Help with bolt disassembly/re-assembly for Mauser?

[kmullins]

Hello everyone,

Recently inhereted this gun along with several others. Went to remove the bolt and attempted to take it apart like you would a Mauser bolt normally, but I've ran into several problems. One being, I'm not even sure this is a Mauser because every other Mauser I've come across has a different safety. I just need some guidance on disassembly/re-assembly of this bolt so I can get it cleaned up. Took as many pictures as possible so there would be no confusion. Thanks!

[kmullins]

[kmullins]

[Harry Bonar]

Sir;
It's a Mauser alright - I suspect a large ring but pictures do not show this.
Flaigs of Millville ? Penna has sold it or re-barreled it to 30-06 and has removed the original Mauser safety and replaced the trigger with a side safety.
Pull the striker out with the rim of a case (empty) put a coin in between cocking piece and shroud, depress the plunger and unscrew the firing pin assy. You don't need it taken apart any motre to clean it.
Harry B.

[Dfariswheel]

You have a sporter built on the Argentine Model 1909 rifle as built for Argentina by DWM (Mauser) of Germany.

This is quite possibly the best quality Mauser rifle ever built.

[kmullins]

Thank you both.

Harry Bonar, could you expand a little more on how to do what your talking about? Is there any way I could see pictures on exactly what your talking about?

Dfariswheel, the best Mauser ever built? Wow. What is the value of a gun like this? Too bad it is in such bad shape, my father who had it before me didn't really take care of it. I'm trying to restore to how it once was.

[Harry Bonar]

Sir;
As Defariswheel stated it is a fine Mauser and from the pictures I can't see too much wrong with it, if anything!
You really don't need, on this gun, to take the bolt apart! Just take it out of the stock and get some "gun scrubber" in a pressure can and have at it and blow it off!
You've got a very fine rifle there - is the bore O.K.? If so, relax, it's a nice rifle. With the side safety and different trigger just don't take it apart.
Harry B.

[Dfariswheel]

There are problems with disassembling a Mauser bolt that's had the original safety removed.
The original fit in the large hole on top of the bolt shroud and was a major part of disassembly.

AS I RECALL, (note the qualifier), you can hook the cocking piece (the sear) over a table edge and push the bolt away from you to pull the cocking piece farther out of the bolt shroud.
The cocking piece is the large round cylinder just below the big hole in the next to last picture.

"There should be (again the qualifier) a small hole drilled sideways through the cocking piece through which you can stick a nail or good punch to "lock" the cocking piece back.

With the cocking piece pinned back, press the bolt lock (large pin) on the front left side of the bolt shroud and unscrew the rear of the bolt.
The bolt lock is the large pin on the right side in picture number one.

After cleaning an lubing the internals of the bolt and firing pin and spring assemblies, screw them back together until the bolt lock snaps home, use the table edge to pull the cocking piece back and pull the punch out.

MAKE SURE you have the rear of the bolt FULLY screwed in the front section before pulling out the punch.

[kmullins]

Harry Bonar and dfariswheel, the bore is in fact not ok. It's pretty corroded and rusted out, but I'm try to get it cleaned up. Made some progress but it will just take time.

The problem now is that I cannot get the bolt back into the gun.

As you see in the fourth picture from the top, first post, the sear position.

Now the second post, third picture from the top. Upon trying to tinker with the bolt, I tried depressing the pin shown on the outside of the first post, fourth picture. It triggered something in the bolt and now I cannot get the bolt back in, as that pin is in a different place now, (fourth picture, second post).

[Dfariswheel]

If your hands are reasonably strong:
Simple grip the bolt body in one hand and the bolt shroud in another.
Forcibly rotate the rear of the bolt CLOCKWISE until it catches in the proper notch. ("About" 1/3rd turn).

[b.thomas]

might be of help? http://www.mausercentral.com/exploded.htm

[kmullins]

Got it! Thank you everyone and especially dfariswheel for the help. Such an easy thing, but I guess if you don't know what your doing (like me), it can be a serious pain!

Now just to get the corrosion and rust out of the bore. Any suggestions on that?

I've already tried Sharp Shoot R Wipe-Out Brushless Foaming Bore Cleaning Solvent, Kroil and Ballistol. All helped improve it, but its still not looking good.

The patches were initially coming out dark blue, now they are rust colored with some black in them.

Any ideas?

[James K]

That barrel was installed by Flaig's which was in business post WWII, so the barrel is no older than about 1950. But it is .30-'06, so a previous owner could have been firing WWII vintage GI ammo in it and that corrosive primed ammo could have rusted the barrel. All I can suggest is to keep cleaning.

Jim

[Dfariswheel]

One thing that will do about all that can be done on a rusted bore is JB Bore Paste.

This is a non-embedding fine abrasive that will clean out any crud, and make the bore shine as well as a rusted bore can, but WON'T damage the bore any worse.

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/sto...ING%20COMPOUND

[kmullins]

Ok great. I am going to give the Brownells product a try.

I've been doing some research, and I've heard 0000 steel wool can help? I would only be willing to do this as a last resort, as I'm sure it could potentially harm the rifiling and thats not something I want to do as unless its the only way to a clean bore.

