Mauser safety question

[Junior1942]

I'm pondering putting a regular scope on either the 38 Turk I recently "scouted" or on the 38 Turk I still have in cosmoline. I believe the scouted one could be a MOA shooter with a regular scope, plus a regular scope would have MUCH more FOV at 100 yards than the pistol scope mounted on the Turk now. I also have a 3-9 Redfield Widefield that's been gathering dust for around 25 years. And although I have 3 scout/woods rifles, not counting the recent Turk, I ain't go no pipeline rifle, to speak in my native redneck.

So . . . how does the regular Mauser safety work if I install a Bold brand trigger with a safety on the side? ($40.89 @ Midway # 329-361.) Do I saw off the top section of the Mauser safety and leave it in the non-safety position and put it in the dismantle, middle position with pliers when I want to dismantle the bolt?

[stocker]

Junior 1942:

There is no need to saw off the original safety at all. Just leave it in the off position. The only catch is you will probably have to dismount your scope to put the safety in the mid position if you want to strip the bolt. I suppose shorteniing it is an option but only if the eyepiece of the scope does not obstruct it even when shortened. I'd dismount the scope on the rare occasion a bolt needs stripping.

I suspect the Bold safety is only a trigger blocker and does not interrupt firing pin fall as the original safety does so be forewarned.

[StarMetal]

You can take the bolt out of Mauser and put the safety in any position you want with some effort. Remember my scoped Brazilian carbine? Well I didn't do any safety work on it. The time I wanted to take the bolt down I just pulled it from the rifle, held the sear where it was with a pair of clamp pliers, applied the safety, and stripped the bolt down.

I know that in some cases if you put a new trigger on your Mauser with a slide safety, that sometimes you have to alter the sear position. This effects Mausers that aren't scoped and you're using the original safety. There was a website that explained this and what to do. Might have been in that Turk modification site I gave you Junior.

Joe

[Blackwater]

What happens when you put one of the replacement bolt shrouds on without the safety or safety cuts, and have the side safety trigger?

[stocker]

What you have is a Mauser with only a trigger/sear block safety as opposed to a firing pin blocking safety And, you will need a vise or sharp bench edge or vise grips and something to hold the cocking piece in a pulled back position to dissemble and reassemble the bolt. Some commercial models had cocking pieces with a small hole to drop in a pin or nail to hold it back.

As mentioned you can strip a Mauser bolt easily if you have a means at hand to either get the original safety engaged or other manner of holding the cocking piece back. In the field you may not have these at hand.

[Junior1942]

>I suspect the Bold safety is only a trigger blocker and does not interrupt firing pin fall as the original safety does so be forewarned.

Can anyone answer yea or nay?

[StarMetal]

Junior

That is pretty much correct but I've seen some of those that have the sear in a slighting different position. Anytime the sear positions changes so does the notch location for the wing safety. But in your case you're not going to use the original safety, so you will be okay.

Joe

[StarMetal]

Junior,

Read this:

http://www.boydsgunstocks.com/BrowseEbus/triggers.asp

Joe

[Teach]

Both Brownell's and Midway have low-profile safety levers for scoped Mausers. The Mark IV is almost a drop-in fit. The Buehler-style safety takes a little more work, and costs about 3 times what the Mark IV does. Both of them are firing-pin-block types, but they eliminate the center bolt-takedown position. I use this type safety if my customer wants a positive firing pin block, or the Timney or Bold trigger-mounted safety and a streamlined bolt shroud if he's satisfied with just a trigger blocker. There's also a milling jig and a conversion kit available to put the Model 70-type side swing safety into a standard Mauser bolt shroud.
Jerry

[Junior1942]

Thanks, guys. I'll have to ponder this a while. No way do I want just a trigger block safety.

[Blackwater]

Thanks for the info. I've always liked Mausers, but for whatever reason, never really "got inside" them. Looks like the 2-position side-swing M-70 styles are the cheapest way to go, right? These DO retain the bolt takedown assets, don't they? I may go ahead and get the 3-position M-70 side swing, though. The only difference is that middle position is lacking, is it not?

