Hi,
The barrel looks a bit rough with pitting but i havent shoot it yet!
Is it safe or will the barrel explode?
Well, maybe so don't shoot it yet.
never! Never!! NEVER!!! fire a gun with a dirty / rusty / rough bore.
The bullet needs to be able to exit the barrel smoothly to prevent
dangerous ( explosive ) pressure spikes.
Start by attempting to clean it as you would any gun.
Cleaning solvents and patches.
If you are able to push the patch through smoothly without tearing up the
patch, you may be OK. I emphasize that you MUST be able to push the
cleaning patch through smoothly without tearing it up.
If the patch is tearing up and you can see flecks of the cloth caught in the
bore then you have more work to do.
A trick I found in one of my books is to wind fine steel wool into a bore brush.
The steel wool will compress into the brush. Make a few strokes and add more
steel wool. Do this for a while then alternate with the cleaning patch and jag until the
patch and jag will push smoothly without tearing up the patch.
At that point it likely won't explode.
You will want to check that it doesn't have excess head space.
Repeated firing with excess head space will likely eventually damage the locking lugs / seats.
Is it possible that a rough barrel can shoot good?
not likely but maybe.
If it turns out that the barrel is worn , is it possible to screw in a aftermarket sporter barrel?
Yes, providing that you have the reamer for a short chambered barrel or a lathe for a long
chambered barrel AND the headspace gauges in either case.
Another question is what to do that the bolt handel will not touch the scope! The bolt looks like this
bolt it is not my rifle though!
The handle will either need to be replaced or forged into a low configuration. You'll likely need to
change the safety flag too.
Thanks David from the Mauser motherland!
