bilurey

I just remembered, I have a HVA built on an FN LR M98 commercial barreled action. It was imported into Sweden and stocked HVA style for some sporting goods dealer. It has a 26 in. medium heavy weight barrel. Once in Sweden it had the barrel set back and rechambered for 8x57JS. This might be a slam dunk for rechambering to 8x60JS. It has a fixed and one flip up leaf sights. Not D&T'ed for scope or peep sights, looks as though they may have reblued the metal and slapped a coat of varnish on the stock. The stock is walnut, not beech, and appears to have some figure in it. I can barely lift it now, much less shoot it and was thinking about selling it, but forgot until I started reading this thread. My wife, Spousauris, is getting good at packing rifles, not happy, but good. I bought this from a Swede dealer using a C&R, based on the 50 year rule. I've got $300 in it, will sell and ship it for that to a C&R or better FFL. Bill

About 10 years ago I bought a M95 Steyr in the original 8x50R, some creative soul had cut off the bolt handle and brazed it back onto the left side of the bolt, and reversed the safety. A lefty for the paw disadvantaged like myself. I went thru my dies and found a way to create the brass, used some original brass and berdan decapper(s) which is a frustrating job. Then reformed standard brass but don't remember if it was 30-40 or 7.62x54R. Some oldtimer had added a pistol grip and checkered the grip. covering most of the splice. Fun to shoot but almost impossible to scope, no commercial stocks, triggers, or peep sights available. So, I swapped it for some kind of Carpathian Cat Killer and went on my merry way thru Mauserworld. Lots of cheap "fun" projects like the Jap 6.5 carbine I went deer hunting with one year. Sometimes being really different is as much fun as being really classy. Bill PS some guy has Brazilian M98/08 Mauser receivers for sale on Auction Arms or Gun Broker if you really want to start from scratch on something really good. Didn't add link as I don't know if this is permissable.

Well, here's another pic for my wall of reminders to keep setting the bar high. What a beautiful job! If nothing else I'll be able to say I knew Z before he began living in the south of France in an ocean front chateau. Bill

Turk Mauser variations can be very confusing. In 1938 Mustaffa Kemmel (Atturk) attempted to unify the Turk small arms supply to use the 154grn. 8x57JS cartridge at 2950fps in a 29 inch barrel (this is why the Turk ammo gives such a loud bang and strong shoulder punch). This meant converting M1888 commission rifles, 1893 Mausers, and 1903 Mausers to this cartridge from their original chambering of the 7.65x54 Belgian cartridge. These rifles used a modified front receiver ring which caused the actions of the M93 and M1903 to be somewhat shorter when the extension of the front ring to hold the rear end of the handguard is removed, it also caused wide variations in barrel shank lengths. M1888 and Gew98 rifles Turkey received from Germany during WWI were already chambered for this cartridge, as were the M98/22s purchased from the Czechs, and needed no modifications. Turkey remained neutral during WWII and had to manufacture it's own Mauser 98s as the Gerrman supply was cut off following WWI and the Czech suppley cut off at the begining of WWII. They chose to retain the small diameter barrel shank in the large ring M98s they produced. These appear to be strong enough for most cartridges, but, manufacturing tolerances vary considerably more. I've seen or seen pics of numerous rifles made up from these actions, the owners seemed happy and the gunsmiths comfortable about using them. While more expensive, pre-WWII Mauser, DWM, or Vz24 military actions are available, are more finely crafted, and are easier to fit replacment parts onto. But for starters. the Turks have allowed a large number of new enthusiastic shooters to get into the game very inexpensively. Bill

