Ron J

carz, that is a good formula. Much easier than anything I've come across in 25 yrs! Thanks.

My machinerys handbook says the minor diameter is .517" - .527". The calc they use is based on engagement length, but basically: Hole size = Basic major (.562") minus {1.08253 x % of full thread (normally 75%)} divided by threads per inch. I came up with .528". Seems large to me. .500" seems small. I would experiment with 33/64" (.515") it will probably cut .518 or so.

I would also think it would be harder to mfg this way. However, both ends are spring loaded towards each other, so that may make up a small amount of error. Mine is crisp and not heavy. I'll leave it for now, but will test it every step of the way like Z says.

Well there's gonna be alot of wood replaced under the recvr of this Higgins 50 FN. I have a pretty good plan, but I'm confused on a few things. Some things I know: The backside of the recoil lug has to be tight against the bedding. The rear radius of the top tang should be relieved so not to split the stock. This gun has a ferrule for the rear screw. As I understand this is to set the space between the upper and lower tangs. It's too short so I'll make another. What I need to know: Is the rear ferrule supposed to help absorb recoil? I ask because things I've read say to glass it in, but the hole is 1/16 larger than the screw. I guess my question is should everything back there be fitted or is it only supposed to be sandwiching the top and bottom? Also there is about .009" gap between the top of the box and the action, and only in the front. Should this be greater and even? My concern here is the 2 pc trigger which works fine if I put .011" shims back and front and snug it. I'm also considering drilling out the plastic fake crossbolts and replacing with ebony rods. Anyone taken any of these out? Ron

Hydrochloric is nothing to take lightly. Heed the previous warning and try samples checking size before and after. Our industry uses it to clean steel for many processes. It's known as "pickling". I have seen product over pickled and it actually lost enough size to become scrap. The loss was measured in thousandths, but way more than I'd want to see come out of the inside of a recvr. Controlled pickling also involves the use of inhibitors to prevent the steel from absorbing the acid which is very difficult to neutralize once inside.

Kenny, Tony's daughter flew in from Fairbanks for Christmas. It was 40 here and we were all happy it wasn't worse. She comes and says "there is 80 degrees difference between Cleveland and home." Nobody said a word. God Bless ya, buddy.

Great story of a great trip. I love seeing something get whacked with a custom Mauser. Welcome back and congrats.

Thanks, Don

I've done a few searches and see that Devcon has been used as glassbed. Sounds good, but what do you guys use for release agent when using Devcon? Thanks,

I have about ten people to send that to.

Found myself in a similar situation many moons ago. I was "fortunate" enough to visit NYC to see my future brother-in-law. Great guy, but no desire to see the city. Anyhow, it occured to me that Griffin + Howe were in NY so I called them and made an appointment. Four of us went, me being the only one that ever even held a gun. They were okay with it and I had a ball. Now if I was going to "enjoy" London, as Karl so aptly put it, I might be curious about where Holland + Holland or Westley Richards was located. She'll be okay with it, after all it's your anniversary too. By the way, Happy 35th Anniversary, that's pretty good.

Insert is a sketch from Machinerys handbook showing the formula for figuring out a radius if you know the height and width (h & c). I did this formula against my Turk floorplate which is finished and polished - not military. The width dimensions are approximate; taken quickly with a caliper just inside the corner radii. Mine shows a radius of 1.787" at the small end and 2.629 at the wide end. I measured the overall height next to the boss that accepts the spring and subtracted the edge thickness. Hope this helps. radius_calc..pdf

I think you'll need to figure out the height above the chord for each. If you have: The thickness, the edge thickness and both widths I can get the radii at work tomorrow. On the other hand, wouldn't dressing it in by hand be easier? Or do you have access to some CNC equipment? floorplate_calc..bmp

Neat. I can hardly sharpen a knife much less that!

Tinker, the C scale is Rockwell. There are many. Rockwell, Brinell, Knoop, Vickers and so on. Rockwell alone has several scales, C being the most common or "mentioned". The problem with these receivers and hardness testing is the C scale uses 150 kilogram load which is too heavy to pick up a .010" case. It punches through it, indicating "soft". You would be better served to use a Rockwell Superficial at 15 kilogram load, known as HR15N. The 15N scale is tough also because the impression is so small that any surface imperfections throw it off. Therefore the surface must be smooth and the part being checked must be sitting solid. I would guess that when a place like Blanchards does an old Mauser, they are gas carburizing. The gas atmosphere reaches all areas equally so they either put a test pc in with it or check the recvr somewhere they can get a good reading. This is basically time and temp. The higher the temp and longer the soak, the deeper the case. Also the carbon potential of the gas effects this and case furnaces will usually have probes inside to monitor this. 762 - Very difficult to tell if a fire would lower the hardness. It certainly could. If the metal surfaces have scale on them, the hardness is gone. A rule of thumb in heat treating is that it takes 350 deg to temper something. That would be a minimum. Tempering can go as high as 1200 for certain steels. So all we need to figure out is how hot a fire is!! Another idea - where are you? Maybe you can send me the bolt. I possibly could tell something from it. I spent a day checking my Turk. Worst heat treat job I've ever checked. It's going to Blanchards!!!!!!!!