[Teach]

I'm not sure the 3-position feature is worth the extra expense, just for a little ease of field-stripping the bolt. It does allow the shooter to operate the bolt to unload with the firing pin still on "safe", but if you've got half a brain, the muzzle is going to be pointed in a safe direction anyway. That's the function of the middle position, bolt unlocked, firing pin "safe".
Jerry

[StarMetal]

it's also not like you strip your bolt down daily either. If I'm not mistaken you can drill a little hole in the exposed part of the sear and put a little pin in it for take down....I'll have to take a look at my mauser.

Joe

[waksupi]

You guys talking about using Vise Grips on rifles give me the ever twitterpating fantods. I bet you use Dremel tools on them, too.

Barf.

I will try to remember to take a picture of a simple tool I made, for handling spring tension in rifle bolts. It's at work right now, and will be Monday night before I can post it. Remind me, if I forget it.

[StarMetal]

Ric,

...and we use hose clamps, duct tape, all sort of stuff.

Joe

[versifier]

Junior, is the scope on the reciever or forward? You hadn't decided the last time I remember you mentioning it. If it's in the forward "scout" position, you don't need to do any modification of the safety; it's fine the way it is. Brownells has two Mauser scout mounts, one that fits on the rear sight assembly and one that requires its removal. I remember you were not too warm on the idea of d&t your barrel, so the rear sight retro unit should do the trick, if you haven't made other arrangements. Leupold make a good IER scout scope, too, if you want something with magnification vs. a red dot.

[wills]

You guys talking about using Vise Grips on rifles give me the ever twitterpating fantods. I bet you use Dremel tools on them, too.

Barf.


Ya jist havta remember to put em back on the truck where you been usin 'em in placea steerin wheel.

[Four Fingers of Death]

You can use Vice Grips and I mean 'Vice Grips', not some other crappy brand, because Vise Grip vice grips will not slip. If you are really concerned you can shape a bit of copper sheet as pads for the jaws. When you use them you have to adjust them so that they really cam down tight and if this is done properly, they are impossible to shift.

The full bore guys (Palma/Bisley style) here make up a C spanner to decock the bolt to save their bolt springs (I think they are having themselves on myself, especially when they shoot their rifles every saturday afternoon. This may help.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I also forgot the M17 manual shows a nifty tool, a handle with a strong string loop, which you hook over the sear.

[Junior1942]

If I install a Bold side-safety trigger on my Turk, can I leave the Mauser safety as-is? That way I'd have the Bold as a trigger-block safety and the regular one as a firing pin block safety. I'd only use the Bold safety while hunting because it would be faster than the regular safety. Sorry for so many dumb questions. . . .

[stocker]

Jr/42: The answer is a qualified yes. Most of the after market triggers/safeties fit right in to the metal and only need a small amount of wood inletting for the side safety.

Occasionally you get a Mauser variation that is not quite to the normal spec's for the trigger pinning and metal may have to be removed by stoning from the sear or cocking piece faces for the new trigger to function. If you have to do this then you may not get the original safety to engage or to cam the cocking piece back far enough to relieve contact with the sear face.

That sear face tension release is necessary to ensure that if the trigger is inadvertently released (pulled) when the safety is on that the sear is allowed to return to its proper position in front of the cocking piece. Think of the cocking piece moving forward a small amount so that it blocks return of the sear. If that occurs when you release the original safety the rifle discharges as the trigger has been pre-pulled and the sear was not able to assume it's proper blocking position in front of the cocking piece.

You should install it and then check the function of the new trigger and both safeties. When you engage the Mauser safety in the full lock position if you watch the exposed end of the cocking piece you should see it move back a small amount as the camming action of the safety comes into play. You should be able to pull the trigger with the safety on and then release the safety with no firing pin fall.

[Junior1942]

Thanks, stocker!

[stocker]

Jr/42 :
In case the last instruction in my post is unclear:

Testing with an empty weapon:
1. apply original safety to full right position
2. pull trigger AND release trigger.
3. flip safetey to left (fire) position. Rifle should remain cocked.

[Powderface]

I have used the Dayton Traister trigger and safety. I like them very much. The safety is a striker block just like the original, It replaces the original safety lever with one that is lowered to clear the scope. same 3 position.

http://www.daytraco.com/

Mike

[StarMetal]

Yall are forgeting this trigger too:

http://www.huberconcepts.com/Triggers.htm

Joe