First Mauser Fix Up

[DHall_37]

Got this Mauser from my uncle a few months ago and gave it a complete overhaul. I don’t even know where to start at, so I’ll just describe what I did to it- I also added some photos. I’m all ears to any suggestions y’all might have, I’m only 18 and got lots to learn!

stock had MAJOR cracks and splits, I filled them all in with wood glue and super glue. It also has some pins previously inserted into the stock, this glue should help even more.

Gave the wood a good sanding as it has some paint in certain areas. Hit it with mineral spirits then boiled linseed oil, lastly it got some Howard’s feed and wax on top.

Hardest part was dealing with the outer rust and pitting on the barrel. After many attempts I finally used blue and rust remover, hit it with a brass brush to break it up then wiped it off. Heated the barrel up with a lighter, wiped a small amount of ammonia on the barrel to degrease, after that I hit it with cold blue on a rag, put tons of layers on it.

Might I add that cold blue is definitely not as good as the factory blue and didn’t match the front 4 inches or so that didn’t need as much work, however it’s barley noticeable.

Next was the fun part, I wanted to prevent further cracking of the stock, did some reading online and here, decided that the recoil lug needed shimmed. I purchased a recoil lug key from Brass Stacker and out it came. Now I needed some shim stock, not wanting to use something weak like plastic I went for an old rusted 1903 Springfield stripper clip and cut the spring part inside to fit. Works perfect and the receiver was a snug fit and required more force to insert.

all parts got a bath in a bucket with warm water, CLP and Hoppes no9. Also the bore got a super cleaning. Rifle just needs one more part and I’m set. It’s the piece of steel looking tube that the rear tang screw goes into. Shouldn’t be too hard to find on EBay.

as can be shown this thing is held together with lots of glue lol. Any suggestions from y’all are highly appreciated.

 

[hoz53]

what are your plans for this gun? Do you plan on shooting it, or will it be a wall hanger?
have you had a way to look at the bore and determine its condition? It looks like a 98? Is it still in original 8x57 cartridge?

 

[DHall_37]

what are your plans for this gun? Do you plan on shooting it, or will it be a wall hanger?
have you had a way to look at the bore and determine its condition? It looks like a 98? Is it still in original 8x57 cartridge?

I want to shoot it some and it’s a 93 action chambered in 7x57. Bore looks good I cleaned it and it’s shiny, I don’t have a bore scope though. If it doesn’t like full power stuff it’ll probably be a good candidate for cast reloads.

 

[hoz53]

I want to shoot it some and it’s a 93 action chambered in 7x57. Bore looks good I cleaned it and it’s shiny, I don’t have a bore scope though. If it doesn’t like full power stuff it’ll probably be a good candidate for cast reloads.

oh okay-

 

[DHall_37]

oh okay- with a small ring action I would use the low power loads made/suggested for these.

Yep I’ll use cast and low powered FMJ like PPU. I got another 93 in much better shape that will hold up to the more powerful stuff.

 

[jackieschmidt]

The 7x57 is a great cartridge. If your 93 is in good shape mechanically, you should be able to duplicated the original factory load which is no slouch for deer sized game.

There is a huge inventory of miss conceptions surrounding the small ring Mausers. The original military load was a little over 50,000 psi. Working with that pressure can produce some great ballistics with the right bullet choice.

if the bore is as clean as you say, you might be surprised how accurate that rifle is.

I have a friend who is doing a custom small ring Mexican Mauser in 257 Roberts.

 

[DHall_37]

The 7x57 is a great cartridge. If your 93 is in good shape mechanically, you should be able to duplicated the original factory load which is no slouch for deer sized game.

There is a huge inventory of miss conceptions surrounding the small ring Mausers. The original military load was a little over 50,000 psi. Working with that pressure can produce some great ballistics with the right bullet choice.

if the bore is as clean as you say, you might be surprised how accurate that rifle is.

I have a friend who is doing a custom small ring Mexican Mauser in 257 Roberts.

I’ll have to make up some 175 gr and 150s for it. I like the 175 RN but those are hard to come by.

That Mexican Mauser sounds sweet, dad and I are working on a CZ Mauser 98 in 25-06.

 

[NZ_Fclass]

Good project. I would have opened the splits and joined them with epoxy bedding compound - the Brownell stuff with a black dye - but hey
Good 140g/150g should shoot fine - run it with slower powders - it's an old gun - there's plenty of load data for 2213sc / R22/N165 that will work well enough. I would be surprised if it didn't shoot well. I have just sold 2 Mausers (98's) 1 in 243 AI and 1 in '06. Both shot well.

 

[std7mag]

I'm not sure where your going with the shim for the recoil lug?
I could understand if there was excess space behind the recoil lug.
But it looks as though you put the shim under the recoil lug.

I could see it if you had a gap between the stock and bottom metal.
Otherwise, i see no point in it.

