I just Bought A Project……Opinions

[jackieschmidt]

Are you still thinking of using a 3 position safety?

Later. When I get ready to have the metal blued.

I have never installed a 3 position on a Mauser, but I have looked at a few videos on it. It’s not that big of a deal.

 

[shortgrass]

Later. When I get ready to have the metal blued.

I have never installed a 3 position on a Mauser, but I have looked at a few videos on it. It’s not that big of a deal.

I have installed many over the years. If PT&Gs' safeties are anything like many of the other items they make I'd look elsewhere. About the only things from them that I've been happy with are their replacement/custom sized bolts and the mini-16 extractor. New England Custom Gun (NECG) markets a 3 position Mauser safety that's made by Recknagel. I very well made unit! I don't know if Parkwest (Dakota Arms) is again making their 3 position for Mausers.

 

[Ggmac]

I am in Corpus Christi this week align boring the shaft line on a new 90’ push boat, so I drove up to Falls City and picked up the action.

This is about as nice of an example of a vintage 98 Mauser that I have seen in some time. Who ever did the bolt handle did a nice job.
I see no wear on the bolt lug abutments, the bolt lugs look unmarked. The threads appear to be in excellent shape. The firing pin is still a very close fit in the bolt face.

It is definitely case hardenned. I can’t scratch it with my hardened Starret 6 inch ruler. One thing that does not look quite original is the action face. It appears that at some time, it got faced. Maybe someone trued it. I will check all of that.

My plans are to first put the action on a bolt mandrel and check the trueness of the inner ring, the action face, and the threads, and correct as needed. I will then order a Chrome Moly barrel in a standard Remington profile, (haven’t decided on the chambering yet), and fit it to the action. I will then bed the barreled action into the stock.
The barreled action will then be sent to a top notch blueing operation to be polished and blued.
I think I will have the bolt Melonited.

I want this to be a top not hunting rifle.

here are some View attachment 1479176pictures I just took in my hotel room.View attachment 1479173View attachment 1479174View attachment 1479175

I just looked at your pics , I have many of those actions in like new condition.

Edit , I think mine are 1922

 

[jackieschmidt]

I just looked at your pics , I have many of those actions in like new condition.

Edit , I think mine are 1922

Have you ever checked them to see how true and straight all of the surfaces are with each other.

As I stated in an earlier post, as a machinist, I am amazed how well these old actions were machined.
all the work I performed was just to make sure.

 

[shortgrass]

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9411043/m/5321051672 .. A small sample from buyers of PT&G bottom metal. I'd expect not much different of their 3 position safeties.

 

[jackieschmidt]

I received my Timmney Tigger today. It’s set at 2 pounds, feels good.

I have to grind clearance in the stock for the trigger next.

This thing will go “bang“ now.

 

[ebb]

Grind ??? Mill!!!!

 

[shortgrass]

Grind ??? Mill!!!!

Mill!? By the time the stock was set-up so as to NOT harm the finish I'd have clearance pared out with a single bevel chisel and be applying sealer to the 'raw' wood. A die grinder with carbide burr could be just as easy. More, much more, to gunsmithing than machine tool work.

 

[Jonnyofalltrades]

But to a machinist every problem is solved by machining!
Just be glad he's not a lumberjack....

P.S. Don't mean to offend any machinists out there, I am one myself.

 

[ebb]

But I just discovered inletting on the mill and its so much easier than chisels and Forstner bits, I think I need to do everything on the mill. Why you want to bust my bubble with reality? A barrel channel with the mill and some Chinese round over router bits, is almost as easy as it gets, and straight too.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Come on guys, everybody knows I will spend an hour trying to figure our a way to use our big 20 inch Behringer Saw to cut a 1/4 inch bolt off rather than pick up a hand hack saw.

But I went Stone Age and used my Dremel. Done in 15 minutes.

 

[shortgrass]

But I just discovered inletting on the mill and its so much easier than chisels and Forstner bits, I think I need to do everything on the mill. Why you want to bust my bubble with reality? A barrel channel with the mill and some Chinese round over router bits, is almost as easy as it gets, and straight too.

