Mauser Bolt Cut/Weld?

[davidheart]

I know I asked this question 3 years ago.... but.... now I have two new Mausers that I'd like to put a scope on. I bought one for $100 and the other somebody owed me $100 and asked to trade instead. How could I say no? They're a M-98 with a 30-06 barrel and the other is a Chilean that was converted to 6.5x55 by somebody before me.

Can any of y'all cut/weld/forge/bend the bolt low to clear a scope? I don't really want to screw it up so I'm trying to figure out what to do before I spend any money I don't have.

Thank you!

[skeettx]

https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/1144280

[Der Gebirgsjager]

www.Brownells.com look at part no. 019-000-008NB made by Advanced Technology, $19.99.

Welding and forging can be done by a person familiar with the process, but it's one of those things that the more you do the better you get at it. If you don't have any welding equipment and have never done one it would be best to take the project to a gunsmith.

[LAGS]

You can buy a Bolt body that has had the handle already forged or a new one welded on, ( when they have them in stock )
But you are going to have to check the Bolt Lug Engagement Surface Contact Area, and the headspace once you put it in the rifle.
You can not just Swap Out bolt bodies willy nilly.
The bolt has to be Matched or at least Checked to see that it does match up to the receiver.
And I am not just talking about if it goes in and closes.
That is why most bolts have a serial number that matches the receiver.
I do the bolt handles on my own rifles, both Forging and welding on a new one.
And I have bought replacement bolts for some rifles, but they were fitted when I rebarreled the rifle, and Lapped in the bolt lugs to the receiver.
Never Guess, always have it checked out by someone who has the experience and the proper tools.

[Texas by God]

The AT bolt handle is an ugly abomination that no Mauser deserves IMO. A bolt welding jig is required; once it's set up a welding shop can do it. Then you smooth out the weld, polish &blue if desired. My jig came from Midway.

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[Hardcast416taylor]

In my humble opinion I would take them to a qualified gunsmith that either does the work or sends them out to a qualified welding firm. I`ve had about 5 Mausers done by `smiths and don`t regret the cost for the nice job done.Robert

[Ballistics in Scotland]

In my humble opinion I would take them to a qualified gunsmith that either does the work or sends them out to a qualified welding firm. I`ve had about 5 Mausers done by `smiths and don`t regret the cost for the nice job done.Robert

That makes sense. I've done it successfully with MIG welding when I had precious little experience, using this Brownells bolt handle:

https://www.brownells.com/rifle-part...aspx?rrec=true

You could also use the existing bolt lever, either completely detaching it, or by cutting it within a sixteenth of an inch of detachment, local annealing, bending to shape and filling the cut with weld.

I'd much prefer to protect the cocking cam from annealing by gripping the bolt with copper sheet in a vice. An alternative is to forge the existing bolt without detaching it. But you would need oxy-acetylene to keep the heat local.

Now here is another of sensual beauty, which would be quite easy to fit by silver soldering, preferably Brownells Silvaloy 355 thin ribbon. I think you would have to accept annealing the cocking cam, so I suppose that means it isn't really harmful. It certainly isn't a safety issue if the front end of the bolt remains unaffected.

https://www.brownells.com/rifle-part...-prod8752.aspx

[LAGS]

@ Texas by God
I second your humble opinion.
The AT bolt handle works, and can be installd easily.
But it has no place on a Mauser.
I have a couple laying around here somewhere that friends brought over to show me, then decided that is NOT what they wanted on their gun.
What is the saying, "You Get what you Pay for", Buy Cheap, Get Cheap.
But having a gunsmith rework your bolt handle, in the long run works out more cost effective than trying to Replace the bolt that is already reworked.
That is unless you get really Lucky, and you get one that does match up properly.

[davidheart]

I'm not a fan of the AT knob at all. I've got a friend who owns a machine shop but he's constantly busy so it might be 6-7 months from now before he'd be able to do anything for me. (I say with a smile and a flicker of truth.) They sell a heat sink for the M98 but they don't sell a heat sink for the Chilean bolt and according to Brownells the two heat sinks do not interchange. (Not sure if they know this for a fact or are just guessing because they've never tried it.)

If I buy the heat sink and I buy the conversion bolt handle I'm at more than $40 already. That's part of why I'm wondering if any of y'all would be able to do a partial cut/weld on my bolts. I'd save money and not buy parts I probably wouldn't need after this..... plus my friend, while he is an absolutely fantastic machinist (truthfully) has never touched a Mauser bolt before. If one of y'all has and is willing to do my stripped bolts I'm all ears for the help.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Gee....I'm feeling like I've got to defend myself now so as not to be thought of as having poor taste in bolt handles! I personally don't much care for the AT bolt handle's appearance either, but it is functional and something that an amateur can probably accomplish without great expense. What we seem to have here from David is a solicitation to do the job for him. Were I still in business I would charge him $65-$85 for each bolt handle, but that is based on the fact that the way I learned to do them was with Oxy-acetylene, and were I to do one tomorrow that's still how I'd do it. Not because it's in any way superior to TIG, which I believe is the better method, but because that's how I've done dozens of them and that's the equipment I've got. Knowing that, and not wanting to go through the whole process of how to do it, which is probably archived somewhere on this site anyway, I just threw out the AT option. I'll have to confess that about 15 years ago I did do a couple of AT conversions on some Mosin Nagant rifles. Ugly, cumbersome, clunky beasts that deserved no better (there--that will probably get someone going...) but have never done a Mauser. In fact, if I recall correctly, the MN was what the conversion was originally designed for, and other conversions followed. By the way, the heat sinks are different for M95s, but they're easy enough to make on a lathe. My advice, echoed by others, was to take the job to a gunsmith. So who's going to help David out?

