Parker Hale Bolt in Military Mauser

[INTJ]

I am doing a project for a friend. I thought it was just going to be finish chambering a barrel in 416 Taylor to fit his sporterized Military M-98 currently in 30-06 (easy job), but it the project has expanded into stuff I have no expereince or interest in doing.

The short of it is I need a magnum bolt. I did buy a standard bolt and opened it up, but I opened it too much so that one is ruined. I have found a stripped Parker Hale magnum bolt with a nice looking sporterized handle. Will that fit into the Military M-98 receiver, and will the Timney low profile safety, Military M-98 firing pin, shround, cocking piece, and extractor fit?

 

[Sniperhandle]

I am doing a project for a friend. I thought it was just going to be finish chambering a barrel in 416 Taylor to fit his sporterized Military M-98 currently in 30-06 (easy job), but it the project has expanded into stuff I have no expereince or interest in doing.

The short of it is I need a magnum bolt. I did buy a standard bolt and opened it up, but I opened it too much so that one is ruined. I have found a stripped Parker Hale magnum bolt with a nice looking sporterized handle. Will that fit into the Military M-98 receiver, and will the Timney low profile safety, Military M-98 firing pin, shround, cocking piece, and extractor fit?

Yes, The Parker Hale bolt will fit, Some Parker Hale bolts don't have the guide rib and feel pretty clunky when cycling in an action that is cut for the guide rib. If it's a Standard 98 action pretty much most bolts will fit. When opening up a Mauser bolt to magnum, Zero your dro off of the center of the firing pin hole then retract your cutter out half the distance you need for the diameter plus a little bit more to account for different mfg of brass. You will have a round circle when finished so you will have to stone the bottom of the bolt face to blend it in.
Be very careful when fitting the extractor, The extractor should be able to hold the brass cartridge in any position you hold it. Test the deflection of the extractor by holding the bolt in a mill vise with a dial indicator on the extractor and then insert a cartridge, The dial should move 0.004 to 0.006 to be fit correctly.
Don't throw the bolt away it can be used for larger rims.

 

[Will Henry]

Everything should fit. You will need to check and be sure the handle doesn't contact the receiver before the bolt is closed all the way. It may be necessary to notch the receiver a little. WH

 

[INTJ]

Thanks! Numrich has Parker Hale bolts with the guide rib, and I just ordered it.

I should have asked here before I did the first bolt. I am sure it will work for a Lapua bolt face. I didn't even think to zero the DRO and cut to a number. Such is the way for a hobby machinist......

 

[Sniperhandle]

Thanks! Numrich has Parker Hale bolts with the guide rib, and I just ordered it.

I should have asked here before I did the first bolt. I am sure it will work for a Lapua bolt face. I didn't even think to zero the DRO and cut to a number. Such is the way for a hobby machinist......

I forgot to mention, But Will Henry did, Mauser bolt replacement can get complicated especially for a hobbyist because there are a million different bolt handle variations. If you are a Tig Welder like myself, It isn't much of a problem. If you wind up needing to weld the bolt handle on, Get some heat paste from Brownells and weld a little, then stop put more paste on because it will curl up from the heat, Then weld a little more and repeat until done. If the cocking cam gets too hot, It will gall as it is used.

Sometimes you can heat and bend the bolt a slight amount to get it to fit in the receiver notch or a notch in the stock, And or relieve the notch in the receiver to match, But make sure you protect the bolt from heat like I mentioned.

 

[Sniperhandle]

Here are a couple bolt jigs I have for welding bolt handles on.

 

[INTJ]

Here are a couple bolt jigs I have for welding bolt handles on.

If I am asked to do another one, I'll just pay you for the bolt work--if you do that sort of work for hire. While I have worked on M-70 actions, various Rem clones, and other modern actions; M-98s are out of my wheelhouse. Chambering is what I am good at--as evidenced by my LRBR rifles, but cutting a straight throat when chambering is not really that hard either. I do okay when opening up an M-70 for a Wyatt's, and I have resigned myself to becoming good at inletting stocks. Just need the time to figure it out.

So far on this M-98 I have had to replace the firing pin because the original was broken, and I have the low profile safety installed and working well. That has cost me a pinched thumb/blood blister several times as I removed and installed the bolt shroud.

 

[Sniperhandle]

If I am asked to do another one, I'll just pay you for the bolt work--if you do that sort of work for hire. While I have worked on M-70 actions, various Rem clones, and other modern actions; M-98s are out of my wheelhouse. Chambering is what I am good at--as evidenced by my LRBR rifles, but cutting a straight throat when chambering is not really that hard either. I do okay when opening up an M-70 for a Wyatt's, and I have resigned myself to becoming good at inletting stocks. Just need the time to figure it out.

So far on this M-98 I have had to replace the firing pin because the original was broken, and I have the low profile safety installed and working well. That has cost me a pinched thumb/blood blister several times as I removed and installed the bolt shroud.

I have been doing Mauser stuff for 30 years, But I do not do it for other people, Just a hobbyist myself. Here is some bolt welding I did on a 220 swift I built on a military model 98.
I Cerakoted this one in Platinum Gray, Shoots small too.

 

[Sniperhandle]

I forgot to mention, Don't take too much off of the bolt face when opening it up for the magnum, Kuhnhansen suggests no more than 0.010 but I would try for a couple thou or less, Just the minimum to clean up the bolt face. Be sure to use carbide, Mauser bolts are harder than Woodpecker Lips!

 

[Sniperhandle]

INTJ

Opening up the bolt face for magnum is just the beginning of the issues you are going to have to deal with, I don't know what Cartridge you are converting to, But the feed rails are going to have to be opened up for magnum, And if it's a short magnum, That's not a project for the novice, The mag box may also need to be extended by welding also. And as I mentioned before the Extractor is going to have to be re-worked for the larger cartridge.

There are lots of things that need to be done and a few tricks to make one work and feed reliably.

Edit:

I see now this is for a .416 Taylor, This is not an easy job, It is going to take a lot of work to get this thing feeding from the magazine, Mauser's have to pick up the cartridge from the magazine, They are not made to be single fed due to the controlled round feed design.

 

[Sniperhandle]

You can get a taste of what needs to be done on D'Arcy Echol's Blog

This not a Mauser, But is a pre 64 Winchester that he is converting to 300 H&H. Definitely very applicable to the type of machining that will need to be done to an M-98.

There is a trove of info on his site and good reading. Although I'm not sure everything is still there, Although my memory isn't what it used to be.

D'Arcy Echols & Co.

echolsrifles.blogspot.com

D'Arcy Echols & Co.

echolsrifles.blogspot.com

I had forgotten how much I loved to read his blogs, He's a pretty good storyteller, His blog is filled with beautiful pics from all over the world and he's a great Gunsmith.

 

[Will Henry]

Back in the old days, we welded Mauser handles with oxy-acetylene. I can't count how many I did. A mandrel screwed into the bolt protected the threads. A heat sink at the front kept significant heat from the lugs. After the handle was welded, the cocking cam was re-hardened and polished. Old timey gunsmithing. WH