JRH

So obviously there is some room for interpretation as to whether it really necessary. I guess it comes down to how much material is moved, and you willingness to spend the extra time to have it done? JC

Let me ask this question...when a gunsmith offers to lap lugs and square the face...what do they do? Grind away and not reharden...? Without having to go into great detail could you explain a little... Thanks, Jeff

Thanks Roscoe, As I am progressing I am trying to take one thing at a time. The reality is, every piece of work I can do myself completely changes how I plan on having others do work for me....So, I am trying to finish each step then readressing my plans as I go. (As if working on one action is not going to be enough....I've already dug the hole a little deeper, but I will post more on that later.) Now that I have done alot of the exterior action work, I would like to know more about the interior work I can do....I already polished the extractor and portions of the bolt. This has already made a huge difference as the extractor was rubbing heavily on the receiver and causing the bolt throw to be rather rough...What I would like to know now is. 1). tips and tricks for polishing the raceway.... 2). should I try squaring the bolt face myself... 3). what about lapping the lugs... I know wheeler makes tools for all three of these jobs, are they worth using? Do they produce a quality result? Are they worth buying? JC

Update: Well, I purchased a small file set (Mill , round , and half round ), on Friday. In addition to that, and using the few makeshift implements I have been able to create, here is the current state of progress.

Hey Horsefly, Thanks for the encouragement. As I mentioned before, I am capable of this type of work. I just don't have the tools or the space to do it. (As it is I have guns, parts, chrono's etc all over what little space I have left in my place.....) In any case...any good advice on getting a set of files, and a stone? JRH

My latest progress...

I guess I should I point also point out...this triggergaurd is really the source of some issues it really should not be.... For example the reason I was thinking about a new floorplate is the fact that the hing does not sit square with the rest of the floor-plate. It actually looks as if it bent and then redrilled to swing properly. This leads me to another question. If this was supposedly an original Argentinian floorplate should I be able to easily remove the hinge pin holding the floorplate? JRH

Doble, I could buy a factory model if I wanted....but I am looking for something different in this gun... As a result of where I live what and I do for a living I have the money for these types of projects, but no easy place to do them.(everything is a trade off) That means if I want a semi-custom gun any time soon I will have to go this route. That doesn't bother me, I am fine with that, it just means I have to take a different approach than many folks here are used to. That is why out of respect for those who have the practical knowlegde of this type of work I have come to ask your advice. BTW on a seperate note here are my other guns...certainly not what one would expect for a guy on this site, but I enjoy them all just the same.... JRH

Lowtechs price... Install 2 or 3 position safety $90.00

In addition I was wondering if I could have this instaled in my floorplate at the same time....

From Satterlee's Website... Satterlee Arms 1-piece bottom metal cartridge- specific $650.00 Install 3-Position Safety $150.00 I will keep poking around....and see what else I can find as I know Satterlee is a premium name.... JRH I looked at this straddle floorplate a few times. Cost is very reasonable, the question is how much it would cost to have it installed on my gaurd.... http://www.sporterexpress.com/v2/cgi-bin/c...emplate=froogle

Roscoe, Thanks for the advice...While I am certainly going to make every effort to do any work I can myself, I completely agree with you that doing it right is most important, (At least for this project) Surprisingly I am having a difficult time finding even basic info on a few of the features I have considered. Primarily the 3 position safety, and even the possibility of adding a straddle floorplate. If anyone can provide any additional insight into having either of these two parts installed I am all ears... JRH

Thanks for the advice Doble... Unfortunately I have virtually no access to a shop or tools. In order for me to have to access to them I have to get out of the city.....In order to do that, it cost time and money as well... I have already accepted the fact that I am going to have to pay to have most of this work done. I don't mind that fact as long as I make sure I get quality work. I think I may have mentioned earlier my role here is really going to be the one of "planner". That is why I am trying to gather this useful input from the members here. In the end all I am looking for is a gun that will make me happy! In order to that I need three things. 1). To do the best job I reasonably can 2). To have as much input into the project as I reasonbly can 3). To complete the project as inexpensively as I reasonble can while still meeting requirements #1 and #2. The more questions I ask, and the more info I gather while in these planning stages the more likely I am to meet my goals! JRH

