Help With Heavy Bolt Lift on Mauser Action

[Hugnot]

Extractor looks OK in TX Speed Bump photo - got to love Mauser parts!

 

[Harry Knutz]

Some pics to describe situation

View attachment 377860View attachment 377861View attachment 377863View attachment 377864View attachment 377865

Observe the feature on the front of the firing pin - this prevents contact between firing pin & primer if bolt is not completely closed.
Observe the slot in the right side of the cocking piece - this enables the rifle to be recocked without opening bolt by hooking rim of cartridge in slot & pulling back to recock.

The 98's were my very first training rifles by folks that used them on our side in WWII.

I think I may see the problem, I have built many mausers, If you remove the bolt shroud there is a journal at the rear of the bolt that has a v shaped camming surface on the bottom. Anyway, It looks like the shroud is bent where the little bolt sleeve locks slides back and forth, Anyway I can see where it has been galling at the back of the journal. Remove the firing pin and strip the shroud and screw it back on to the bolt, It should turn all the way on and off with no resistance.

 

[med358-boise]

SAAMI has tolerance for brass and tolerances for chambers and if you are at opposite ends that can generate problems. The 6.5-06 was not spec'd into SAAMI untli 1997 and you described your rile as "an old custom" so who knows what spec the rifle was built to and what spec the dies were made to.

Your original post implies that the rifle may always have had a heavy bolt lift and that you measured to the shoulder and they seem long. You mentioned you shortend the case but you don't say how or by how much.

I believe in using the simplest solution first. Turn your sizing die down just slightly more and see if they now close more easily. Note even a 1/16th of a turn is ~.004.

 

[Harry Knutz]

Also check the camming surface where the sear mates with the v shaped cutout in the bottom of the bolt, If its galled, That's your problem, I have seen this happen before when bubba welds a bolt handle on withoutout using a heat sink and heat paste and the hardness of the camming surface becomes annealed.

 

[ofbandg]

For many years companies sold upgraded parts for customizing mausers, and one was a stiffer spring on the firing pin to increase lock speed. It did make for a heavier bolt lift though.

 

[Ken61]

Longer bolt handle?

 

[Mike Matteson]

I have several M98 actions. in different calibers. They were converted action. Haven't have that problem. The only problem I had was using IMR4831 changing from cold weather to hot weather (Temp problem with the powder). I love the safety on the 98's. Never had problem of safety getting moved without me moving it. Being left handed the 700 action safety would be against my side and could and it did moved it off safety. About took my head off. So either I don't carry around in the chamber, or it's M98 action.

 

[Harry Knutz]

Lastly, Can you show us a pic of of fired case, Showing your primer? The only other things I can think of that could be causing your problem, Is way to hot of a load, Or a dirty or pitted chamber.

 

[Harry Knutz]

A quick look at Hornady's Latest loading manual which the heaviest bullet it shows is a 117 gn bullet, Shows a max load of 50.0 grains of IMR 4350, And 51.2 gr of Accurate 4350, You may very well be way too hot. You show a heavier bullet (120 gr) and 4 grains over max, Which will definitely cause stiff bolt lift.

 

[Radman]

Just an observation but would your claw extractor be bent from not loading from the magazine. Maybe this could also contribute to a stiff bolt .

Good point, often overlooked. Extremely rare but I have encountered it.

 

[GRG]

Just breezed through this so forgive me if already addressed. One of my Mauser rifles is a Sako rebuild and I had tons of problems with heavy lift and closing. After going through the action extensively I switched the trigger out to a Timney I had, problem solved. Since having a great Sako trigger in it I went through and figured out that most of my issue was in the geometry of the trigger assembly in how it was set to the action. The housing was adjusted at to much of an angle and caused a bind. I changed the depth of the set screw and I in turn had to work with the adjustment screws until everything came in right.
Just my experience with that rifle, may not be your problem.

 

[med358-boise]

Good point brought up by Harry. Nosler website shows 52.5 as max for the 120 BT and you are at 54.

 

[Harry Knutz]

I'm out of my element here and need some help. I'm getting ready to do some load development with 85g Hammers for my 6.5x06 and want to make sure I'm getting the most accuracy I can in the process. This is an old custom-made rifle with a Mauser action and heavy Douglas barrel. I don't know that this rifle has ever had a light bolt lift as long as I've owned it. It shoots great and the only cartridge that's ever been shot through this rifle in the past 50 years has been 120gr Nosler BTs driven by 54gr IMR-4350 with an average 3,135 fps velocity. My cases are made from 25-06 brass (although I've never actually made any of the brass myself). I always full length resize.

I've checked my case length and even shortened one down well under the maximum just to make sure that wasn't it. When I drop a resized case in the chamber, the bolt is very stiff to close on it and equally stiff to lift. When I attempt to measure the distance from the bottom of the base (just above the extractor groove to the bottom of the shoulder or the top of the shoulder, it seems long compared to what the book says it should be. What are the things that cause this phenomenon on rifles with this type action? Is there something else I should be doing in the re-sizing phase that bumps this neck down a bit? Thanks.

My guess is the head of the case is expanding because of excessive pressure, Measure the head of the case just up from the rim against an unfired case, If you don't have one a 30-06 case will do. When there is too much pressure the head will expand way too much, When you reach the point of stiff bolt lift you are way over pressure, If your primer is flattened out and your primer pockets are loose, This is a sign of over pressure.

 

[Harry Knutz]

Approximately a 1/4 inch or so of the case sticks out of the chamber unsupported on a mauser.