When FN lengthed magazines for military rifles they used a very clever method. They cut out the front face of the magazine box and welded on an extension piece. Here's the clever part, when they cut out the front face of the mag. box they only cut down to the groove in the bottom of the mag. box which holds the forward lug of the floorplate. On commercial models such as the M50 Hi-power or Sears commercial models FN simply milled a longer mag. box except for the bottom opening which they left standard below the floorplate front lug recess or lip thus allowing the use of a standard floorplate. Only the bottom lip of this groove is necessary to hold the forward lug of the floorplate and so the milling stopped short of removing it. This way the original floor plate could be used. If the entire face of the mag. box is cut away, completely down through the bottom opening, the lug groove or recess is removed and would have to be re-cut. Then, a longer floorplate would be necessary, try finding one of these floor plates, almost impossible. Might be possible to lengthen the lug or lip on the original floorplate and cut a new groove in the bottom of the mag. box face to hold it, seems pretty tricky though. The M1903 Turk Mauser had its magazine lengthened in this manner, as did the Brazilian military model, and the first commercial models which were built on the standard M98 length actions. Check any of these out and you'll see immediately what I've described above. Good luck, the DWM or Mauser Brazilian '08 action is a wonderful action. Bill

It might be possible to use just plain Vasoline. The objective is to leave an observable mark where the metal touches the stock, oil based products will leave a shiney spot which is quite easy to see. Powdered Graphite is readily available and would leave a shiney spot without the problem of absorbtion and degredation of the synthetic material which might occure with oil based products. A handy tip? I use the cellophane packaging material from cigarette packs to make fairly accurate indicators of stock rub when inletting, especially the receiver rings and the barrel. This material is stiff enough to withstand the pressure of insertion, yet flexible enough to follow curves quite closely. After seating the barreled action somewhat loosely in the stock, I insert a strip of cellophane and it will stop when it hits a stock surface which may be just a little lower than the rub spot. This is a good indicator of where the next rub will occure. Experiment with seating pressure, marking a pencil mark on the top edge of the stock where the shim stops. Turns out to be a very sensitive tool which may highlight spots already blackened but determined to be a proper fit, or, an indication of side play as a barreled action is twisted, pushed, and lifted while in the stock. It will detect high spots better that your eyes, especially on areas buried beneath the top edge of the stock. Bill

Extremely fine craftmanship, which I believe is the key element in anything. While my favorite is classic, I have trouble taking my eyes off this because of it's beauty. I have pics on the wall facing my workbench which I glance at when doing work on guns. Most of the time when I glance up, I end up going back and improving the fit or finish of what I thought I had just completed. Believe I'll add your pics to those of Z's bolt jobs and hole welding. What a great site! Bill

You didn't mention the action type of the broken stock model. I have a Husqvarna commercial butt plate with it's white spacer and the special original screws it came with. I also have a small ring Husqvarna M98 stock with a schnauble fore end which I think is among the best looking of the Husq. stocks, it appears to be very lightly used. There are a few very small specks on latex paint from an overloaded roller which got onto the stock. Would this help restore the 9.3? Bill

Mike, Tom Burgess may want to take the advice of Satchel Page and not stop to look behind him as he may not like what he sees catching up with him. Really beautiful work on those actions. One of my 03 Turks wears the classic bolt handle you did for me before the rush hit you, I was lucky to get my bolts done. How's the 03FFL coming? I been patiently waiting for you to get it so I can return those G&H mounting plates, on which you so beautifully welded the old screw holes shut, mounted on 3 receivers. This should guarentee 5 grandsons worshiping the ground I stomp on. Be my luck they'll take up violins and knitting. I sure hope your pictorials are being archived! Don't stop to rest now, you can rest all you want after you're dead (as my Marine DI was fond of saying). Here's hoping both the kids in college will want to go on for Masters Degrees and to help keep your incentive level peaked, I'm sending out some credit card applications for your wife and kids, happy holidays! Bill

The NRA ran several interesting tests using M1903A3 milsurps. One test dealt with firing under water to determine results of water filled bore, no explosions or cracked/split parts, just large cloud of black water. Another test dealt with 90 degree muzzle cut, and, fall off in accuracy if this angle was opened. They began milling off the muzzle of a 1903A3 commencing with 90 degrees and increased to an unbelievable angle before point of impact or accuracy were altered. Unfortunately the shifting sands of time have managed to bury most of my memory, believe it was in the 70s. Lots of pics. Any NRA member could likely get the info from them. I've had an on-off relationship with the NRA since the 1970s due to the way members were treated like a herd of sheep. Am currently in the Off mode. I always felt bore wear at muzzle was far more important than crown. Many milsurps have oval bores from careless, but enthusiastic cleaning. I sold my favorite hunting rifle, Win. M95, 35WCF. with 24 inch barrel, as the bore was oval enough to blow every 3 shot group with one wild one. Killed 2 deer and a pig with it, no problems. Even shot a squirrel through the head after listening to him prance around in dry leaves sounding like a buck for about two hours. Then I missed a standing shot at less than 50 yrds., if front of 2 friends, guess it was my time to get a blown shot while hunting. Loved that rifle, but, also had a M95 30-40 carbine which shot where it was pointed. Bill

