Kevin Coakley

Try a piece of plastic from a credit card or a plastic key card from a hotel. They are stiff, easy to file/sand, flat, and about the correct thickness.

Retirement rifles! I wish I thought of that 10 years ago. How could my wife have objected to a basement full of retirement rifles?

Too bad we can't get complete rifles for $70.00 anymore. I hate the idea of having to scrounge each part, screw, spring, etc to make a complete action.

OK, thanks for the advice. This fellow is truely in the country. It may be several weeks before I see him again. I will keep everyone posted.

You've got to checker the stock!!

Pacrat, I think you're right. I've researched buying parts to reassemble receivers into complete actions...UPS charges alone make it unworkable. Too bad though, for a brief second I was in Mauser heaven!

Hello Everyone, I know a "Country" Gunsmith with a bucket full of stripped mauser 98 receivers. No bolts, no ejectors/bolt stops. Most are in good used condition. Is there any value or utility here? KC

Hello Everyone, I know a "Country" Gunsmith with a bucket full of stripped mauser 98 receivers. No bolts, no ejectors/bolt stops. Most are in good used condition. Is there any value or utility here? KC

I did the same thing "once". I took a sharp prick punch and "unscrewed" the piece far enough to grab it with a needle nose pliers. Worked like a charm. KC

Take the bolt and bolt handle to a couple of local welding companies, the ones that do repairs for commercial vehicles etc. You'll be surprised at the number of welders who have done bolt handle welding.

I've rebarreled two mausers. In both cases I've had my gunsmith remove the old barrels. On my 338-06 build, I hand tightened the barrel, then got about another 1/4 turn with one of those strap style pipe wrenches. I've shot that rifle hundreds and hundreds of times since. The second rifle is a 24-47 rebarrel to 6.5x55. I hand tightened, and got about another 1/4 turn with a POS action wrench I built. Same thing, shot hundreds of times, no problems. My gunsmith claims they only need to be hand tightened. As long as they don't unscrew when you shoot them!! Obviously, you need to finish ream after barrel is installed. I'm sure there are some kind of specs. I doubt they used a "torque action wrench" when your rifle was built. Make sure you lube the threads, I use wheel bearing grease. Good Luck KC

It's getting harder to find surplus rifles to work on at a reasonable price. I'm in the process of making a turkish mauser into a 6.5x55 mannlicher style. I think after I add all the costs it will be well over $600.00. I'm afraid the days of $79.00 mausers are long gone.

Is there enough metal in the cocking piece to dovetail a rear peep sight securely? It seems like it may be a little thin. There is a lot of preasure put on this area when the bolt is worked and it snaps forward pretty violently when the gun is fired. I think the front sight blade would have to be outlandishly tall to make it work regardless. Just thinking out loud. KC

Very nice! I would add iron sights rather than a scope. A scope just seems to sit too high on a Mosin. It's pretty easy to add iron sights especially if you have access to a drill press. Good sights are expensive though. Good Luck!!

Nice looking scope mount. I've played with a few different styles myself but they all put the scope too high for my taste. If you decide to make a stock like the one I made, match the boards to each other the best you possibly can. If you do a good job gluing them up to thickness the average person would have trouble telling they were not one piece of solid wood. I used mahogony because it is dimensionally sound and 1/3 the cost of black walnut boards. Watch the you tube video of "filing flats to make it round". Good Luck! KC

CMP is first and foremost an organization set up to promote marksmanship. They are not set up specifically to sell rifles. When I was looking through the clubs in my area they were typically shooting clubs, and they require participation. I'm not sure why the Illinois NRA is acceptable but not the National NRA. Why not just join the Illinois NRA. You'de still be money ahead when you compare Garand prices at gunshows and on the internet. My $0.02 worth of advice (and worth every penny). KC

It's easy, but involves a lot of personal information. Everything is spelled out on the website. The "hardest" part is membership in a CMP approved club. For me it was the Illinois NRA. I think if you are looking for a "like new shooter" they are a great place to go. I've heard they segregate historic and collectable rifles to sell elsewhere, who knows? You do not need a FFL holder to get involved. I think that's why they require so much personal info. Good Luck, you won't be disappointed. KC

I just received my service grade Garand from CMP. It looks brand new. I would suggest anyone interested in one should get it now. Mine is an H&R.

Thank you for the kind words. The stock is (2) 3/4 pieces of mahogony, kiln dried boards, glued up, from a local home store. It's just thick enough! I traced the old Mosin stock on a piece of cardboard. On top of this I traced my model 70 stock in a different color and blended the two. I transfered this to the wood. I had a local woodshop cut out the shape on their band saw. Then you start inletting. You can cheat a little with a drill press and a few carboard templates at first. It's amazing to watch the inletting take shape as you remove a splinter at a time. The recoil pad is cut from a flip flop. The spacer is a piece of 1/4 " sub-floor, the cheek pad is a piece of leather from a local furniture store. I finished the stock with dark walnut, sanded this to exposed raw wood. That's what gives it the grainy look. I restained the whole thing with a color called "gunstock" and put 7 coats of boiled linseed oil on it. I will let you know how it shoots. KC

Hello All, I've read these posts for a couple of years and decided I would show a Mannlicher stocked Mosin Nagant I just completed.