[Scorch]

Get a good cleaning rod and a 30-caliber bronze bore brush. Use just about any bore solvent you want. Wet the brush with solvent. Run the brush through the bore several times, then run dry patches through until it comes out clean. The black stuff you are getting out of the bore is probably carbon fouling, the rust colored stuff is the old blueing. If the inside of the bore looks like the outside, you will be fine once you get it cleaned.

[kmullins]

scorch, not sure what you mean by the inside and the outside of the bore looking the same. The outside of the bore looks great, the inside is what's the problem.

[PetahW]

If you must disassemble the bolt, it can be most easily done by first holding the rifle horizontally in a padded bench vise - after ensuring that the rifle is not loaded.

Insert the bolt into the action, as normal, and close the bolt handle (down) on the empty chamber.
The rifle should be now cocked & locked, with the cocking piece (around the rear end of the firing pin) in it's rearmost position, with a slight gap between it's forward edge and the inside edge of that rear bolt shroud (just below the little hole where the old safety was removed).

Insert a small, sacrificial, square-edged steel tool (screwdriver ?) in there to keep the firing pin, etc, wedged back while the bolt handle is then lifted and the bolt withdrawn rearward from the action.

The bolt internals may now be unscrewed from the main bolt body for a power flush & light lube - as well as the firing pin well inside the bolt body.

Assemble in reverse order.

As for cleaning the bore, I would first plug the muzzle with a disposable foam earplug, them set it in a quiet corner for at least one day with the bore & chamber poured full of Hoppe's #9 or somesuch cleaner, to let it really soak good before heavy bronze brushing session(s), followed by patches.



.

[Scorch]

scorch, not sure what you mean by the inside and the outside of the bore looking the same.

In the pictures you posted, the outside surfaces of the gun have a distinct brown color. Often called "patina", it is the result of the ferric oxide (the black bluing) turning to ferrous oxide (commonly called 'rust'). This chemical change occurs naturally over time as the ferric oxide is exposed to oxygen in the air. If the gun had been kept oiled or greased, the change would take a lot longer to occur.

The good news is that the layer of ferric oxide and the layer of ferrous oxide that replaced it is only one molecule thick on the surface, and as you clean the gun that layer will be lifted off by the chemical action of the solvent and the physical action of scrubbing, so the rust you are getting out of the bore on your cleaning patches may not be a major problem. Once you get the bore fully cleaned, take a look through it and check for dark areas in the bore that would be indicative of deeper rust.

[mjbartn]

I converted a Mauser a long time ago and replaced the military trigger with a timminey trigger assembly that included a slide safety. I originally replaced the military safety lever with a lever that would function under my scope. Once the new trigger was installed I no longer needed the safety but left it in enabling me to open the bolt assembly for easy cleaning.

When I was replacing the military safety I had the bolt assembly secured in a vice and was retracting the rear of the bolt and rotating it to free it from the firing pin. I negelected to secure the firing pin. You probably know where this is going. The firing pin shoot across the room and buried itself in the wall. I can laugh at it now but wasn't then. Anyway I have been using my Mauser now for 40 years with 06 barrel. Carved a new stock for it, glass bedded it. Never had the courage to checker it.

Anyway I digress, you may still be able to purchase a modified safety lever to replace the one missing. One of the purposes of the three position safety lever was to lock the action closed. I like that option when in the woods. It keeps the bolt from opening when caught on a branch.

Mike

[kmullins]

Thanks mjbartn, but I really do like the safety on it now.

I've ran into a new problem; at first I thought the barrel was rusted/corroded, but I've come to believe that it is pitted. After numerous cleanings with brass brushes, patches, Ballistol, Kroil and everything in between, the "spots" inside the barrel just won't come out. So I'm looking at a severely pitted barrel on this rifle.

My next question, any way that I could do anything to improve this? I was thinking of just maybe looking into keeping the stock and getting a new rifle...I have really no idea as to what kind of rifle would fit this stock, could I keep the .30-06 bore, etc. Any guidance? Thank you.

[mjbartn]

Well, you could just put a new 06 barrel into it. Not sure of cost, it needs to be seated and headspaced, crowned, re-blued then old hardware re-applied. still maybe cheaer than barreld action in that caliber.

as for safety, you do not need the one I am referring to use as a safety. In the action's current configuration the original safety also held the firing pin in a cocked position when you opened the bolt and then removed the cocking and firing pin assembly to clean inside of the bolt. Otherwise you have to do the edge of the table top trick. I know I have been there when I left the original safety in the fire position and removed the firing pin assembly.

Well anyway good luck, the action is a good one.

Mike

[Scorch]

If the inside of the bore is pitted, the only way to improve it is either reboring/re-rifling to a larger caliber, or rebarrel. An Adams & Bennett short chambered Mauser barrel and thread/chamber/crown will set you back about $200 or so. Or you can just shoot it as is and accept that it will never show stellar accuracy.

BTW, if you want an old military Mauser safety, just about any gunsmith will have a few of them in his toolbox.