The original purpose of safety breeching was to handle excessive pressure occuring when the deterent coating on smokeless powder flakes did not adhear properly. Cartridge brass hardening technology was fairly new when dealing with smokeless powder pressures, leading to significant type S (case head separation) failures in the M1888 Commission rifles causing deaths and serious injuries, which led to user loss of confidence in these arms, which led to safety breeching. Improvments in brass hardening technology and the developement of Centralite as a deterent coating for powder flakes eliminated the expensive extra machining required for safety breeching. It also allowed for the extension of the left lug head beyond the rim of the boltface which acts as a support for extracted cartridges, keeping them from dropping off the boltface prior to reaching the ejector blade for proper ejection. The expense of safety breeching was considerable in mass production. The barrel is fitted then reamed and polished to final headspace. Safety breeching required additional breech extension machining and headspacing, then after being fitted to the receiver, scribing lines indicating the position of the head of the extractor in the face of the safety extension which blocked forward movement of that portion of the ejector head which extends beyond the face of the bolt rim. The fitted barrel is removed and a ramp bevel is milled between the scribed lines on the breech extension to allow room for the head of the extractor which protrudes beyond the bolt face. This is a precise cut as it also cuts into the chamber and minimal tolerances would be required. Next the barrel is reinstalled into the action, insuring proper alignment of the bevel cut and proper clearence for the bolt head. Bevel cut too shallow and the bolt won't close, too deep and a corresponding gap appears in the chamber wall. Finally the head of the left lug must be ground down flush with the rim of the boltface permitting the bolt to close against the face of the rear extension of the barrel. As the vast majority of 98 bolts were not safety breeched, it would have been simpler to turn out normal 98 standard or intermediate bolts and then grind down the left bolt lug extension as opposed to setting up special tooling for a bolt body without this feature. Paul Mauser went with what worked until modifications became necessary, or improvments proved economically adventagious. Bilurey

Mike, beautiful work. Just gott'a love those Victorian looking M1903s with their slick clean lines (well, after considerable grinding, cutting, and polishing), especially with the european bolt handle job. I'm gong to put open sights on my 03 Turk, seems appropriate, no practical scopes in their day. I've never ground down the clip guides on a M98 Mauser as they were one of it's greatest strengths - quickest magazine charger in town, one of the primary reasons we started looking at a replacment for our Krag, after the Cuban militia shot 7 out of every 10 Americans who charged up San Juan Hill due to the quick reload of their M1893 Mausers. Scopes obviate the use of the stripper clip, but still, think about the extra machining which went into this feature. Seems like removing the radiator cap figure from a Rolls Royce to streamline the car. It ain't always easy being a curmudgeon, rather be an artist in metal work but curmedgeon is the best offer I got. Bilurey