Then you don't mind gaps in the inletting? Stay away from the gunsmithing schools, they'll teach you how (and when) to use a file (or other hand tools). I am currently making repairs on a valuable double. The owner supplied some of the needed parts, but they're basically 'blanks' that will have to be hand fit and then hardened. A few of the needed parts I'll have to make, and I'll machine those as close as possible, but they'll have to be fit and hardened, also. For a job like this, I'll earn more than double per hour spent than I would chambering. By the way, I'm the 'lead man' in a job shop, but I am also a gunsmith school grad. Gaps in the inletting will never fly with the ACGG, or the clients I do this type of work for. We live in 2 different worlds if "fast" and machining is all that matters to you when it comes to gun work.....

 

[Jonnyofalltrades]

I realize that a barrel channel cut strictly with ball endmills isn't going to match up to ACGG standards. But, with a little care, it will easily surpass 90% of the factory inlets out there.
Not everything has to be a masterpiece.
That’s hard for me to say, being a perfectionist, but it's true.

 

[butchlambert]

An ACGG bench.


David Christman's bench in Louisiana.

 

[pintopete]

Coming together nicely Jackie! A handsome looking rifle. Nice propellers in the background as well!

 

[ebb]

I am not a gunsmith nor do I claim to be one, don't even want to be one. I want to be left alone to tinker with my projects, not a customers gun that will badger me on the phone for 3 hours over a job that takes 2. RETIRED. But I do know enough about woodworking to know if I am going to bed my rifle a "gap" means nothing, and I also know that if a want the wood perfect I can machine small and fit it with my hand tools. I have done several with hand tools and I was a lot of tedious work and in your work environment totally necessary. But I doubt it will ever be in mine. i went to a shop over on the west coast of Florida that specialized in high end shotguns and fitting them to the customer. I went with a cabinet maker friend and he was having a Beretta O/U fitted to him, I was impressed with the work they did and the trust the finest shogun makers in the world had in them. 30- 40 thousand dollar guns came with a square block of wood for a stock and for end and were left to the shop to shape and finish.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Then you don't mind gaps in the inletting? Stay away from the gunsmithing schools, they'll teach you how (and when) to use a file (or other hand tools). I am currently making repairs on a valuable double. The owner supplied some of the needed parts, but they're basically 'blanks' that will have to be hand fit and then hardened. A few of the needed parts I'll have to make, and I'll machine those as close as possible, but they'll have to be fit and hardened, also. For a job like this, I'll earn more than double per hour spent than I would chambering. By the way, I'm the 'lead man' in a job shop, but I am also a gunsmith school grad. Gaps in the inletting will never fly with the ACGG, or the clients I do this type of work for. View attachment 1486039View attachment 1486040 We live in 2 different worlds if "fast" and machining is all that matters to you when it comes to gun work.....

For the kind of work you are describing, attention to detail is paramount.

You cannot put that wood back on once it’s cut off.

Building my competition rifles has spoiled me. Give it all a bunch of clearance and glue the darned thing in.

The first Rifle I built after getting out of the army some 55 years ago was a Mauser in 30/06. I used a Fajen stock and hand inletted it. It’s not much different that scraping in a large White Metal bearing.
I was very careful with the edges, it really came out nice.

I tend to now be much more utilitarian. But I admire the true craftsman that can combine 100 percent function with unparalleled beauty.

 

[shortgrass]

Heck!, the 2 pics I posted probably aren't 1/8 of the stock tools I have and use. I just don't keep many pics in this 'puter.

 

[durand mortenson]

But to a machinist every problem is solved by machining!
Just be glad he's not a lumberjack....

P.S. Don't mean to offend any machinists out there, I am one myself.

I was a machinist back when but later became close friends with a tree climber and a faller who recently passed. I will just say that putting a large tree into a proper lay is also an art. Just so you know ( :

Mort

 

[Jonnyofalltrades]

I was a machinist back when but later became close friends with a tree climber and a faller who recently passed. I will just say that putting a large tree into a proper lay is also an art. Just so you know ( :

Mort

Yes, tree felling is an exacting art!
I was just insinuating the sort of finish you would get if you inletted with a chainsaw.