Mauser K98 soft primer hits

[mm6mm6]

Many years ago I sold a Mauser K98 8mm to a friend. He never shot it but he did loan it to another friend who shot it.

Yesterday we took it to the range and my friend was going to fire it for the first time himself. But Remington factory ammo and some old European ammo (I forget which brand) wouldn't fire. There were light primer hits, but no ignition.

I'm not that familiar with bolt guns or with the Mauser K98 but I'm hoping someone can let us know if there is a relatively easy fix to cure the problem.

A new firing pin or a new spring somewhere inside the bolt?

It'd be great if we could just order a part online and fix it ourselves.

Many thanks in advance!

 

[NCsmitty]

It could be that there is dried cosmoline inside the bolt and/or the FP spring could be weak.
Perhaps a check of the headspace with gauges wouldn't hurt either.

Here's a link to a good informative site for bolt break down, etc.

www.surplusrifle.com/mauser98gew/index.asp

Here's a link to some milsurp parts.

www.tngunparts.com/Catalogue.htm

NCsmitty

 

[gun addict]

buy a stiffer spring from Wolff, problem solved

 

[Vern Humphrey]

There are three likely causes for light strikes in Mauser and similar bolt actions:

1. Crud (dried cosmoline, rust, etc.) in the bolt.

2. Broken or worn parts in the bolt -- especially a snapped firing pin, or a peened striker.

3. A weak spring.

Disassembly is easy. First, cock the bolt and put the safety in the middle (straight up) position and remove the bolt. Push on the bolt sleeve lock plunger and unscrew the bolt sleeve (the rear portion of the bolt.)

Now flush out the interior of the bolt with a good solvent. If necessary, soak the bolt overnight in solvent. Brush and patch out the interior of the bolt. Be sure to soak and clean the striker assembly, too.

With the bolt disassembled, inspect the striker assembly. Look for shiny spots, burrs, peened areas, or a broken firing pin tip (the tip should be hemispherical -- if it's flat, it's broken.) Order replacement parts from the URL listed in the post above.

Finally, disassemble the striker. To do this, you need a hole about a quarter inch in diameter in a hardwood block. Most military Mausers have such a hole in the butt stock. Put the firing pin in the hole and press down. You can now unscrew the cocking piece from the rear end of the striker rod, and allow the spring to slowly expand. New springs are available from the source listed in the previous post, or from Wolff Gunsprings.

 

[DennyF]

Primary cause in old milsurp M98s, is the crud build up in the bolt. Have had that problem with a few of them over the years. The above-described bolt cleaning regimen, quickly took care of those problems.

I lightly lube the innards with RemOil or CLP, when reassembling the bolts. Pretty much anything heavier, will eventually lead to the same problem in the future, especially in cold weather.

 

[rcmodel]

If the stock has been replaced, make sure the notch for the bolt handle allows the bolt to fully close.

I have seen folks restock a bolt-action then get light firing pin strikes because they failed to relieve enough wood under the bolt handle to allow it to close all the way.

The 98 Mauser has a projection on the firing pin that prevents firing if the bolt is not completely closed.

rc

 

[mm6mm6]

Thanks for the info! We'll look into buying a spring or kit and then using the instructions on the other web pages to take the bolt apart.

To clarify, I shot the old Mauser (in original condition and with all original parts - no new stock or anything) and everything was just fine.

My friend also said the rifle worked for his friend who fired it. Something must have happened between its last time being shot and yesterday.

 

[chevyforlife21]

did you ever shoot it before? was it fine before that? it probly got dirt in it or dust or rust from sitting years with your friend.