Regarding the strength of large and small ring M98s. It's easy to confuse small ring M98 action strength with earlier small ring actions (i.e. 93,94,95s). However Mausers derived their strength primairly through metalurgy and a peculiar heat treating process, not through ring thickness. Mauser's M98a, or Kar98a, was designed to shoot the standard military round at 50,000 lbs. operating pressure, which procduced velocities of almost 3000fps in the 29 inch barrel of the Gew98. Also, these rifles were expected to function in the horrific trench fighting of WWl and were the issue arm for Germany's late WWl assult units which were successful in breaking through the trench defense system used since 1914. M1893, M88 and M1903 Turks had their front receiver rings altered by cutting a groove in the rear face of the ring and thinning the feed ramp to allow the greater length of the 8mm cartridge. Both of these cuts are the exact opposite sides of the locking lug seats of a closed bolt. Many other military M98s (i.e. M50 Belgian, Denmark's, Peru's, and Brazil's alteration to 30-06, ect.) had their actions subsatancially altered to accept M2 30-06 cartridges in stripper clips. Sweden produced several models of commercial SR M98 actions in most current calibers, and I believe that the Czechs produced a SR M98 commercial action. Sporterised military M98s frequently have their receivers altered in the same way to accect .270, .280, and 30-06 cartridges. The standard FN commercial action has a large amount of metal removed in the magazine well opening in its reveiver bottom, feed rails, feed ramp, and C reinforcing ring cut completely through on both sides in post war actions. If you have a chance, compare both a military LR M98 receiver to an FN LR M98 commercial receiver, I believe you'll be surprised at the amount of metal removed from the FN receiver. Pre-war commercial Mausers were offered in all calibers with scopes. The base of the forward ring attached to the action through a dovetail cut which completely cut through the top of the forward ring. Yet nobody seems to question altering (removing metal) from G33/40 Czech carbine actions in spite of the fact that the Czechs removed every gram of metal possible to lighten this action during initial production. Granted the Kar98a late WWl rifles were produced entirely in the State arsenals of Erfurt (primary producer), Danzig, Amberg, and Spandau were the workmanship was vastly inferior to private industry military production. Still, these actions are probably strong enough for the older 30-06 family of cartridges. I think the real problem will be finding small shank barrels in popular calibers (although Turk milsurps have almost solved this problem by creating a large demand), pre-cut stocks, adjustable triggers (different dimensions than LG M98s and not interchangable), and scope bases. Bilurey

The Czechs made two carbines which ultimately became the G33/40. Both are extremely difficult to find and should never be sporterised if found. Back in the day, 33/40s were $35 for mismatch with rough bore, up to about $200 for almost unissued. Douglas bought a huge batch, pulled barrels and stocks then offered the actions for rebarreling with their barrels. I went through one of the big importers multiacre layouts in the early 60s while in the navy. Never saw so many rifles and anti tank semiautos, morters, tanks, ect. in my life. They had about 7million rounds of ammo on site in their huge warehouses. They had about 200 33/40s out in racks for sale with the almost unissued under glass. Later I became less enamoured of the 33/40, I felt they lacked the strength of the heavier standard 98 action, less apt to bend or vibrate during firing. The troops who used them disliked them as the short barrel moved the blast cone much closer to the shooters head. Free electralosis of facial hair with every shot, they were right about that too! Troops also felt that the recoil was much greater, however much of perceived recoil is actually muzzle blast. I bought one of the earlier carbines (12/16) and two of the later model (16/33). Bought as barreled actions, was just not happy with them. "Z" can probably describe trying to inlet the left sidewall. The Swedes made a small ring commercial M98 in small numbers as they decided that the M98 action was preferable over the M94 when higher pressure cartridges became more popular. Ultimately they found it cheaper to use imported FN 98 actions while designing an improved 98 design which they finally went to about 1953 or thereabouts. Both the Germans and the Poles adopted a small ring M98 created about 1903 by Mauser and tried out in 1918 by the German army's assult troops. The poles followed suit, but both armies stayed primairly with the standard M98 due to the economic pressure for uniformity due to cost savings. In the late 60s and up to almost the 90s "lite weight" ruled. Light weight stocks, actions, barrels, and scopes. Stock and scope breakage increased, three shot groups opened up and now we're back to standard sizes again, still not the 8 - 81/2lb sporters on the pre WWII Springfields, Mausers, and P17s, but close. I think the intermediate actions may offer better results. The Kar98k, the m1924 FN intermediate for Mexico, the M1903 Turk seem to be available as actions from time to time. I wouldn't suggest anything earlier than the M98 for anything it wasn't already barreled in at the factory. That Tom Burgess action of Z's is really something. Print a copy, put it on your wall, let that be your bar height. Bill

