Mauser questions???/

[msinc]

I have a Siamese Mauser that is very hard to lift the bolt to cock. I took the bolt apart and it appears that the firing pin is messed up. The two fins or wings on the front of the firing pin are beat pretty bad. This is all I see amiss. Anyone had this problem with a Mauser??? Anyone know if the M98 firing pin is the same??? Anyone have a spare firing pin they will sell???? Thanks in advance for reading this.

[deces]

I have an Hopkins & Allen Mauser Model 1889 that I know nothing about (wish I knew the date it was made) other than it came from Africa in the 50's I cant seem to take it apart.

[I'll Make Mine]

I took the bolt apart and it appears that the firing pin is messed up. The two fins or wings on the front of the firing pin are beat pretty bad.

That sounds like dry fire damage; you may want to be sure you have one or two "snap caps" (dummy rounds with a resilient insert -- nylon, acetal, or ABS ought to work well -- in place of the primer) on hand for dry fire practice once you get the firing pin fixed.

Sorry, can't help you with the firing pin itself; someone will surely be along in a bit with that answer...

[knifemaker]

You can try Numrich GPC, Gun parts Corp. and see if they have the firing pin. Parts for the siamese mauser are getting hard to find and if you locate the firing pin you might have to pay a premium price for it. It took me over one year to locate a extractor for that rifle. GPC has a web site where you can check for the firing. They list it as Item#8450 in their catalog.

[Multigunner]

Could be the cocking piece or the cam surface of the bolt are worn, and not retracting the pin far enough when raising the bolt.
The wings fit in indentations inside the bolt, the wings prevent the firing pin from contacting the primer if the bolt is not fully locked. They should retract a good bit before the bolt is fully raised.

[WILCO]

I have an Hopkins & Allen Mauser Model 1889

Your avatar hurt my eyes.........

[swheeler]

Your avatar hurt my eyes.........

mine too

[Uncle Grinch]

Looks like there is a difference in length of about 0.125 inch between a standard 98 and a Siamese 98. The darker Parkerized one (on the bottom) is the Siamese Mauser.

[msinc]

Thanks Uncle Grinch...looks like you answered one of my questions. The Siam gun does in fact have a different firing pin that the others. The owner of this gun said he had to get a new firing pin fron Numrich. I wonder if it is the wrong pin??? Could you please give me the overall length of the Siam striker assembly you have??? Looks like 7 3/8" can you confirm please??? Thanks.

[Uncle Grinch]

My Siamese FP assembly measures 7 1/4 inches from tip to the end of the cocking piece.

[msinc]

My Siamese FP assembly measures 7 1/4 inches from tip to the end of the cocking piece.

Yeah, the one I have has to be the wrong firing pin...it is measuring in at 7 1/2" overall length. It has to be a longer shaft as the front part from the "wings" forward appears in your photos to be the same lengths from that point to the tip on both assemblys. Thanks again for the info.

[uscra112]

I have an Hopkins & Allen Mauser Model 1889 that I know nothing about (wish I knew the date it was made) other than it came from Africa in the 50's I cant seem to take it apart.

H&A won a contract with the Belgian government to make Mausers in April of 1915. They underbid the job, and that and default by the Belgians put them out of business. Bottom line, any H&A Mauser had to be made around 1915-16, because by the middle of 1916 they were bankrupt. Their machinery went to Marlin-Rockwell after the bankruptcy, and allegedly made BAR parts for the rest of the war years. It's all very fuzzy, because none of the production records survive.

[deces]

H&A won a contract with the Belgian government to make Mausers in April of 1915. They underbid the job, and that and default by the Belgians put them out of business. Bottom line, any H&A Mauser had to be made around 1915-16, because by the middle of 1916 they were bankrupt. Their machinery went to Marlin-Rockwell after the bankruptcy, and allegedly made BAR parts for the rest of the war years. It's all very fuzzy, because none of the production records survive.

Thank you very much, kindly.