Barreling a Mauser

M

mpatti

Guest
I am on the newer side of gunsmithing. I have done 3 rifles on remington actions from top to bottom and they turned out great.
I just recently purchased an Adams and Bennet heavy barrel blank (1.200 diameter)and was thinking this could be a good "cheaper" barrel to try and do my first mauser action barreling job.
I was wondering which mauser action would be good to build a 220 swift on (there seems to be a ton of them) and if anyone could give the steps they do to machine the barrel for a mauser action.
Also, is it worth trueing up a mauser action.
Thanks for any info.
 
Remember Mausers are case hardened. If you cut through the thin case, you will have to have it recase hardened. I have a lot of Mausers, but don't use them for high pressure rounds.
Butch
 
I think you are on the right track. That A&B barrel wil give you about 20-30 different practices for making Mauser threads. That is about all that barrel is good for. Git ER DONE!
 
While the A&B barrel may not be the top of the line match barrel it can work for a fairly decent hunting rifle. I would lap the barrel you might be surprised what you can get from it. The Spanish, Swedish, Turkish would all work.
 
Butch

I was under the impression that the better Mausers were heat treated, (tempered through out), not case hardenned like some of the old Springfields.

In the past,I have drilled scope mount holes in them, and they just drilled like alloy steel in the low 30 Rockwell C range.........jackie
 
Give it a go. I recently lapped a Douglas barrel, it was a good experience. I would turn the outside profile first, removing material can cause to bore to expand, the lapping can open up the ends, so leave it long. There are a few lapping threads on this forum. I would choose a Model 98 for your project, the pre 98's aren't as strong. Truing the action wouldn't hurt, make a mandrel for the bore and true the shoulder, be careful with the locking lugs, the surface is hardened, you don't want to cut through it. Buy a one piece scope base, like Farrell's, it will save a lot of trouble. I'm sure someone else will mention it, but try to find an action that is not in a collectible condition.
 
I appreciate all the info. I have a friend that is sending me a book on mausers which should be useful. He claims it is "the bible of mauser books". I will take your comments, read this book, then think awhile. . . .maybe then cut.

I also want to tell you guys that I really enjoy reading all of your posts. I rarely post a question but I constantly read your stuff. Thanks for taking the time to answer questions for beginners like me.
 
Most early mausers are case hardened. Additionally, they are selectively case hardened. That is, they are hardened in particular areas (locking lug seats, extraction cam surfaces) and less so in others. Just how this was accomplished, I can't say. I wasn't even alive when they made these things!
Many commercial mausers are made of an alloy but anything prior to WWI was certainly mild steel carburized on the surface.
As far as truing one is concerned, I primarily concern myself with the face and the inner shoulder. I cut the face so it is truly parallel to the inner shoulder and cut the barrel tenon to precisiely fit these two surfaces. Apart from this and the bolt face, I don't concern myself with too much. It's a Mauser for cryin' out loud! Regards, Bill.
 
For the past 9 years I have been in the process of sporterizing ~70 Mausers.
One is finished and given away.

Here was a test I did on one:
My test:
Pacific .308 Win reamer, VZ24 trued action, A&B fluted stainless 24" F54
barrel, H335, CCI200 primer, 2.9" OAL, Speer 168 gr. HPBT Gold Match,
brass: Win308Win:

0) 42 gr. QL= 2565 fps & 46 kpsi, 0% overload, did not load 42 gr.
1) 43 gr. QL= 2618 fps & 49 kpsi, 2% overload, ok
2) 44 gr. QL= 2670 fps & 52 kpsi, 5% overload, cratered primer this and higher
3) 45 gr. QL= 2722 fps & 56 kpsi, 7% overload
4) 46 gr. QL= 2774 fps & 60 kpsi, 10% overload
5) 47 gr. QL= 2825 fps & 64 kpsi, 12% overload
6) 48 gr. QL= 2875 fps & 68 kpsi, 14% overload, mark on brass from bolt face extractor this and higher,
7) 49 gr. QL= 2925 fps & 73 kpsi, 17% overload
8) 50 gr. QL= 2974 fps & 78 kpsi, 19% overload, extractor cut on brass expands .0020"
9) 51 gr. QL= 3024 fps & 84 kpsi, 21% overload, extractor cut on brass expands .0020"
10) 52 gr. QL= 3073 fps & 90 kpsi, 24% overload, extractor cut on brass expands .0110", primer fell out
Click to expand...
 
Bill Leeper said:
Most early mausers are case hardened. Additionally, they are selectively case hardened. That is, they are hardened in particular areas (locking lug seats, extraction cam surfaces) and less so in others. Just how this was accomplished, I can't say. Bill.
Click to expand...


The method calls pack case hardening. The carbon rich carburizing paste has to be in direct contact with the surface of the carburized steel. The carbon gets absorbed by the steel only in the areas where the carburizing paste is applied to.Rad
 
Clark

Ever shot a Remington 700 with a 70,000 psi load, There is definetly a distinct round extrusion where metal is pushed back into the extractor plunger hole.

I was never aware that strength was a big issue with the better Mausers. At least not at pressures that any sane person would load.........jackie
 
i've done several mausers & have about 10 mausers projects in the works. if your not planning on having the the receiver & bolt recarburised i would look for a czech vz-24 or fn columbian contract rifle as a base. they seem to be a little harder but it only cost around $100 to have the action & bolt recarburised. i consider it cheap insurance.
the way i barrel them is i first true the receiver face to the inner torque shoulder then cut the barrel shank .003 longer so it will mate up to the inner shoulder instead of the face. i lap the bolt it after its been recarb'ed because sometimes you will get a little springback if you lap it first.
cut the threads to fit the receiver then measure from the tourque shoulder to the bolt face with a depth mic, that will give you the amount the headspace guage needs to stick out of the chamber. cut the chamber, then thread the barrel into the receiver. i usually turn it about 3/16" after it butts up to fully tighten it then make a pair of witness marks on the underside of the barrel & receiver. check the headspace & hopefully call it done.
most a&b barrels shoot decent but foul quick. i have one in 220swift that i bought because i thought i could shoot it while i'm waiting on a good barrel then resell it afterwards but it turned out to be a shooter.
 
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