If you extend your arm and clench your fist you will see that your hand forms about a 33 degree rearward angle to your arm (a point overlooked by John Browning on many of his pistols such as the M1911 .45 auto.) which tends to cause shooters to shoot low Pistol grips promote a fast, consistant grasp of the stock in a natural position for the hand. As they add to the cost of manufacturing, increase the chance of rejects from blanks by increasing the overall height, and use more wood from a given blank, they are often rejected by manufacturers. Military Mausers always used rounded tips on their pistol grips as the flat tip of commercial pistol grips makes is akward to do many of the movements of bayonet fighting and the Manual of Arms. In addition pistol grips, especially those with flat tips, can be very uncomfortable to carry slinged. Many military bolt action rifles eliminated the pistol grip for all the reasons above. Semi/full auto rifles generally have pistol grips, some quite pronounced, to help control barrel rise and side torque during rapid fire. On the other hand, straight grip rifles and shotguns handle more quickly from a hand carry position and are generally more comfortable when slinged. Bill

I bought a few bolt shrouds from Century a few years ago, "German M98 Parts". Received mostly Turk and Yugo parts, but, Century actually replaced them for me (unfortunately with the same kind of parts). Most wouldn't screw into a German or Czech bolt with both parts completely stripped. Shrouds are quite cheap and easily replaced, just be certain what you're getting by checking gauging stamps or acceptance stamps - Czech or German marks only! Stuborn like me? Willing to spend a day's labor figuring out what's wrong with a $5 part? OK, worst senerio is shroud won't screw into bolt with both pieces stripped - lapp it in. Next, replace safety and see if bolt rotation is stiff or worse. The tip of the safety has a curved cut on it's underside which allows the rear of the bolt surface to rotate beneath this cut during cocking, firing and ejecting. Marker die the entire tip of the safety, reassemble in stripped shroud and screw into stripped bolt. Rotate bolt as far as possible, disassemble and remove safety from shroud looking for rub marks in the curved cut (especially the edges), or, on the face of the tip. Bright wear marks may indicate that the curve cut is too shallow and is wedging against the bolt, or that the safety stem is a little long and is binding against the rear face of the bolt if marked on the face of it's tip, a little dremel will fix these problems. Keep at it until smooth rotation is achieved, have a victory beer and keep going. Re-ink these parts and try rotating safety with the bolt in the closed position, back to the victory beer if all goes smoothly, or cussing if not, and more lapping of exterior diameter of safety tip is required. Next assemble the lapped bolt shroud w/safety, firing pin assembly, and stripped bolt body into the receiver to test for roughness during functioning. You may have to throw the beer on the floor and go back to lapping. Cussing sometimes makes the lapping seem to go faster. Next, disassemble all the bolt shroud parts, and insert the bolt lock pin and it's spring into the face of the bolt shroud. Screw this into the rear of the stripped bolt and reinsert into the action. If the bolt lift is rough when locking or on initial opening, the locking pin face may be worn short and binding against the rear of the bolt. Steve Wagner's site has a great pictorial fix for this. When smoothed up, grab a victory beer, reassemble all the bolt shroud parts and firing pin assembly into the stripped bolt and insert into the receiver, rotating for smoothness. If not smooth throw the victory beer on the floor, cry out for your birth mother (or your replacment mother - your wife). Suddenly you have an epitheny! This is why these parts were serially numbered at the manufacturing source. Maybe there's something to the thought that "drop in" replacment parts really are a myth fostered by someone more interested in your money than your satisfaction. When you recover, you realize that the extractor and the ecector blade should get the same treatment - in fact the receiver should be "trued" up also. Take a long nap then take everone out to dinner (so they'll remember who you are) and wait for next weekend to start again. Next time we can start by selecting a window through which we can throw a uncooperative bolt or receiver. This will avoid an impulsive Hail Mary pass through a window facing directly into a rain storm on a Sunday on which you can't find replacment glass for the broken interior and storm windows as the room slowly begins to floor despite the shreiking of your wife as she attempts to hold back the water by nailing your body across the opening in the broken glass. This is one of those lessons better learned from a scarred and grizzled husband than from personal experience. Bill

