jgtiffany

OK, here's my Turk Mauser project rifle so far: I'm getting ready to rework the stock but I'm gonna need some advice. I do have a bit of woodworking experience but this is my first stock and I'd like to at least not mess it up TOO badly. My plan is to keep this a full-length, Mannlicher-style stock. All I've done so far is to remove the top handguard and cut the stock to match the barrel, which I cut to ~19". From the reading I've done on the board and the advice I've been given already, it sounds like using a chemical stripper to remove the old finish, followed by shaping the stock and refinishing with Tru-Oil, is the way to go. The specific advice I need now is: Will this wood require a filler? I'm not sure what kind of wood the Turks used, but I imagine it was whatever they could get from the low bidder. Would a combination stain/filler that I can get from my local Wally World work? I'd like the final result to be a few shades lighter than the original military finish. Is there a way to fill in the stock around that metal disk just below the front of the reciever? I don't think I can remove the disk, as it holds the recoil lug in place. This rifle kicks like a P.O.'d mule (probably the fault of the Turk surplus ammo), and the cheap slip-on recoil pad I have on there, although better than the steel buttplate, could stand some improvement. How does one go about fitting a grind-to-fit recoil pad with hand tools? I don't have access to a belt or disk sander. Alternatively, are there slip-on recoil pads that work well and don't look cheesy? Would it be helpful to add a recoil reducer inside the buttstock? I was wondering if any of the "build-it-yourself" recoil reducers like the one here are worth the effort. I was also wondering if anyone has any drawings/instructions for shaping the "flare" at the muzzle end of the stock. My web searches haven't been very helpful in this regard. I suppose I'd be OK with a metal or even plastic forend tip if it doesn't cost more than the rifle did to begin with. Thanks for any help you can give. I'm also planning a trip to the library this weekend to see if any of their gunsmithing books cover stockmaking.

OK, I went to the range today. It looks like I don't really need to worry about the muzzle crown. This three-shot group is about 3/4", fired from a rest at 50 yards. This is uber-cheap Turk surplus ammo, so I think good ammo would probably do better. It's about 4" to the right of the point of aim, and about 1 1/2" high, but I'm not too worried about that since I'm going to be replacing the rear sight with a Williams FP adjustable peep sight. There's quite a bit of side-to-side play in the military rear sight. Here's what the rifle looks like so far: I just used a mitre box and back saw to cut the stock at the muzzle, so I could take it to the range today. The elastic butt cuff from Wally World will hold 2 five-round stripper clips as long as I only put the first and last round in the elastic. It looks a little weird, but it works. I'm also planning to shape and refinish the stock, and replace the slip-on recoil pad with a permanent recoil pad. The bolt is still a bit hard to open, especially after firing; I oiled the recoil lugs and that helped, but I think a lot of it is just that darn cock-on-opening. Now come on, is there really a good reason for the bolt to cock on opening rather than on closing? I have a Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk 1, my brother has a '93 Mauser in 7X57, and both cock-on-closing. They both work fine and the bolt handles come up fast, smooth, and easy. Maybe it's just because I got used to cock-on-closing first, but I have to wonder what people are thinking when they lay out good money for a cock-on-opening kit for a '93 Mauser. Does anyone sell a cock-on-closing kit??? Actually, wouldn't the bolt just become cock-on-closing if the cocking cam were removed? Perhaps an experiment to try with a cheap stripped bolt...as long as the cocking piece stayed aligned it seems that it would just catch on the sear and cock as the bolt was closed...oh drat. This home gunsmithing thing really IS addictive. I'm doomed. Well, actually, I'm mostly kidding about the bolt. I think the problem is that surplus ammo. It kicks like a mule. A really angry mule with a score to settle. I'll see how it does with factory loads, if I can find any around here. Other than that, would a bent bolt handle help? I was thinking about trying one of the methods on Steve Wagner's website or just buying a bolt with a bent handle (military-style), if I can find one cheap as Rem721 suggested. Hey! It looks like I figured out that photo posting thing!