[davidheart]

Yes... I guess you could kind of put it like this being a "solicitation for services" although I didn't see it that way. I trust the community here at Cast Boolits and so I was asking y'all for help in either the form of advice for the semi-qualified (ie "Try the ATI knob" or "How about Silver Solder?" and/or "Hey David just send the bolts over here and a few dollars for my free time and return shipping. I've done this before and could help you out for giggles!"

.........Now here is another of sensual beauty, which would be quite easy to fit by silver soldering, preferably Brownells Silvaloy 355 thin ribbon. I think you would have to accept annealing the cocking cam, so I suppose that means it isn't really harmful. It certainly isn't a safety issue if the front end of the bolt remains unaffected.

https://www.brownells.com/rifle-part...-prod8752.aspx

I just noticed this. Using a cuttoff wheel and silver solder seems like a safe way to attached a universal bolt handle without fear of warping the bolt by welding...... I can actually do this sort of job with tools I have readily available in my home. Correct me if I'm wrong but would this just require me:

1) Cutting the bolt off at the base. (Not flush to the bolt but measured with a small amount of base showing)
2) Cutting the universal bolt to the shape and size I'd like to attach the remaining base.
3) Clamp and Silver Solder the bolt and Universal together.
4) File and smooth to finish.
5) Profit?

[LAGS]

I was making a Bolt on Bolt handle for the MN's 20 years before AT put them on the market.
At the time I didn't have a welder, nor could I justify buying one to convert MN bolts when I was buying the rifles for $35.00 each
The top two bolts on the left are Bolt ons.
The screw is just tapped into both the handle and bolt body, then the head ground off

[Hardcast416taylor]

There also is the option of leaving the bolt handle as it now is and mounting an LEER handgun scope and mount on the rear sight. I am sure that about everybody has heard of horror stories of badly done bolt handles breaking off on the rifle leaving the bolt body and fired cartridge still in place. This reinforces my statement of having a pro do the work, besides you can come back at him if the handle falls off.Robert

[bob208]

i have done many bolts in the past. I still have my jig. I weld them on. over the years I have done 50 or more both springfield and mauser 91,93.95 and 98.

[LAGS]

There are many of us that could do the bolt handle for the OP.
But I dont know about others, I would want the complete barreled receiver to make sure the bolt I am working on Fits the receiver properly Before and After I work on it.
And, Me not having a FFL, that complicates the shipping and receiving of the receiver.
In the long run, it is better to find someone Locally to do you work.
Many Mausers as other Mil Surps have Mis Matched Bolts from the start.
Many of them will headspace on a No Go Gage, but when you check the Lug engagement, one lug may not be fully seated.
That means, if the Good Lug Sets Back after firing it for a while, you could then have an excessive headspace issue that could then become dangerous later.

[Texas by God]

I was making a Bolt on Bolt handle for the MN's 20 years before AT put them on the market.
At the time I didn't have a welder, nor could I justify buying one to convert MN bolts when I was buying the rifles for $35.00 each
The top two bolts on the left are Bolt ons.
The screw is just tapped into both the handle and bolt body, then the head ground off

Lags- those look good the way you finished them and I bet they give the old Moisten Nugget some much needed leverage!

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[Der Gebirgsjager]

There are many of us that could do the bolt handle for the OP.
But I dont know about others, I would want the complete barreled receiver to make sure the bolt I am working on Fits the receiver properly Before and After I work on it.
And, Me not having a FFL, that complicates the shipping and receiving of the receiver.
In the long run, it is better to find someone Locally to do you work.

Exactly so. Far better to have the entire rifle in hand when the job is done to assure that the angle at which the new handle is welded on, at which the handle is forged, or bent will clear a low mounted scope. Otherwise it is just an educated guess on the gunsmith's part, and if the customer doesn't want to send it back and have the job redone he's likely to end up using some peculiar mounts to make things work. And, as stated above, a non-FFL can not keep your rifle in his shop overnight. Best to have this done locally.

[LAGS]

@ Texas by God.
Thank you.
The longer handle does give it some more leverage, but less is needed on a MN if you have the carbon or cosmoiine cleaned out of the chamber and you do a little polishing on the cocking cams.
It will never be as smooth or easy as a Mauser, but they can be made better.

@ DerGebirgsjager
You are correct.
I can work on other peoples guns, but can not do it for a living.
But if I advertise and Take In guns to work on, then I have to have a License.
That is why I only do my own guns and small repairs for friends while the wait.
But there is a Fine Line with the BATF on Building or repairing "parts" that are left in your control.
Technically they are not a firearm, but the ATF looks at Intent of you running a repair Business.

[vzerone]

That Mosin is a Mannlicher action, but on the Mosin the lugs are in different positions then most other bolt action rifles and the bottom lug trips the magazine cartridge release on the pull back stroke to bring up the next round to be chambered. There are some pretty slick Mannlicher action out there. I imagine if you really worked the Mosin over you could make it pretty slick.

[LAGS]

Smoother I can do.
Slicker ?
I will leave that one to someone way better than me