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Bore lapping military rifles

johnnieray
I have two Spanish mausers in 7mm x57.One is a 1916 carbine and the other is a 1922. I like the rifles and enjoy shooting them. My problem is I can,t hit a barn door with either one. They both have good muzzle crowns and are in fair shape. The bores are dark and will not clean up. I've shoot a box of 140 gr and a box of 120gr hand loads thru both and can't see where they went on a 50 yard target. Is there any hope for these and where should I go next.Will lapping these help or hurt.Any help will be great. Thanks John.
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Comments

6 comments

Date Votes
  • sandwarrior
    Get a big piece of paper for your 50 yd target. If you still don't see it then move to the 25 or ten yd. range. You may need to change out a front sight if you stll can't see where it's hitting. But I'm betting you can. Something to keep in mind here is a lot of older rifles were made with what is called a 'battle-field zero' Meaning you hold at the bottom of the target to hit in the middle. In some cases this runs around 12" high @100 yds. and higher at 200. Just find where you are hitting and adjust from there and your problem may be solved.
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  • bpost
    Another thing you might try is cast bullets. If you slug the bore and find it to0 large for jacketed bullets you can size the cast bullets .001 larger than bore diameter. You may find the cast bullets shoot very well.
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  • p3skyking
    Hand lapping cannot possibly hurt the barrels you have described. Obvious, but make sure they are actually 7mm.
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  • 11b6r
    Well, if accuracy is already in the toilet, it could not make it worse-

    Try some JB Bore Magic. Not that expensive- fine lapping compound in paste form. Used with a cleaning rod.
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  • nononsense
    johnnieray,

    "The bores are dark and will not clean up."

    Any bore can be cleaned up at least to bare metal by the proper application of chemistry and muscle. Sometimes you have to resort to some strong measures to accomplish the cleaning though. Your biggest liability will be improper cleaning and doing more damage than help. More damage is done by trying to clean barrels than from shooting them.

    It's impossible for us to say what you can and can't do to your barrel without examining it. There are several things that could be contributing factors to the problem. Hand lapping needs experience and careful application. Not everyone should attempt this process as more damage can be done that might have been avoided.

    I would examine the lands at the crown to see if they are sharp. If not, take it to a gunsmith to get it fixed. But the first thing I'd do is learn how to carefully clean a barrel and give it a thorough cleaning properly, staying off the crown.

    Best.
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  • jonk
    Well the first thing I'd do is slug the bore. Every spanish Mauser I have examined had a bore in the .287+ inch range for the grooves, while the projectiles are .284." Hardly conductive to great accuracy. In which case an oversized cast bullet would be a good bet, but that also will involve modifications to seaters, sizers, possibly neck turning brass, etc. Lots of work.
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