 

[Ggmac]

If you can’t afford proper beddimaterial you can use Bondo with good results .
i would be careful using factory PPU ammo . Its loaded hot and your Spanish mauser is known for soft lugs and receiver set back . Please be careful. I was at a range when a old gentleman was shooting the same Spanish 7 mm 93 mauser , he was medi vac air lifted out . He shot 3 rounds when the 4 blew the gun and bolt back at him . That was with underpowered Remington ammo . Have the headspace checked and when the bolt is in fired position and the firing pin is down , is it hard to open the bolt then get easier?
sure would like you to see 19 .

 

[DHall_37]

If you can’t afford proper beddimaterial you can use Bondo with good results .
i would be careful using factory PPU ammo . Its loaded hot and your Spanish mauser is known for soft lugs and receiver set back . Please be careful. I was at a range when a old gentleman was shooting the same Spanish 7 mm 93 mauser , he was medi vac air lifted out . He shot 3 rounds when the 4 blew the gun and bolt back at him . That was with underpowered Remington ammo . Have the headspace checked and when the bolt is in fired position and the firing pin is down , is it hard to open the bolt then get easier?
sure would like you to see 19 .

Bolt feels fine on lift, and doesn’t show any wear on the lugs. I figured that that soft Spanish steel and weak 93 action were all myths. I don’t reload hot anyways even if the rifle can handle it. I also partial resize my brass to keep it supported in the chamber better than a FL resize .

 

[DHall_37]

I'm not sure where your going with the shim for the recoil lug?
I could understand if there was excess space behind the recoil lug.
But it looks as though you put the shim under the recoil lug.

I could see it if you had a gap between the stock and bottom metal.
Otherwise, i see no point in it.

I was trying to move the recoil lug forwards, I noticed that the action would move inside the stock with no action screws in it. Doing what I did got the slop out of it. I figured it would stop the cracking and even out the pressure on the wood.

However, my other Spanish Mauser had the same type of movement and the wood was in much better shape so I put my shim in front of the recoil lug. I’ll most likely glue it in place after sending some rounds through it and seeing how it likes it.

 

[DHall_37]

Good project. I would have opened the splits and joined them with epoxy bedding compound - the Brownell stuff with a black dye - but hey
Good 140g/150g should shoot fine - run it with slower powders - it's an old gun - there's plenty of load data for 2213sc / R22/N165 that will work well enough. I would be surprised if it didn't shoot well. I have just sold 2 Mausers (98's) 1 in 243 AI and 1 in '06. Both shot well.

If the splits get worse I’ll use some epoxy. For the glue I used clamps to help it cure. I don’t have any of those powders, slowest I got is either IMR 4831 or 3031.

 

[NZ_Fclass]

If the splits get worse I’ll use some epoxy. For the glue I used clamps to help it cure. I don’t have any of those powders, slowest I got is either IMR 4831 or 3031.

I would start with the 4831. 3031 is roughly H322, so a bit quick for my liking.

 

[hpshooter]

Keep working on the Mausers and other guns as you acquire them. Always put safety first, start at minimum loads and work up Experiment Safely. Your post indicate to me that you take the time to think things out and seek advice which is the key to learning IMHO.

There is a wealth of information available here. Ggmac has a wealth of experience and knowledge of Mausers as well as many other firearms.

 

[SBS]

The 7x57 is a great cartridge. If your 93 is in good shape mechanically, you should be able to duplicated the original factory load which is no slouch for deer sized game.

There is a huge inventory of miss conceptions surrounding the small ring Mausers. The original military load was a little over 50,000 psi. Working with that pressure can produce some great ballistics with the right bullet choice.

if the bore is as clean as you say, you might be surprised how accurate that rifle is.

I have a friend who is doing a custom small ring Mexican Mauser in 257 Roberts.

According to Kuhnhausen in his "The Mauser Bolt Actions", the the original peak operating pressure for the German made small ring Mausers in 7x57 (pre 98 models) was 42,000 psi. - even the later high pressure loadings of the 8x57 in the 98 action was less than 47,000. Quoting him on p. 18, "The Spanish made M93 and M95 actions are typically too soft and are not suggested" (he was discussing sporting conversions and custom rifle building). Small ring 98's are a different matter and the Mexican and Czech small ring 98's are much stronger and have been sought after for decades for building lightweight custom rifles. I have rifles built on both and they will handle any commercial loads. Kuhnhausen also suggested the 94/96 Swedish actions if one wanted to use a pre98 model small ring. One should not equate Spanish 93/95 models with the later stronger small ring 98 actions.

 

[jackieschmidt]

According to Kuhnhausen in his "The Mauser Bolt Actions", the the original peak operating pressure for the German made small ring Mausers in 7x57 (pre 98 models) was 42,000 psi. - even the later high pressure loadings of the 8x57 in the 98 action was less than 47,000. Quoting him on p. 18, "The Spanish made M93 and M95 actions are typically too soft and are not suggested" (he was discussing sporting conversions and custom rifle building). Small ring 98's are a different matter and the Mexican and Czech small ring 98's are much stronger and have been sought after for decades for building lightweight custom rifles. I have rifles built on both and they will handle any commercial loads. Kuhnhausen also suggested the 94/96 Swedish actions if one wanted to use a pre98 model small ring. One should not equate Spanish 93/95 models with the later stronger small ring 98 actions.

