A quick g'day + Mauser 98 help

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A quick g'day + Mauser 98 help

Post by mjr11470 » 30 Sep 2016, 4:25 pm

G'day fellas,

First post here, but this forum has already been a great help to me in getting my license, so I thought I'd join in the fun. I'm a young (19) brand new shooter and I've introduced myself to the hobby, so I may ask some pretty simple questions. My only experience with firearms has been the odd .22 shoot at family farms, but other than that I'm a virgin to the sport.

This week I picked up my first rifle after my first PTA wait, and I made the very sensible decision to purchase an all-matching FN Mauser 98 chambered in 30-06. She's an old girl, but I don't plan to shoot her until I've got my fundamentals down and I've worked my way up a few calibers so I don't develop a flinch in my shooting. I've also got to clean it up before I'd even contemplate shooting it, and also get the bore and head spacing checked.

Now I've got a few questions for you guys regarding the rifle, and I'll attach pictures to give a better idea. I know these FN's aren't all that collectable in the Mauser world, but I'd like to turn it back into something half decent and keep it for a while.

- Do you guys think the bolt is too far gone?
- If not, what methods do you all recommend for removing the rust?
- Can anyone recommend a competent gunsmith who charges a fair price for a bore and head space check?
- What methods do you recommend to clean the barrel?

I've heard using oil and some very fine steel wool on the bolt will do the trick, but I don't just want to start going at it, especially around the locking lugs. And I've also heard stainless steel wrapped brushes work well to clean out old surplus bores.

Anyway, let me know what you guys think, and I wish everyone a great weekend of safe shooting.

Cheers,

Matt.
Attachments
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IMAG0198.jpg
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mjr11470
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Re: A quick g'day + Mauser 98 help

Post by Deacon » 30 Sep 2016, 5:35 pm

Welcome mate.
Real classy choice for a first rifle. Depending how bad it is you may be able to get away with a regular old bronze brush just remember to get the right size. As for the bolt I've actually never had to do it (guess i've been lucky) so I never bothered learning.Some of the guys around here will for sure point you in the right direction though.
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Re: A quick g'day + Mauser 98 help

Post by Wm.Traynor » 30 Sep 2016, 7:31 pm

I suspect that Stainless Steel Wool would leave scratches. Try some out first, on a part that is hidden. The underside of the barrel for instance. To clean the bore, squirt lots of thin oil (eg Ballistol), or solvent, down the bore and wipe out with a loose patch at first. Get as much out as you can by oiling and wiping out, then start with a bronze brush. Buy a few. The solvent/oil acts as a lubricant. Keep patching out every few strokes to get the rough, abrasive stuff out. Do Not pull the patches or brushes back through the bore towards you. That will coat the bore with the stuff that you are trying to clean out of it. It will also distribute the stuff inside the action; the magazine, round the locking lugs.

That should clean the bore. Strip the bolt (look up youtube) and clean internally. Lube internally. Put moly grease on the locking lugs and cocking cam. Clean the locking lug abutments inside the action. By all means have the headspace checked. Before firing make sure both the chamber and bore is clean and dry. If it shoots OK, clean the outside and Good Luck.
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Re: A quick g'day + Mauser 98 help

Post by tom604 » 30 Sep 2016, 11:17 pm

0000 steel wool should be fine, check first and don't go crazy, autosol polish may help as well, for the bore just clean as normal but you may have to put the time into it to get it really clean. pretty much what wm has said :thumbsup:
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Re: A quick g'day + Mauser 98 help

Post by duncan61 » 30 Sep 2016, 11:23 pm

cool first rifle
.22 winchester .22hornet .222 .243 7mm rem mag cbc 12g
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Re: A quick g'day + Mauser 98 help

Post by GLS_1956 » 01 Oct 2016, 1:24 am

Do I think the bolt is too far gone? Nope, for the most part it appears, to me, the rust is light surface and not really affecting the integrity of the bolt. The worse seems to me to be on the extractor, cocking piece, shroud, and the bolt handle itself. I noticed that the bolt's serial number matches that of the rifle so the odds of you having a proper headspace are pretty good, Do your best to protect/preserve those numbers when cleaning up the bolt. Matching numbers increase the value of any firearm.
I've been asked: "How many guns do you need to have?" My answer remains the same: "One more."
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Re: A quick g'day + Mauser 98 help

Post by Broom » 11 Oct 2016, 2:42 pm

Welcome mate :)

Good luck with the project.
Ruger Gunsite Scout in three oh eight. Oh yeah!
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Re: A quick g'day + Mauser 98 help

Post by Supaduke » 11 Oct 2016, 9:18 pm

Nice choice. I've got one myself. The bolt is made from really high quality tool steel. A little gun oil, some 0000 steel wool and a little elbow grease will clean that right up.

A few tips
-Any M98 bayonet will fit. Including the better reproduction ones. Good luck finding an original M1950 FN bayonet

-Numrich gun parts sell cleaning rods
15.5 inches long, not the 12 and 10 inch ones you see on eBay. Will cost you about $50 once you get it shipped though.

-I couldn't source an original sling but an m38 Swedish Mauser sling fits properly and looks the part.

-It will more than likely shoot very high. This is normal. Mine was around 8-10 inches high at 50m, this is easily fixed with a taller front sight. Any m98 sight will fit. Taller sights that you file down to size are readily available.

Here's mine

IMG_0016.JPG
FN m1950
IMG_0016.JPG (1.3 MiB) Viewed 2288 times

IMG_0018.JPG
FN m1950
IMG_0018.JPG (1.16 MiB) Viewed 2288 times


Enjoy it, they are great shooters and look really nice.
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Re: A quick g'day + Mauser 98 help

Post by beerd » 13 Oct 2016, 7:43 am

Welcome mate.

Nice piece Supa :D
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