you can get custom.

 

[Rflshootr]

Al, I have read countless opinions on this. Some say yes, some no.

Strictly from a machinist point of view, I would think that if you know beyond any doubt that the inner ring is truly square with the face of the action, it would be better to seat against both.

After I get through with what I am going to do, I will have the barrel seat against each.

Jackie, The 1st rifle I ever built was a Turkish Mauser with a large ring receiver and small ring threads. From my experience, it's better to true the receiver face and leave .004-.005 clearance to the inner face. I've had 2 different barrels on that rifle and originally set them up to touch both trued surfaces. I kept getting unexplained fliers. It drove me crazy. I re-bedded that rifle 3 times with the same result. Finally I pulled the 2nd barrel (a 280 Rem) and faced off .005, reinstalled and the problem went away. Then I did the same to the 1st barrel (standard 284 Win) and no more problems out of that one either. Anyway, you might consider an 8x57 if you can find brass. It's no slouch with 150 grain bullet and you won't have to mess with the feed rails like I did. Whatever caliber you pick, make it something that you can easily get brass and bullets for. Many calibers are almost impossible to find since all the ammo companies want to do is sell loaded ammo to us anymore.....if you can even get that without going bankrupt.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Jackie, The 1st rifle I ever built was a Turkish Mauser with a large ring receiver and small ring threads. From my experience, it's better to true the receiver face and leave .004-.005 clearance to the inner face. I've had 2 different barrels on that rifle and originally set them up to touch both trued surfaces. I kept getting unexplained fliers. It drove me crazy. I re-bedded that rifle 3 times with the same result. Finally I pulled the 2nd barrel (a 280 Rem) and faced off .005, reinstalled and the problem went away. Then I did the same to the 1st barrel (standard 284 Win) and no more problems out of that one either. Anyway, you might consider an 8x57 if you can find brass. It's no slouch with 150 grain bullet and you won't have to mess with the feed rails like I did. Whatever caliber you pick, make it something that you can easily get brass for. Many calibers are almost impossible to find since all the ammo companies want to do is sell loaded ammo to us anymore.

You are not the first to say this. Enough have said it that there must be something to it.

As for the chamber? I think it’s going to be the 280 Remington.

 

[Rflshootr]

You are not the first to say this. Enough have said it that there must be something to it.

As for the chamber? I think it’s going to be the 280 Remington.

That is an awesome cartridge. I like mine.
I think having both faces touching screws up something with the harmonics. I look at it this way, I've never seen any modern actions made that way and you know they work....

 

[std7mag]

I accidentally won an old Mauser at auction a few years ago. $65...

I decided to do a build for my daughter.
Faced receiver, tried bolt face, drilled and tapped for scope, cut & bent bolt handle, lapped lugs.
I went with a Timney trigger with no safety. And put a 3 position Dakota safety on the bolt.
EGW one piece base.
Alas, my daughter & wife ordered a Purple Boyds AT-One stock for her.
Barrel is E.R. Shaw 22" sporter, polished, blued in 7X57 Mauser.

I'm loading 120gr Nosler Ballistic Tips over RL17.

I know there's a special place in the afterlife for putting a purple stock on a Mauser!
But I got my Ruger 77 MKII in 257 Roberts back!!

 

[shortgrass]

This is my rendition of a forged, Mauser bolt handle and knob

 

[jackieschmidt]

This afternoon, I threaded a mandrel and faced it square so I could screw the old Mauser action up on it firmly against the inner ring in order to see how much the bolt way ran out with the thread and the inner ring Face.

I had previously turned a rod between centers in insert firmly into the boltway and stick out the back in order to place an indicator.

I am amazed. The rod only ran out .012 inch. I have seen Factory Remington 700’s run out twice this much when checking in the same manner.

I went on ahead and took a very light skin cut on the action face, insuring it is square with the threads and inner ring face.

I think this is all I am going to do to it as far a truing goes. Like I said, this 115 year old Mauser is plenty straight enough to make a fine hunting rifle.

As soon as I get the scope bases I will drill and tap the action to mount them.

Here are a few pictures of the set up.

 

[LVLAaron]

Cool way to test. I’ll have to try that next time I have a bare action

 

[shortgrass]

The ID of the '98 bolt raceway is a snug 18mm

 

[jackieschmidt]

The ID of the '98 bolt raceway is a snug 18mm

The boltway on this one measures .706 inch. That rounds off to 18mm.
I made the checking rod about “metal to metal” and lightly tapped it in before screwing it onto the mandrel.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Cool way to test. I’ll have to try that next time I have a bare action

That’s the way I check all actions to see if it is worth the effort to do any truing.

 

[jackieschmidt]

I had a few minutes to kill today, so I drilled and tapped the action for the Warne Scope Bases donated to me by Stan, (@spike-55 )

I did drill the mounts out to accept 8-40 screws instead of the 6-48 that the mounts come with. I then drilled and tapped the action for 8-40.

I checked them with a straight edge on the sides and top, and they are amazingly straight With each other.

 

[Sniperhandle]

You'd be surprised how far off bases can be especially on Mauser's, These tools are a good way to check alignment.

 

[shortgrass]

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1007209453 there's your bottom metal

 

[butchlambert]

Type I:
Action OAL: 8.750
Receiver screws, center to center: 7.835
Bolt body length: 6.370
Magazine length: 3.315
Receiver ring dia: 1.410 large ring
Barrel shank dia: 1.100 large shank


Some specs on yours if you need them.

 

[jackieschmidt]

You'd be surprised how far off bases can be especially on Mauser's, These tools are a good way to check alignment.

View attachment 1482171

I have a set of those I made myself. When I get my rings, I will check the bore alignments.

 

[jackieschmidt]

I set up the action this afternoon and trued the inner ring, the threads, and the action face all on the same set up.

The pictures are pretty self explanatory. I ground a 55 degree threading tool to chase the threads.
This old action was amazingly true. After indicating the bolt way with the mandrel, The inner ring ran just about zero. I just barley skinned the face, The threads were equally true, I doubt I took more than .005 off the pitch diameter. This is good, as it never got past the case hardenning.

 

[Riesel]

Jackie, I'm glad that you are finding this old action to be in better than good condition. The work you are doing is very nice and will lend itself to a nice looking rifle. Do you plan to remove the charging hump and the stripper clip guides/slots?

 

[Sniperhandle]

I am really enjoying watching your project unfold, I have been a Mauser fan since I was a young boy, I got my first one when I was 13. It was an 8x57 and An old Gunsmith by the name of Harry Farnham who lived just down the street from me helped me re-barrel it to 30-06. I have been fiddling with Guns ever since. Mauser's and Mosin's are what I enjoy building. I am taking a Hex Mosin I built in 30-40 Krag Ackley Improved that is over 100 years to hunt Elk hunt in about a week.

Harry and his Wife Verna had a rock and gem shop in the front of his Gunsmith Shop that his wife Verna ran. They did their own lapidary work and were also avid "Rockhounds". The name of their shop was:

"Wash-Dak-Cal" For Washington, Dakota and California. His shop was in Apple Valley Cailfornia out in the "Sticks"

There were actually wide open spaces and few homes back then in the area.

I wonder if anyone reading this may have known them or heard of Harry? They were very good people. He was a WW2 veteran and was a good Gunsmith.

 

[Sniperhandle]

The way you are holding the action in the chuck, I am curious as to what is supporting the rear of the action?