Mauser 98 low profile safety

[Ernest]

some older commercial Mausers had the scope mounted quite high so that the flag safety would pass under the eye piece of the scope. I have always wanted to try to mount a scope with long eye relief very low but far enough forward so that the the flag safety would pass in front of the eye piece just to see if it was a workable system.

[Von Gruff]

You could always use the lengthened and lowerd flag like this one on my 7x57. It works well both with the bolt mounted aperture and the scope when the aperture is lowered and the scope in qd rings is attached....... and it is on the left side as designed by Herr Mauser for a right handed shooter.


Von Gruff.

[gnoahhh]

Von Gruff's approach is the way to go, IMO. My current Mauser project has the scope in a Griffin&Howe QD sidemount, positioned high enough to permit the original safety to be used, which IMO is still the very best Mauser safety, period. (Plus it allows for a more pleasing- to me- bolt handle profile.) It absolutely positively locks the striker. However, I also am in the process of making a Rigby-style cocking piece sight very similar to the one Von Gruff pictures. The use of that sight might make the original safety un-handy. I guess I'll have to try it and find out. My philosophy regarding classic Mauser and Springfield sporters is that the main sighting system should be a peep sight, with the scope carried separately in an ancillary role. Using the original safety as-is when using a Lyman 48 as I do now (and in the past) works, but like I said this new sight may cause me to re-think it.

VG- did the quake effect you? I hope not, but if it did I hope you and yours are alright.

[Von Gruff]

Von Gruff's approach is the way to go, IMO. My current Mauser project has the scope in a Griffin&Howe QD sidemount, positioned high enough to permit the original safety to be used, which IMO is still the very best Mauser safety, period. (Plus it allows for a more pleasing- to me- bolt handle profile)

I had straight bolt handles made for the pair of rifles and while it requires a slightly higher set for the scope, that is carried in a german styled leather scope bag and stays there untill and unless needed.




VG- did the quake effect you? I hope not, but if it did I hope you and yours are alright.

Thankfully not. We are 350 miles south but it is a bad day for those affected.

Von Gruff.

[gnoahhh]

Good to hear.

Did you cut a v-notch in the striker face and a male-v in the sear to get repeatable shot-to-shot alignment of the parts to increase accuracy with the cocking piece sight? I've heard some say that's necessary, others say it's not. I really like that bolt handle too. Heck, I really like that whole gun!!

I carry my scopes in a shoulder-slung leather tube until they're needed. Picked it up in a gun shop in Frankfurt, Germany.

[Von Gruff]

Good to hear.

Did you cut a v-notch in the striker face and a male-v in the sear to get repeatable shot-to-shot alignment of the parts to increase accuracy with the cocking piece sight? I've heard some say that's necessary, others say it's not. I really like that bolt handle too. Heck, I really like that whole gun!!

I carry my scopes in a shoulder-slung leather tube until they're needed. Picked it up in a gun shop in Frankfurt, Germany.

I didn't have the v notch cut because this particular 1908 action was in an unused state when I got it. My GS said he had never seen a tighter origional action. The bolt when locked down can not be mooved laterally and the accuracy I have achieved with the aperture indicates that notch is unnessary.
The 404 stablemate to this 7x57 has been built on a 1950'2 FN and has had a LOT of use before being built but is slick. The rear of the bolt has moovement on lockdown but I am still able to shoot this at 55yds although the aperture is a bridge mount. So not sure that the notch is necessary at all.


Von Gruff.

[scb]

The question becomes who makes a low profile safety that allows the bolt to open with the safety engaged?

This is the one I put on my last build. Too bad they're so expensive.
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=6..._SAFETY_SHROUD

Am I nuts to consider opening the bolt with the safety engaged as a desireable feature?

No. Remington is being sued on a regular basis because the M700 won't open with the safety on.

[gnoahhh]

Thanks Von Gruff. I think I'll try it first as-is. I can always do the notches if accuracy isn't acceptable. (The donor action came from a WWII 1943 BRNO, probably the last of the smoothly finished wartime 98's. It's tight and smooth, not having been used much since new. This I know because my uncle sent it home from Normandy in mid-1944 after relieving it from it's original owner. He never fired it but a handful of times, despite doing a 60's style sporterization job on it- thankfully without polishing it. It was kind of a shame to take the original military barrel off because it is pristine sharp and shiny and shot unbelievably well. Now a solid ribbed 7x57 barrel resides in place.)