RD, welcome to the madness. I've been messing with my 1st Mauser for a little over a year. I learned 98% of what I know from these guys. It's an excellent group. Take the advice of many and do the metal work, then pm Z and follow up with the correct heat treat process. He'll know who should do it and what to ask for. I'm a newbie to Mausers, but have been involved with heat treating for over 20 yrs. I've heat treated alot of tooling with a torch or furnace and a 5 gal bucket of quench oil. Case hardening, especially a receiver, is a way different story. Hell, if it didn't crack, it would probably look like a pretzel! Leave that to those who do it for a living. PS: My Turk was so soft, I made a fixture to hold it in a lathe, bored out the small ring threads and re-threaded to large ring dimensions. With a high speed tool bit! Cut like butter. Needless to say, when it's done it's getting re-case hardened. And not by me.

Must be the same all over. Truckers in Cleveland are always in the left lane tieing up traffic. Why? Because the boneheads in the cars won't let them into the left lane later when they need to get there. I flash my lights, not brights, and let them move over even if I have to stop. I appreciate the ones that wait. The truck drivers in our inner city freeways are far better drivers than the car driving suburb jerks. Assured safe distance? Around here, if you can read the plate, you're way too far behind. Someones gonna sqeeze in there and then tap the brake light every 5 seconds cause he scared himself by driving so close. I can't figure it out. So Horsefly, you see women driving with their right foot on the gas and left foot under the LEFT side of the seat?????? How do you NOT get in accidents???LOL.

Not to hijack here, but what's a 8 x 60? Are cases available?

Thanks, guys. I'm loading now for -06 for when the range opens in March. I'll take both of them. The other one hasn't been shot since the stock was done and bedded so it'll be fun. Then the fN will go in the cabinet till I figure out what I want to do with it. My heads running anywhere from leaving it as is (just doing the stock) or re-chamber to .308 Norma (kinda interesting) to re-barrel all together. I really have to work on taking pictures. I struggle with the digital camera. Me and electronics are oil and water. Every picture I take comes out good, unless it's a rifle LOL.

I don't know if this counts, but I called the owner of that JC Higgins commercial Mauser was still for sale after the last gunshow. It's not for sale anymore - I pick it up the 5th of Jan. Christmas gift to myself. I'm okay with that!!!

The same from me to all of you. This site is still the best thing the internet has to offer me. Thanks to all who educate me on a variety of stuff and wishing all of you a Merry Christmas. My prayers for Fritz's family. This will be a tough one for them. I miss him, too. Ron

I have to agree, Swamprat. I have a water saver faucet. It saves nothing. You run it longer. You flush water saver toilets twice. We looked at new washing machines recently. None have warm water rinse. This is to save energy. Rinse something in cold water 4 or 5 times and eventually the soap is out. Our local water department announced on the radio that it will HAVE to raise prices, per cubic foot of water. The spokesman came right out and said it was due to not selling as much water and needing X amount of dollars to operate. It's all BS, just like you said.

Man, this is depressing. I'm only a little over a year on this thing, but I will miss reading him terribly. If a family member reads this, you have my deepest sympathy. He was a very cool guy.

My RCBS 30-06 dies have done this. If I full length size with the expander, the necks are not concentric. The bullet seater plug couldn't be any sloppier so some will start cockeyed in an already off center neck. I have to full length size without the expander then re-set everything and just do the neck ID. I hope for your sake AZ is correct and you don't have to go through this.

Kenny, I only own one 98, a Turk. It cocks itself while on the upswing of the handle and stays cocked without pulling it back at all. However, I noticed yesterday with a cock-on-close Swede that they don't cock just by opening and closing. I don't think my Rem 30S does either. They have to be brought back some, then they cock while pushing the bolt fully forward. This probably isn't anything you don't already know, I'm just wondering if theres some switched pcs from another action in there or something. Or maybe someone ground the wrong surface already. Someone here will know - this should turn into an interesting thread.