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welding and reharding

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12 comments

  • v35
    Don't even think about putting a blown up receiver together again.
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  • groundhog devastation
    Ditto to v35!!!! GHD
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  • spec.4
    This receiver was dropped and not blown up. Does that matter?
    spec.4

    Don't fear the night, fear what hunts at night. ME!!
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  • groundhog devastation
    If it was brittle enough to break from dropping I don't think I would trust it firing a round! Just exactly what is broken? GHD
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  • wundudnee
    Anytime you heat metal at that temperature it takes the temper out of it. I won't say it couldn't be done because it was done when the rifle was built. However heat treating is such an art, knowing the composition of the metal, temp. control, quenching and all that I don't know how it could be accomplished and guarantee it to be right. It could be soft if not quenched in time, or brittle if done to quickly. It's a shame, but don't try it for your own safetys sake.
    I think you can still find unfired M-48s on here for around $200.00 or less. Thats not much more than you would probably spend if you would find someone to attempt to weld yours. Do yourself a favor and call your gun-(parts)

    ....................
    Old? First you forget names; then you forget faces; then you forget to pull your zipper up; then you forget to pull your zipper down.
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  • dheffley
    The welding will anneal the hardness of the receiver. As it is welded, it will shrink and burn carbon out of the parent metal. When it wasd hardened the first time, carbon was cooked out to strengthen and harden the metal. You can sometimes harden carbon steel twice, but the second time there will not be enough carbon left in the metal to bring it back to full hardness. There will be even less after the welding process, and the carbon content will not be consistant through out the receiver. Therefore, it will not harden to full strength or to a consistant amount through out the metal.

    To make short of it. Forget it. You can't trust what you get, and your life or eyes is not worth the risk.

    The NRA is on our side!
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  • nmyers
    It doesn't matter. The strength of stressed receivers, including the Mauser, cannot be reconstituted by welding (non-stressed receivers like the AR are different). It would not be safe.

    Besides, we're talking about an expensive rifle. Even if an expert were to weld it, the work would cost more than a replacement rifle. Sell the parts and get another one.

    Neal



    Edited by - nmyers on 11/10/2002 20:32:44
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  • spec.4
    Thanks for all your input, I will try to sell the bolt for about $25.00 complete plus shipping. I figure it can not be down, but I saw some where where you can shorten a mauser reciever for a 223 rem and likes. Where it was broken is at the rails for the ammo and was dropped on concrete that is aleast 70 years old.
    Thanks
    spec.4

    Don't fear the night, fear what hunts at night. ME!!
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  • Mobuck
    I don't think the action should have "broken" from being dropped from any reasonable height. Iwas darned near killed 5 years ago by a 1917 Enfield that shattered from metal fatigue and/or improper annealing. My advice "don't mess with it".

    Mobuck
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  • Tailgunner1954
    The hardening in a Mauser receiver all takes place in the locking lug area. Cutting and welding behind the front ring (if done be someone that knows what their doing) won't affect the strength as this is a unstressed area.
    That being said, you can buy a brand new CZ rifle (in the caliber of your choice) here on GB, for less than the action work alone will cost you at any decent gunsmith.
    Buy a new rifle, you'll be happier and never have a moments worry.

    Some guys like a mag full of lead, I still prefer one round to the head.
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  • barto
    i just bought a vz24 (98 mauser) in 8mm yesterday for$59.95 at big5.
    shoots just fine .
    barto

    the hard stuff we do right away - the impossible takes a little longer
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  • v35
    It is true that actions can be safely cut,shortened and rewelded and that a repair weld in this area can be done without reheat treating the receiver. However, no receiver should crack from dropping, especially back from the receiver ring.
    There was a problem in the original heat treatment that left the receiver brittle. The receiver may have been hardened and not tempered or the steel may have been burned from excessive heating. Early Springfield 1903s come to mind as do some railroad axles that failed catastrophically. It is likely that the receiver ring is also too brittle and the whole receiver would need the proper reheat treatment
    if someone knew what that should be. You would end up with a receiver
    that would be oxidized and needing final finish. It would have to be proof tested with "Blue Pill" loads and head space progressively measured.
    Without having microscopically examined the break, the condition of the steel would still be in question.
    Personally, I would scrap it and consider myself lucky the gun didnt blow up.
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