[Von Gruff]

gnoahhh, the only point I would make is to make sure the bolt handle bears on the action edge rather than the stock wood. It was this area of bolt handle contact that my GS made a comment on as we designed the bolt handle dimensions and as I was about to start on the stockwork. Many bolt handles bear on the stock and wear-compression can alter POI. For accuracy work I drop the bolt handle more deliberately ( to eliminate "bounce") rather than the slap down of the hunting reload and if the quick reload is needed then pinpoint accuracy usually isn't.

Von Gruff.

[gnoahhh]

For some reason no posts since 2/25/11 on this thread have shown up for me. This thread only! The rest of the forum works fine. Weird.

[Von Gruff]

That is all I see as well. My post on the 25th Feb is last before your post.
Is there something that makes you think there have been more than is shown.

Have you made any progress with the bolt mounted aperture sight?

Von Gruff.

[gnoahhh]

Strange. My screen shows that you posted several times since then VG! Oh well, machs nix.

Slow progress. Many irons in the fire! The body is pretty much done. Had to start over as the first one was turning out chunkier than I wanted, the idea being to keep it as light as possible. Major work done in the mill, lots of filing to achieve the tricky bits. The front of the body is still extra heavy as I haven't quite decided on the final dimension of the mounting dove tail (and whether or not to have the dovetail slide inside of a separate block in order to achieve some windage adjustment instead of just drifting the front sight like I origially planned). Like I said, it's styled much like yours, not a clone by any means.

[David2011]

"Change the trigger and get one with a Remington style safety and replace the bolt shroud. "

Sorry, but with all due respect, that's a trigger block- not a safety. Mauser had it right by retracting and blocking the movement of the firing pin.

I built my last project rifle with a Buehler safety on the left side for a right handed shooter as in the photo above. I didn't know that Herr Mauser intended it that way; just had some in the spare parts and did what seemed right. I can operate it without moving my hand from the wrist of the stock.

David

[Brithunter]

You could always use the lengthened and lowerd flag like this one on my 7x57. It works well both with the bolt mounted aperture and the scope when the aperture is lowered and the scope in qd rings is attached....... and it is on the left side as designed by Herr Mauser for a right handed shooter.


Von Gruff.

Very nice too. The safety is a Parker-Hale low swing one which they offered on their African magnums. The rear sight is a copy of a Rigby's bolt tail one. Or is it an original?

The P-H safety works as it should, on mine at least, which is an 1100M in .458WM:-










This one has the Mauser two stage trigger still.

Have been considering a nice sporting aperture sight and aquired a Lyman 57SME but have not driller and tapped the side of the rear bridge for it. There are a couple of people making those Rigby style sights now but they are not cheap.

[Texas by God]

I've used the Numrich left side style (no longer made and missed), the Dayton Traister, and the Buehler right side models. All worked fine after fitting. My only current Mauser has a Buehler -works great.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Hardcast416taylor]

HMMMMM. Decisions, decisions, decisions. Same 3 position safety Gentry unit from Brownell`s for $190.00 or from Midway for $140.00! I either used a Buehler low scope safety or Timney or Bold side safety with a after market smooth cocking piece assembly.Robert

[Blanket]

All my Mausers and Springfields that have been worked on have Buehlers but in all honesty I have never used a safety on a bolt rifle. Was taught to carry with an empty chamber with the striker down and in 50 plus years have never seen the need to do anything else hunting animals

[Red Elk]

I firmly agree with the premise of adding a three position side swing safety.
While there are other options, all are lesser efforts. The cost of a high quality three position side swing M70 type safety is really a small price to pay for excellent mechanics. It is without a question, the best.
I have used all the other options available. While they do cost a little more, over the years it will be a very small addition to the cost of the rifle you will use for a long, long time. It is time and effort well spent.
The work to install a three position safety is not incredibly complex, and can be accomplished with a dremel tool and files, if you take your time and proceed with caution and a steady hand. If not, the cost to have a good gunsmith install one, is still a great investment.
The three position side swing safety turns a solid reliable platform into a modern and efficient design which will be cherished for generations.
Simply put, it is the best decision. Go and earn a little more, and put it where it counts. You will not regret it later.
re

[LAGS]

On the Low Budget Sporters that I made over the years, I would just modify the Original Safty on Mausers to make it a two position safety that laid over on the right side of the bolt.
It worked great and like was said by another post, I hardly ever use the safety when hunting.
I carry chamber empty
These are some of the Fancy ones that I made.
But they can be made without any welding or forging.
These safeties do not lock the bolt when the safety is on.

[waksupi]

All my Mausers and Springfields that have been worked on have Buehlers but in all honesty I have never used a safety on a bolt rifle. Was taught to carry with an empty chamber with the striker down and in 50 plus years have never seen the need to do anything else hunting animals

Come out to grizzly country!

It can be "enlightening"!