7×57mm Mauser

The 7×57mm cartridge, also known as the 7 mm Mauser, 7×57mm Mauser, 7 mm Spanish Mauser in the USA and .275 Rigby in the United Kingdom, was developed by Paul Mauser of the Mauser company in 1892 and adopted as a military cartridge by Spain in 1893.[1] It was subsequently adopted by several...

military-history.fandom.com

the original military issue ammunition for the ‘93 7x57 was rated at 50,370 psi.

 

[SBS]

A careful reading of the article you referenced above does not bear this out. The article is a general one about the 7x57. The ballistics listed in the chart are out of Barnes "Cartridges of the World" and are for modern cartridge loads. However, in a portion of this article headed "Military Use", it states the velocities achieved with successive military loadings of the 7x57. These velocities are well below the modern loadings listed, which are stated to produce a Maximum of 51,000 psi SAAMI.
Earliest loadings 1893-1913 were 172.8 gr. bullets @2198 fps -- Barnes chart shows 173 gr. @2500 fps
Starting in 1913, 138.9 gr. bullets were loaded to 2789 fps -- Barnes chart shows 139 gr. @ 3000 fps
Lastly, 162 gr. bullets were loaded to 2461 fps -- the Barnes chart shows 172 gr. @ 2600.

According to the article, the modern loads Barnes shows produced a maximum of 51,000 psi. Obviously, the military loadings which produced considerably lower velocities also had lower pressures. Also, when looking at European pressure data, we must be careful to remember that the CIP pressure measuring numbers are slightly more than 10% higher than SAAMI numbers for the same loading. One can believe whatever source they find convenient, but I think we should remember that steel doesn't improve with age and better to be safe than sorry with these older actions. I noted that in an Army ordnance letter, the Krag was tested to the pressures of the 98 Mauser and the conclusion was that it would be okay (max. pressure for the Krag at that time was 38,000 psi). I don't think you'll find anyone today recommending loading the Krag to M98 pressure; I certainly don't on mine. As Gmac stated, there are some pretty stout loads out there for the 7x57 (and other military cartridges). It doesn't mean it's okay to use them in any rifle chambered for them.

 

[DHall_37]

A careful reading of the article you referenced above does not bear this out. The article is a general one about the 7x57. The ballistics listed in the chart are out of Barnes "Cartridges of the World" and are for modern cartridge loads. However, in a portion of this article headed "Military Use", it states the velocities achieved with successive military loadings of the 7x57. These velocities are well below the modern loadings listed, which are stated to produce a Maximum of 51,000 psi SAAMI.
Earliest loadings 1893-1913 were 172.8 gr. bullets @2198 fps -- Barnes chart shows 173 gr. @2500 fps
Starting in 1913, 138.9 gr. bullets were loaded to 2789 fps -- Barnes chart shows 139 gr. @ 3000 fps
Lastly, 162 gr. bullets were loaded to 2461 fps -- the Barnes chart shows 172 gr. @ 2600.

According to the article, the modern loads Barnes shows produced a maximum of 51,000 psi. Obviously, the military loadings which produced considerably lower velocities also had lower pressures. Also, when looking at European pressure data, we must be careful to remember that the CIP pressure measuring numbers are slightly more than 10% higher than SAAMI numbers for the same loading. One can believe whatever source they find convenient, but I think we should remember that steel doesn't improve with age and better to be safe than sorry with these older actions. I noted that in an Army ordnance letter, the Krag was tested to the pressures of the 98 Mauser and the conclusion was that it would be okay (max. pressure for the Krag at that time was 38,000 psi). I don't think you'll find anyone today recommending loading the Krag to M98 pressure; I certainly don't on mine. As Gmac stated, there are some pretty stout loads out there for the 7x57 (and other military cartridges). It doesn't mean it's okay to use them in any rifle chambered for them.

All good points stated fellas. To be safe I’ll stick to my method of partial resizing brass to keep the brass from weakening over time and have it fire formed to the chamber.

I always start at minimum loads or very close to them. Anyone who starts at a max charge is an idiot IMO.

as for what was said about the 162 gr bullets, I have probably a thousand of them all from WW2 era and slightly after. Case is plum full of powder, looks almost like it’s compressed, but shaking a round I can hear powder shake. I have no clue what the powder is, I’d assume IMR 4895, US sold that stuff world wide I’ve been told. Pulled case was loaded with 40.5 gr of powder according to my notes I took over a year ago.

Also, here is a round that’s got me stumped. It’s a 1927 HP stamped case with a 118 gr bullet loaded with 41.5 gr of ball powder!??? Bullet is a silver color and will attract a magnet. Feller by the name of 358 WCF told me that he thought “Winchester came out with ball powder after 1927?”