Get into reloading, it's the only way to truely understand firearms, it's generally the sign of an accomplished shooters. Simply reading numbers off the pages of a reloading manual will only leave you confused and frustrated. The sign of a fully addicted shooter is getting into wildcat or improved cartridges. Most of the time their efforts amount to trying to improve the Potatoe Chip, an Oreo cookie, or Coca Cola. For some real fun go back and replicate some of the early 20th century cartridges, find out where the 7 Mag., .308, 264 Win. Mag. really came from. Compare the 7.65x54 Belgian or Argentine to the 7.62 NATO mil. spec and blush. You didn't let you folks pick out your girl firends or bride, why let a sporting goods dealer pick out The cartridge which is best for you? Bill

The M1888 Gew commission rifle is a Manlicher design and was never produced by Mauser. The original cartridge was limited to about 35,000lbs. These rifles should never be used for any other commercialy available cartridge. There were numerous blow ups with these rifles, serious injuries and deaths were recorded. This was primairly due to the deterent coating not adhering to the powder flakes, thus the burning rate amounted to a detonation as opposed to a controlled burn. Many beautiful rifles were made on this design. Haenel, the primary private contractor, developed a line of improved models ranging from nicely made to gorgeous - but never chambered in the higher intensity modern loads. There fine old rifles are almost exclusively a collectors item and not shooters. No reliable gunsmith would ever rebarrel to any of the modern calibers (1891 or later), especially the Turk or Chinese exports, far too much chance of expiediency exceeding safety in the hands of arsenal managment. Bill

You didn't mention the accuracy you were getting with military and/or commercial ammo. If you could get an accomplished target shooter to fire test groups at 100yds with both types of ammo this would give you a solid base from which to measure the need to change out the barrel. German pre-war barrels were hand lapped after reaming and again after rifling. In addition, German lands are extremely high relative to most others. This was done because as long as a bore has rifling it will shoot with some degree of accuracy, the deeper the rifling the longer it's shooting life is apt to be if all other conditions are equal. Three examples: M1903/1918 low number from VFW post with potholes ,literally, down the bore shot 1 1/2in groups off bags at the bench, using 220 grn RN bullets/. Numerous pre WW1 S. American M98s with heavily worn bores in 7mm and 8mm rigerously cleaned bores shooting 1-1 1/2in groups at 100yrds with heavy RN bullets. In all cases the ammo was very, very carefully handloaded for consistancy after determining accurate loads for each individual rifle (a wonderful excuse to spend hours at the range). Finally, a K98Z41f sniper and 100 rounds of 1933 FN military ammo turned up at the range on club day. Everybody shot 1in. groups until the ammo was exausted, got about 3in. of vertical stringing between groups as the stock began to get oily when fired too rapidly. Several decades ago the American Rifleman reported a U.S. Army test conducted at the Springfield Armory, using new unissued 1903 Springfields, to determine useful barrel life. Maximum accuracy began at 10,000 rounds and was acceptable to 50,000 rounds! Look it up fellows. In the late 50's they ran a test on crown consistancy which I'm not even going to toss out as it was so surprising. Seems to me I see far too much concern about sparkling bores and perfect crowns. The primary consideration in accuracy is consistancy, making the same errors, the same way, with every shot. Shooter practice and disipline are far more important than bore, sight, and cown conditions combined. Bill

Tom Burgess had better not stop and look behind himself, you may go bounding by him like a wolf. Bill

Yes really nice looking classic pre-war style. Interesting way of covering up the rear sight wedge pin hole and rear sight cut for base. Also, very nice polish work and rust blue. If you decide to scope it use a Griffin&Howe mount or ghosts of beloved pre-war stocking geniuses will haunt you forever. Bill

