I have a beautiful old German 7x57 Mauser which I bought twenty years ago which for various reasons I have not shot yet, but now upon inspection it seems that a gunsmith I took the rifle to may have shaved the rear of the bolt lugs. I’m wondering if this can cause a safety issue due to bolt thrust.
To understand how this may have happened I feel I need to provide the complete long story of this rifle, but if you want to avoid this, then skip ahead to the Coda -(+)- sign.
By the way, here is the Mauser, with a beautiful English Walnut stock I had chosen and which was hand-carved for it:
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The story
—————
In 2001 at a somewhat rural gun show I spotted a 7x57 Mauser with double set triggers and express sights. Although it had a very weatherbeaten lightweight light-colored stock (pine?), I wanted it. My plans were to replace it with a nicer stock.
The rifle is made by Germania Waffenwerk, Zella-Mehlis, and is an M98 bolt action. I later learned that Germania Waffenwerk is related to Anschütz and that the districts of Zella and Mehlis united in 1919. My best guess is that a sporting rifle such as this would’ve been made between 1925 and 1935. The serial number on the receiver is 2342; I could not find one on the bolt at that time.
It was about $500 and although I did not have that much, I told the seller I would buy it if I could put $100 to hold it today (Saturday) and bring the remainder to the show on Sunday. He agreed. The one thing I wanted to make sure of is that the rifle could chamber a 7x57 round. Surprisingly (at least in these present times), we went out into the parking lot and chambered a live round. My recollection was that it required slightly more effort than with my M96B Swedish Mauser.
Later Sunday evening after buying the gun and driving two hours home, I put the bolt in and attempted to close it on an empty chamber. It was very difficult to close. My first thought was that somehow I was given the wrong bolt.
My thought was that while I’m getting the stock selected, dried, and carved, I’d have a gunsmith check the headspace. This is at a well-established gunsmith and gun shop in a large city. The work order states, “Check headspace and ream if necessary.” Two days later I pick up the rifle, cost for the work was $55, and they handed me two cases that were test-fired. I verified for myself that the bolt now closed properly. That was in 2002 and I have never fired the rifle, although now I want to. So I thought about all that had transpired and realized something didn’t make sense.
Coda -(x)-
If I had difficulty closing the bolt on an empty chamber, how would reaming the chamber solve that? What did the gunsmith actually do? I looked into the chamber and it did not appear to have been reamed - the shoulder and chamber appeared to have been unaltered from the day it was made.
I looked at the bolt - and now I did see a number, 53, but I can’t tell if this was the original bolt I’d tried the first time. Anyway, it’s mismatched. Only after looking at some photos I made of the bolt did I spot this:
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It seems to me the rear surface of both front lugs have been shaved in order to get the bolt to go in and lock. The rear lug is untouched.
If they have been shaved, doesn’t this compromise the surface heat treatment of the lugs? How can I be sure there now isn’t too much space between the rear of the lug and the receiver lug recess? My understanding is that more than 0.002” would cause bolt thrust that could eventually shear off the lugs. I’m going to buy a set of headspace gauges anyway - can I assume if it doesn’t close on a NO-GO then things are good? Maybe take it to another gunsmith? By the way, the original shop and people are still around.
Here are some measurements I made with calipers, but it was difficult to make them because of the curved surfaces; I’m not that confident in these values:
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Anyway, I thank you if you’ve read this far. What say you? I really want to enjoy shooting this rifle without worrying about a bolt failure.
To understand how this may have happened I feel I need to provide the complete long story of this rifle, but if you want to avoid this, then skip ahead to the Coda -(+)- sign.
By the way, here is the Mauser, with a beautiful English Walnut stock I had chosen and which was hand-carved for it:
The story
—————
In 2001 at a somewhat rural gun show I spotted a 7x57 Mauser with double set triggers and express sights. Although it had a very weatherbeaten lightweight light-colored stock (pine?), I wanted it. My plans were to replace it with a nicer stock.
The rifle is made by Germania Waffenwerk, Zella-Mehlis, and is an M98 bolt action. I later learned that Germania Waffenwerk is related to Anschütz and that the districts of Zella and Mehlis united in 1919. My best guess is that a sporting rifle such as this would’ve been made between 1925 and 1935. The serial number on the receiver is 2342; I could not find one on the bolt at that time.
It was about $500 and although I did not have that much, I told the seller I would buy it if I could put $100 to hold it today (Saturday) and bring the remainder to the show on Sunday. He agreed. The one thing I wanted to make sure of is that the rifle could chamber a 7x57 round. Surprisingly (at least in these present times), we went out into the parking lot and chambered a live round. My recollection was that it required slightly more effort than with my M96B Swedish Mauser.
Later Sunday evening after buying the gun and driving two hours home, I put the bolt in and attempted to close it on an empty chamber. It was very difficult to close. My first thought was that somehow I was given the wrong bolt.
My thought was that while I’m getting the stock selected, dried, and carved, I’d have a gunsmith check the headspace. This is at a well-established gunsmith and gun shop in a large city. The work order states, “Check headspace and ream if necessary.” Two days later I pick up the rifle, cost for the work was $55, and they handed me two cases that were test-fired. I verified for myself that the bolt now closed properly. That was in 2002 and I have never fired the rifle, although now I want to. So I thought about all that had transpired and realized something didn’t make sense.
Coda -(x)-
If I had difficulty closing the bolt on an empty chamber, how would reaming the chamber solve that? What did the gunsmith actually do? I looked into the chamber and it did not appear to have been reamed - the shoulder and chamber appeared to have been unaltered from the day it was made.
I looked at the bolt - and now I did see a number, 53, but I can’t tell if this was the original bolt I’d tried the first time. Anyway, it’s mismatched. Only after looking at some photos I made of the bolt did I spot this:
It seems to me the rear surface of both front lugs have been shaved in order to get the bolt to go in and lock. The rear lug is untouched.
If they have been shaved, doesn’t this compromise the surface heat treatment of the lugs? How can I be sure there now isn’t too much space between the rear of the lug and the receiver lug recess? My understanding is that more than 0.002” would cause bolt thrust that could eventually shear off the lugs. I’m going to buy a set of headspace gauges anyway - can I assume if it doesn’t close on a NO-GO then things are good? Maybe take it to another gunsmith? By the way, the original shop and people are still around.
Here are some measurements I made with calipers, but it was difficult to make them because of the curved surfaces; I’m not that confident in these values:
Anyway, I thank you if you’ve read this far. What say you? I really want to enjoy shooting this rifle without worrying about a bolt failure.
. So, this tells me that the extractor isn’t encountering any interference and also that the rear of the lugs aren’t pressed up tight in the recess. Afterwards:
