Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Bolt wont close after new handle is welded

I got M98 Mauser action in half-sporterized shape. The handle was cut off and new one was welded by someone, but the bolt body wont close. There is some red dye near the handle/body juncture; I wonder if this indicates the area that needs to be filed away. Should I file it away? Headspace probably is non-isue at this stage. Thank you for your help.

The underside of the new bolthandle is closer to the action's rear side rail/tang than was the old/issue bolt handle, causing the interference.

I never file much on the bolt handle/stub juncture (except to clean up welding slag), lest it gets weakened - I simply file a shallow notch in the action rail edge ( and probably the stock wood also), so the new handle just clears.

This is a Remington 700 bolt handle that I put on a .30-06 Mauser 98:





(And...No, the bolt handle didn't break off some Rem 700 - I ordered it from the Remington Parts Dept. )


.

I would take it back to whoever welded it and let them finish what they started!
If not then get yourself some layout blue and find out where the contact point is and start filing.
whelennut

You mean you didn't pick it up while out hunting sheds?

Honestly it looks pretty ugly to me. I would send it to Dan Armstrong and let him do his magic.
www.accu-tig.com

Butch

+1

Given the workmanship I'd be very concerned that the heat treatment of the cocking ramp was compromised due to excessive heat and/or lack of proper heatsink application.

I'm gonna have to disagree with you Butch. It's not pretty ugly, it's way ugly!

It looks like someone welded a billet block and half assed it.

If you file it a ton it will weaken it, but if the person welding it did proper heatsinking, the only edge you don't want to touch is the leading edge that follows the cutout in the receiver as it can affect headspace.

308


257


270

The 270 is nothing more than a factory original Straight Mauset Handle, Forged, swept, pulled out slightly, and then the forged edge cleaned up and smoothed.

Looks like it was done by a Mohel.

I like 257 out of the three. My .243win Peruvian has the same bolt handle.

Can't complain about this action as I got it for next to nothing. One of my favorites - DWM machined from Krupp steel for Argentine armed forces. Just finished buffing the receiver and really like a look of bare white carbon steel. it has soft silver luster. I am thinking not to blue it at all.

Has anyone replaced original firing pin and/or firing spring with modern ones that give fatster lock time? I wonder if it is worth the effort.

It is not worth the $60 for the Tubbs, also I've heard that their "bonded aluminum with steel core" isn't bonded all that well.

Spend $9 and get the Wolf Extra Heavy Duty firing pin spring.
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=937511

Pay attention to polishing the firing pin, and properly lube inside the cocking piece recess. It'll be fine.

A remote possibility. Make sure the bolt body and rear shroud are completely screwed together. I have one unit that stops about 1 thread short of bottoming out. With just a little more effort, it goes one turn further and all is well.

Butt ugly would be my comment on the first two bolt handles pictured. It may have been done that way on purpose but they won't clear a scope.

^^^ winner

Looks like they would do on an open sight rifle. If you used a Leupold Compact on Extra High rings, they Might come close to working.

Take it back, and have the smith that did it, finish it up.

I ran the bolt body in the receiver of my 243win, looks like it clears large eyepiece of Trijicon. The rings are lows, I believe. Not sure who did the welding; I picked up several half-finished projects from someone. The poor guy apparently had acorn on his mind, and that was my first impression as well. But it seems I lack imagination

From looking at the picture, it appears that the front of the bolt root is contacting the rear of the receiver.

You need to use some type of spotting compound to find out where it is touching.

Looks like whoever did the one in the last picture was using Red lipstick. This will work, if it is the only thing you have.

Mauser locking lugs cam open and closed, so as you close the bolt, the bolt is going to have to have some clearence at the front of the handle to prevent it from touching the rear or the rear receiver ring.

My first thought was that it looked like some poor bastid's rendition of a penis...

Just a thought but it looks to me like using this bolt knob could raise a few blisters on a guys thumb.