Mauser Bolt Problem

[ShaiVong]

Ok. You know when you remove the mauser bolt with the safety in the right or up position it holds the firing pin back and you can disassemble it, and if you turn it to the left (firing) position it lets it snap forward, and you need to hook it on a table or whatever to re-compress it and rotate the safety?

For some reason the K98 I just got lets the pin snap forward even when inserted in the receiver and completely locked for firing. It lets it move ahead enough so that you cant put it back on safe. I havent tried firing it yet, so I dont know if this will produce light strikes.

Ive taken it apart and put it back together, and compared it with my turkish bolt and I cant see where the problem is.

HELP!

 

[Cosmoline]

Is your trigger sear OK? If it's slipping forward even when locked down in the receiver, it sounds to me like the trigger sear may not be holding it back with sufficient strength. Sometimes this happens if you don't have the rear tang screw tight enough.

 

[sumpnz]

Take it to a 'smith. Do not load any ammo into this rifle, it is unsafe to shoot as is.

 

[ShaiVong]

I checked the sear. Its tight and the pin is tight. This rifle is nearly NIB. Almost no wear, and it feels like the action hasnt been broken in at all. It doesnt have nearly the slop as my turk.

If I look at where the firing pin protrudes out of that key (?) in the rear of the bolt, it protrudes like 1/8 of an inch less than the turk, about how much clearance its missing to catch the safty.

Why would it be unsafe? The bolt rotates completely and locks with the receiver perfectly. There seems to be no throat wear WSE. The bore is a mirror. If somebody hung a "never fired" sign on this rifle, I would be inclined to believe them. Do you think the bolt is mismatched to the receiver? Where are the SN's on the bolt?

 

[Wildalaska]

Take...to...gunsmith....cheap...fix....

WildnosnesemessinaroundAlaska

 

[sumpnz]

Why would it be unsafe?

Becuase if you load it, close the bolt, and drop the safety the gun goes BOOM. Even it your finger is a long way from the trigger. Not a safe situation even if you keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. There also the possibility of a slam fire if you have the safety off and close the bolt sharply.

As WildnosnesemessinaroundAlaska said, it's a cheap fix. Take it to a gunsmith.

sumpBeSafeBeSmartTakeittoaGunsmithnz

 

[Jim K]

What exactly is your "98" rifle? Is it a K98k, a VZ 24 or a Yugo 48?

That business about the firing pin being below the end of the cocking piece jogged a thought out of my tired old brain, and I did some checking. I think you have standard 98 bolt and firing pin with a Yugo Model 48 cocking piece. I am not sure how that causes the exact problem you are seeing, but it indicates that (in spite of the "unfired" look) someone did some swapping of parts, never a good sign.

Take the rifle to a gunsmith or someone familiar with the Mauser 98; don't shoot it as is.

Jim

 

[ShaiVong]

Dangit! Now I have to find a gunsmith, or return it.

Its this rifle:

http://cdnn.powerfulhosting.com/objects/2552.itml/icOid/2552

 

[sumpnz]

Make sure you post the results, whether that's returning or fixing the gun.

 

[Jim K]

That ad says it is a K98k, but there has been a lot of confusion and misleading advertising, so make a quick check. Measure the bolt body, from the front flange to the rear, with the bolt sleeve removed. If it is a standard 98, it is almost exactly 6 3/8 inches. If it is about 6 inches, and it fits, it is a M48 bolt, and you have an M48 rifle, not a K98k.

If the bolt measures 6 3/8 inches, measure the round "barrel" part of the cocking piece. (That is the part the firing pin locks into; don't include the front "foot" part.) It should measure .81 inches, or just about 13/16". If it measures .90 or 7/8", it is a Model 48 cocking piece.

The cocking piece could have been swapped; that sort of thing is not uncommon with dealers or even arsenals getting ready to sell stuff. A part gets battered, or rusted, or missing, so a replacement part is put on; if it seems to fit OK, no one really worries a lot. When an arsenal or an importer has both K98k and M48 rifles, a mixup can easily happen.

If you find this is the case, CDNN should send you the correct cocking piece; give them a call, I have found them pretty good to deal with.

Jim