My wife's Mauser bolt is tough?? Any help?
From the sunny south [8D], south of the panhandle,
My wife has been a shooter since we met over 30 years ago and, as of late, has glommed on to my German K-98 8mm Mauser. She plans her shooting day on the calendar because she looks forward soooo much to shoot "her" Mauser. Here's the question; after a round is fired (new loads, no reloads) the bolt is pretty tough to operate, especially in lifting it to pul reward. When I first experienced this problem I thought a rough chamber might be the culprit and so I cleaned it up. But it is still is tough to cycle and my local Range Officer guru said he thought it wasn't so bad and that I might just work over the chamber again. He is a reloader and also said the spent casings and primers looked just fine showing no indication of head spacing problems. Any suggestions?
I thank you. My wife thanks you. And I'll get to you later on how to get my Mauser back!!!
Take care y'all,
Jim
GunHawk on GunBroker
My wife has been a shooter since we met over 30 years ago and, as of late, has glommed on to my German K-98 8mm Mauser. She plans her shooting day on the calendar because she looks forward soooo much to shoot "her" Mauser. Here's the question; after a round is fired (new loads, no reloads) the bolt is pretty tough to operate, especially in lifting it to pul reward. When I first experienced this problem I thought a rough chamber might be the culprit and so I cleaned it up. But it is still is tough to cycle and my local Range Officer guru said he thought it wasn't so bad and that I might just work over the chamber again. He is a reloader and also said the spent casings and primers looked just fine showing no indication of head spacing problems. Any suggestions?
I thank you. My wife thanks you. And I'll get to you later on how to get my Mauser back!!!
Take care y'all,
Jim
GunHawk on GunBroker
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How is the bolt lift after a dry fire?
Once you get the handle up (but not back), close it and see if it's just as bad the second time.
Check the back of the bolt, where the extension rubs the cocking cam.
Look for galling on both pieces, gently polish if you find any, and than apply a light layer of greese to the surfaces.
While you have the bolt out, you might as well tear it down and do a thourgh inspection clean and re-lube on the internals.
RCrosby
IIRC the 1903 and 03a3's are cock on close, as are the M-1917's.0 -
To Tailgunner....
Thanks! Aster a dryfire the bolt does lift on the "heavy" side and then repeating the action without doing more than pushing down on the bolt, the lift IS easier. No galling noticed.
Jim
GunHawk0 -
Tailgunner has good advice.
Maybe this goes without saying, but the Mauser rifle has a cock-on-opening design, and that can make opening the bolt harder than certain other modern rifles.
Also, milsurps being what they are, make sure the bolt is completely taken apart and cleaned thoroughly. Gunk inside the bolt could make it harder to cock than it ought to be.
By the way, the best way to get "your" (ha!) Mauser back is to gift your wife a BETTER one to shoot. Then she'll take pity on you, and let you use her (ie your) "backup" gun for shooting.
(Does it sound like I'm speaking out of experience here? [:p]).
If you can't find a better one, then you'll have to just let her keep it, and you take the less nice one. For what its worth, Russian capture K98s are still available for under $300, and if you don't mind a non-Nazi gun, you can find a like-new Yugo Mauser for far less.
Edit:
quote:This got me thinking. The only bolt action I have that cocks on closing is my Arisaka. What are some others???
Other military type guns that cock on closing?
Lee-Enfield.
M1917 Enfield
Several other military Mauser variants (eg Spanish and Swedish Mausers, older Mausers.
Swedish Husqvarna rifle (non-military).
And there are probably others, though I think you're probably right that most rifles are cock-on-opening.0 -
"Maybe this goes without saying, but the Mauser rifle has a cock-on-opening design, and that can make opening the bolt harder than many more modern rifles."
This got me thinking. The only bolt action I have that cocks on closing is my Arisaka. What are some others???0 -
RCrosby,
Lee Enfield, Sig-Sauer 3000 (Stang Shooting!!)
GunHawke,
Anyhow, I'll recommend what beantownshootah said, and that is to disassemble and clean the bolt. Sometimes the oil you add to the firing pin/shroud area can get dry out and get gummy. The threads that the shroud screws down on are what actually hold it up. Get it all cleaned up and when it goes back together use a very light coat of oil. Just curious, have your ever disassembled a Mauser bolt before? We can give instructions if you haven't. The reason I ask is most people never take it apart. Also, clean really good up in the front of the receiver where the lugs seat. Get a good amount of solvent up there and irrigate the crud out. You can find a chamber brush made for 8mm but you could also use a 7.62 (mil-spec) chamber brush. They have a smaller bronze wire-brush in front (the size of the chamber and the larger diameter receiver end.
I should check though just to make sure and that is that you haven't fired any super-hot rounds through it have you? Just making sure you wouldn't have bolt set-back. I'm sure it's just a cleaning issue but always good to look at the bolt lugs just in case.0 -
GunHawke, is there any chance your Mauser has the wrong striker spring? For some reason, I'm thinking that a few certain models had different spring lengths due to cocking piece/firing pin differences. This would be within the standard length actions discounting the Yugo's, short action and small ring 98's. We've recently moved, so my books are still packed away. Maybe others could verify this.
quote:Originally posted by RCrosby
"Maybe this goes without saying, but the Mauser rifle has a cock-on-opening design, and that can make opening the bolt harder than many more modern rifles."
This got me thinking. The only bolt action I have that cocks on closing is my Arisaka. What are some others???
The 94 through 96 small ring Mausers are also cock on open.0 -
Well technically speaking the Mauser cocks partly on opening, partly on closing.
As for the hard bolt lift, one more place you could check is the recoil lug recesses. Even if headspace is ok- often an issue here as over the years the lugs have set back into the receiver JUST enough to cause sticky bolt lift- there are other concerns too. It is a magnet area for dirt to accumulate.
What ammo are you using? Turk surplus is notorious for causing sticky bolts.0
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