Zlr, I am not all that fond of them either. In fact I most likely will not use that safety on this gun. While I know that the 3 position Winchester style safeties run around 150$, I do not know how much a gunsmith would charge to install one. Does anyone have any info or insight on the subject? If so, I would appreciate any info that you could provide. THX JRH

Zlr... If you are refering to the small mark on the floorplate as the "argie mark" then I am even more skeptical about this piece. There is no way that mark is original! It is sitting on one of the most polished parts of the gun, yet it as crisp if as if it was just stamped! Needless to say I am coming to believe this piece is not original... There is another mark that I think is "fishy". In fact it is right above where the rear guard screw sits. Take a look this pic and tell me what you think...(see the small indentation above the screw...is it possible that used to be where a locking screw slot was and someone tried to weld it up but didn't fully fill the spot before polishing over it? )

Thanks for the great response Zlr. As far as the half moon goes, I think that one is pretty clear. It was cut to fit the swing arm on the Timney triggers with integral safety... Here is a pic showing the feature in action... As for the original seller that I purchased this part from...here was his response... "I have no clue why you would not be happy with the triggerguard. It is 100% as advertized. I have sold a dozen of these and everyone else has been very pleased. Jerry...PATRIOTS ARMED " JRH

Well I guess the real issue comes down to the fact that, as it is... it does not function very well. As I mentioned, when the hinge is depressed it does not release the floorplate until after the head of that screw is beyond being flush with the triggergaurd. (Obviously the work on this guard was done recently as I could not imagine using this release in the field as is.) So, I would obviously need to have some work done on this piece before I could use it. I am relatively certain I could send it back to the person I purchased it from for a full refund. To me it seems like for 100$ I should be able to get a fully functional floorplate. Any thoughts guys...

Thanks Doble, I thought something was up...lol The hex screw was a sure tip off. In fact it looks like that piece needs to be removed and replaced with something a bit longer as it does not provide enough room to swing the hinge as far as it should go without a stuggle. The question becomes whether or not I would be better off starting off with a better floorpiece, or just getting this one fixed? As far as the pitting goes here is a better close up. This shows the absolute worst spot on the whole reciever. In fact this shows most of the pitting on the entire reciever.

Hey Guys, Thanks for the responses..keep em coming. ------ Responses... 1)I am planning on rebarreling, stocking, finishing etc. 2)I am in NJ. 3).The pitting is atually very minor, and just happens to show up very well in those few pictures. In fact all of it is at, or below the stock line. In any case, I was under under the belief that the pitting could be taken care of relatively easily when/if I had the reciever polished before being blued or otherwise finished. Finally....any thoughts on the triggergaurd?

Well that is a good question...LOL I have handled other hinged floorplates such as the Parkers'...but this is the first 1909 I have had my hands on. (In fact the release seems a bit funny to me, it is obvious some work has been done on it). Therefore I guess we should first confirm that what I have is in fact a 1909 floorplate...here are some close ups. That is exactly why I am here... I am well aware that proper planning is half the battle here. In fact that will be my main role in this project....."project manager". I will be making all the decisions then "farming" the work out to others. Obviously, this will increase the costs but I don't have the means to do the work myself. Along those lines I do have some reasonably big plans. I am fully aware it may take alot of time money to get to where I want to be, but I believe I will enjoy the process... JRH

Hi guys, I have started to work on my first Mauser. I am still very much in the "development" stages and I figured I would share what I have to started with. Hopefully, with your suggestions and advice I will be able able to piece together a quality piece of work. So far I have a purchased a VZ-24 for 130$ A Timney trigger w/safety for 45$ And an Argentine floorplate for 95$ Here are some pics...Any comments would be welcome... JRH Current stage...pieced together for fit...