Best way to scrub a receiver ?

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Jessesky

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I bought a small ring sporter not too long ago. Currently working on bringing it from average sporter, to custom rifle.

First question is: I am wondering the best way to scrub some of the proof marks and crests off of the receiver. (Apart from the serial number)

Second question is: I know it’s illegal to grind off the serial number and leave it, but can I grind it off and then have the serial number re engraved but in an aesthetic calligraphy font.
 
I bought a small ring sporter not too long ago. Currently working on bringing it from average sporter, to custom rifle.

First question is: I am wondering the best way to scrub some of the proof marks and crests off of the receiver. (Apart from the serial number)

Second question is: I know it’s illegal to grind off the serial number and leave it, but can I grind it off and then have the serial number re engraved but in an aesthetic calligraphy font.
No you cannot remove the serial number and reapply it. It might be possible to put the new version on first, then remove the old, but I'd check with ATF before I did that, were it me.
 
: I know it’s illegal to grind off the serial number and leave it, but can I grind it off and then have the serial number re engraved but in an aesthetic calligraphy font.
No! Once the serial number has been tampered with, the rifle becomes contraband and there is nothing you can do to make it legal again.
 
I do not agree with removing material from these older actions. You are reducing the amount of structural material on the receiver ring, in the load path of the receiver lug seats just for cosmetic purposes.

Leave well enough alone.
^^^ Wise words indeed. The older guns do not benefit from the metallurgical advances that have taken place. And many of the marks are deep enough that removal would destroy the integrity regardless.
 
I do not agree with removing material from these older actions. You are reducing the amount of structural material on the receiver ring, in the load path of the receiver lug seats just for cosmetic purposes.

Leave well enough alone.
I appreciate the safety caution and fully understand removing a lot of material will be dangerous, but what about these high end firms, and guilds from the first half of the 20th century? They did scrub actions completely of all markings sometimes before building the rifle. I’m talking taking off .005”
 
No way, if the general consensus is it is dangerous, I won’t. I like my face and fingers how they are. I’m just trying to get a sense of what’s possible, and how some other makers do it

No one I know has ever run a legitimate test to determine the level of material removal it takes to make one of these dangerous. I highly doubt receiver thickness was determined by cosmetic reasons, and because I don't know how Mauser sized his actions. I would not assume that something is safe to do because I don't know the why's or wherefores.
 
From my understanding from what I've read and what most military Mauser receivers that I have dealt with, the underlying material under the case hardening outside is pretty soft on most Mausers by design, those where it is not were actually improperly heat treated as the design was supposed to be hard on the outside surfaces and soft on the inside. The softer material was supposed to deform rather than shatter if a pressure event happened as kind of a passive safety during an era of poor issued ammo. Turns out that was a pretty good way to make these for longevity.

However, the thickness of the case hardening on particular Mausers varies a bit and as noted above that some countries scrubbed some receivers and restamped them with "proper marks" such as the Yugos did with a bunch of German Mausers after WWII. Due to the longevity in service and manufacture, you would need to specifically focus on a particular country's manufacture or imported manufacture and the relevant manufacturing techniques and materials used in fabricating your Mauser. The older the Mauser is, the more the metallurgy and heat treatment becomes more primitive and the more that re-arsenaling, etc. might have already removed some of the surface.

From my experience, I find that the older German export (like the Brazil 08 model for example) and GEW 98 models that I have acquired are pretty soft and you have to be careful with them when rebarreling because of that. The Spanish 93 and the Chilean 95s are similar. My Argentine 91 receiver (a DWM manufacture) on the other hand seems pretty hard on the surface and I do not remember complaints about them having soft receivers.

Later Czech and German interwar and WWII era Mauser 98's seem to be a bit harder. And the Brazilians apparently had some issues with Mausers that they converted to .30-06 and there is dispute whether or not they reheat treated them. Otherwise, a fair amount of folks claim that some of these receivers were too soft and might have been inappropriately re-heat treated by the Brazilians during the chamber conversions.

Given the amount of Mausers out there and the different manufactures of these by various countries and plants over the years, I cannot speak to everyone's experience to different Mauser subtypes, manufacturers (alas I have no Simson Suhls for example), or their suitability for receiver scrubbing. All I can tell you is that the heat treatment thickness and underlying soft material on the ones that I have appear to vary and other folks have reported some pretty wide variances in these things including destructive testing.

I believe that one or another of the regular old time posters (Clark mebbe) on this website used to do some pretty awful stuff to poor old rifles up to and including grenading receivers (and no it was not PO Ackley--I am not that old). You might look those experiences and postings up but some of his stuff may be on other forums like Gunboards.
 
Back in the day, I did a lot of Model '98 Mauser conversions. The BATF-E claims they need serial numbers to trace firearms from the manufacturer, forward. I asked an agent that was doing a "compliance check" on my bookwork about my "updating" these rifles by adding a new serial number that would then start a paper trail over again. His response, whether right or wrong was that it would indeed be impossible to trace a rifle made in 1939 through all the previous owners, up until today.
I surface ground the "clip" charging ears off the bridge of the action to accept Winchester Model 70 bases, along with the receiver ring to true that up and remove any markings, again, for a Winchester Model 70 base.
Actually, I don't think that guy knew diarrhea from good brown gravy. I did quite a few Model 98 Mauser conversions, and added a new serial number, but kept the old serial number in my "bound record book":

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The above is a Mauser 98 VZ 24 action rebarreled to 7mm Mauser. Shot some nice whitetails out back with this rifle:

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Back in the day, I did a lot of Model '98 Mauser conversions. The BATF-E claims they need serial numbers to trace firearms from the manufacturer, forward. I asked an agent that was doing a "compliance check" on my bookwork about my "updating" these rifles by adding a new serial number that would then start a paper trail over again. His response, whether right or wrong was that it would indeed be impossible to trace a rifle made in 1939 through all the previous owners, up until today.
I surface ground the "clip" charging ears off the bridge of the action to accept Winchester Model 70 bases, along with the receiver ring to true that up and remove any markings, again, for a Winchester Model 70 base.
Actually, I don't think that guy knew diarrhea from good brown gravy. I did quite a few Model 98 Mauser conversions, and added a new serial number, but kept the old serial number in my "bound record book":

View attachment 859889

The above is a Mauser 98 VZ 24 action rebarreled to 7mm Mauser. Shot some nice whitetails out back with this rifle:

View attachment 859890
Beautiful work and a very nice chunk of wood for the stock.
 
Thanks. I do prefer the harder walnuts like California English, Bastogne and Oregon Black Walnut mainly because the grain is tight and the wood is hard so it's easy to shape and checker. The one above has been checkered to 24 LPI @75°.
I do more handgun grips for the Ruger Mark pistols these days. Keeps me busy during the winter months:

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