Tinker, You're right, the bore is off center. 3/16" on one side, 19/128" on the other using my cheap vernier scale calipers. OK, since this is a metric (8mm) barrel, it's 4.7mm and 4mm, respectively (as near as I can tell; my eyes aren't what they used to be). This is measured from the groove, right up against the land, to the outside of the barrel on each side. (In the photo above, that would be almost directly left-to-right.) I had thought that using the stone and carriage bolt would center the crown on the bore, but it looks more like it is centered on the outside of the barrel. I'll report on how it shoots as soon as I get a chance to take it to the range.

After a rather minor brainstorm, I tried again, this time holding the drill in my LEFT hand. It looks more even now, but I don't know how to measure it accurately. I think taking it to the range is still the only way to tell if it will need more work.

OK, I seem to have run into a problem. I tried chamfering the muzzle with a 1" mounted stone, but the stone was off-center. It jumped, and skittered, and vibrated, except at the lowest possible speed, so I decided to forget the stone and see what I could do with the carriage bolt and valve grinding compound. It seemed to go OK, and I tried to keep the drill rocking from side to side and up and down, BUT... As this photo shows, the chamfer is visibly uneven. I checked with my vernier caliper's depth gauge, and the depth of the chamfer appears to be equal (but, the caliper is only graduated to 1/128 of an inch). Any ideas what I did wrong? Can I still salvage it without recutting the barrel? I have 1/16" between the muzzle and the new front sight; if I have to cut more than that then I will also have to relocate the front sight. I guess if I have to, I can spring for the cost of Brownell's muzzle crowning kit. Alternatively, www.4-dproducts.com has them for rent for $20.00 each. I haven't seen any for sale used, but I'll check the gunsmithing boards. I may just take it out to the range and see how the accuracy is; I suppose there is a slight chance that it will be OK as it is. By the way, how do you get photos to post so you can actually see the darn things? Thanks for any help and advice you can give.

I had thought about filling the gap with JB weld (I wouldn't need to dye it as I plan to use Brownell's black baking laquer over the barreled receiver), or using a Dremel tool (or even a hacksaw) with some sort of masking to protect the barrel-but I'll have to do better than paper tape (you can see on the photo of the muzzle, I still managed to nick the front sight a time or two with the file even though I tried to protect it). As to using a different bolt-who has them cheaply? If I use a different bolt, wouldn't I then need to headspace the rifle? I'm trying to avoid that; in fact, one of my goals is to see how inexpensively I can complete this project. Thanks.

Hi all, another noob here I just started my Turk Mauser project that has been in the back of my mind since I bought the rifle for $40.00 at J&G Sales. I installed a new front sight and cut the barrel down to ~19". Using a square and a file, I have got the muzzle square-well, as square as I'm going to get it, anyway. My plan next is to crown the barrel using the mounted grinding stone technique from Steve Wagner's website. I'm also going to install a Williams FP rear sight. I would like to make the existing military stock into a Mannlicher-style stock. I know I can buy one, but I want to make one out of the stock I have. I do have a bit of woodworking experience, but this will be my first stock. If anyone has any experience at this sort of thing, designs, etc., I would be very grateful for any helpful tips you could give. This is the new front sight. I attached it using JB Weld, and aligned it using the existing front and rear sights. I need to D&T the barrel for the attachment screw. (That white stuff inside the screw hole is paper that I stuffed the hole with so it didn't fill with the epoxy). The mark forward of the sight was made with a pipe cutter, and is where I cut the barrel. I really don't think that the pipe cutter mark helped, though. I cobbled together a kind of Rube Goldberg setup to try to get a straight cut, but it still needed some file work to get it square. Here is the muzzle after cutting. And after filing it square. You can't see it, but there is a cleaning jag with an oil-soaked patch about 1/4" inside the barrel to keep those filings from getting in. I haven't removed the rear sight yet. I think if I align the new front and rear sight with the old rear sight, that should at least get me on the paper when I go to sight in. So far, I haven't touched the bolt handle. I'm not planning to scope this rifle, so I'm not sure if it will be worthwhile. Opinions? I hope these pictures work. I'll try to get some better pictures later. By the way, does anyone know of an easy way to get rid of the raised rim at the front of the action without removing the barrel?