The tang extension from a Jap type 38 or 99 will give you a good start on a base for a Ruger tang extension. Tang safeties can be tricky in the field, easily moved on or off safety while carrying. Another, simplier option in a German innovation, a through the stock safety. This is a rod with a cut out slot in it's center, which passes though the stock The left end has a flat perpendicular arm which when pushed forward rotates the cut out slot of the rod into position behind the trigger allowing the trigger to be pulled. When the arm is slid backwards, the cylinderical portion of the rod rolls around behind the trigger keeping the trigger from moving to the rear. The stock had a hole drilled through the stock just behind the trigger. The left end of the rod was reduced in diameter and passed through a hole drilled into the upper portion of a recessed flat metal plate (with a raised rim) which was screwed into the left side of the stock The arm was welded/rivetd to the projecting left tip of the rod. The right end of the rod protruded through a steel cylinder set flush with the left surface of the stock. The perpendicular arm's movement was restricted to just enough movement to engage or disengage the slot in the rod by being pinned at the top of the recessed rim and swinging like a pendulum within the raised rim of the circular backing plate. Difficult to describe, but, incrediblely simple in construction. A dent ball between the arm and the backing plate held the arm in position. This safety was operted by the left thumb. Bill

Is your '03 still in unaltered military stock (excluding peep sight)? What model Lyman peep sight is mounted? True, these are not as strong as Mauser actions although the strongest action by far in the Jap type 38 Arisaka. I buy a Springfield about every 10 years or so, play with it then resell it, as I'm of the older generation heavily brainwashed into believing that God created the '03 late in the 6th day and this resulted in His taking the seventh day off to go to the range. M98 Mauser (German, Czech, FN) is simpler, safer (stronger), and far easier to get replacement parts, aftermarket barrels, triggers, safeties, accessories, stocks, ect. The Springfied receiver is lumpy, has that goiter like third lug, and is difficult to scope unless you have a neck like a swan or strap a western saddle on top of the stock comb. But, let me tell you about the one I'm working on...... Bill

Z, great looking lines. Is this a GAGs stock? Particularly like the Jerry Fisher style fully rounded fore end. Also like the curve of pistol grip, extending curve rearward, avoids the dreaded Bishop stype M1911 pistol grip close curve. Finally all lines are crisp and sharp. Perhaps you could do an on-line clinic on stock layout. rough shaping, inletting, and final shaping in your "spare" time. (hee, hee, hee). Also really pleased about all the helpful suggestions on capping a stock. Never been on a site where so much professional help is so freely offered, THANK YOU PRO. GUYS! Bill U.

Over the years I've tried a number of triggers, firing pin blocks and trigger blocks. Overall, the firing pin blocks are much safer and permit unloading a magazine of live cartridges with the safety on whereas side safeties do not - a major safety point. This would be my highly subjective opinion: 1. Winchester type 3 position bolt shroud safety, requires skilled installation, the best of all types. 2. Canjar, expensive but used by most competition shooters, best and most stable adjustments. 3. Dayton traistor shroud block, all steel, has locking nuts on all adjustments, absolutely least inletting. 4. Lee shroud block, right side shroud block, permits unloading while safety on on, requires cutting a groove with a dremmel, but easy to overcut and jam firing pin, just be careful on depth of groove. 5. Original FN commercial shroud block, locking tit must be removed to permit locking the bolt when on, and some of the edges are quite sharp. 6. Beuhler right side shroud safety, well make, no cutting to fit, long history speaks to quality and safety. 7. Older Timney with no side safety, locking nuts on all adjustments, more cuts to minimize inletting. 8.. Newer Timney with no side safety, cheaper to manufacture, but still a fine trigger. 9. El Cheapo cast steel, sde shroud safety, cast steel, must cut bolt lock tit off to unload when on. 10. MarkX side safety, all steel, lock nuts, inletting required 11 Parker Hale side safety, very hard metal, requires a lot of inletting, rear end is secured by rear guard screw, have had one 25 years and it never failed and I've never had to reset adjustments. 12. Timneys with side safeties. 13. Bold w/with out side safeties, not as carefully made as Timneys, believe housing is cast. 14. FN commercial single stage trigger, difficult to get good release and usually hard pull. 15. Hubner, no improvment over drilling and tapping original military trigger, roller bearing will wear a groove in receiver botton and change settings, no lock nuts, greatly over priced with limited value. All in all, I rather like the two stage Mauser military trigger, take up prevents surprise firing on game shot which was not present at the range when some nimrod sets the trigger for 2.5 ozs. Overtravel, depth of sear engagement, and pull weight can be adjusted by anyone handy with an electric drill, tap and die, and a little experience. Bill