It Didn't Go Bang

[Downwindtracker2]

Today's misadventure. I went to the range this morning with a couple of Swedes, not the blond kind ,the 6.5x55 kind. One was Charles Daly Zastava action and unknown barrel. It had been chambered 6.5x57, I had rechambered to 6.5x55. 6.5x57 is made from necked down 8x57, not 7x57. And then having to buy custom dies.  With a new scope, I got it within 4" of center with a load I will never use again.It's about as well as I can see.  The M96/38 sporter on the other hand wasn't so successful. First off the scope wouldn't depress far enough to see the bore sighted  target and when I was willing to just hear a bang, I couldn't pull back the trigger. I think the trigger shoe is hitting the trigger guard. This is the one I fitted to a HVA 1600 stock.  The front  base has a rather health shim under it. I wonder if that has anything to do with the scope.chuckle.

[Dr.Hess]

First time is a shakedown run. Bit of fiddling here and there and give it another go.

[ken98k]

That 6.5x57 sounds like an interesting cartridge.

[Downwindtracker2]

Yeah, I was interested enough to look into it. It was never a military cartridge, or least it was never taken up. The barrel was chambered, but unfired. ??? A gain twist he said. I did find a couple of boxes 6.5x57R ammo at a gunshow. A rimmed version which was a bit more popular in Europe.

The Swedish Mauser is fixed, maybe. The shim under the front Weaver mount was .080", that's 64" at 100 yards if my math skills haven't deserted me . At near the bottom of the adjustment of the old K4 Weaver, it was still 18" high after bore sighting. I wonder what he was shooting ?  With the base off, it was a 1944 Husqvarna, the last year of the M96/38 .I replaced it with a .045. He screwed up the drilling and gave up, so he had a third hole on the base. I'm sorta stuck using it.  I also got a GO gauge,that day,too. after 5 weeks in the postal systems of our two countries.  It wouldn't even come close to closing with the GO and a .010 shim. A bit redneck. I don't have any .008 shim stock.

Now that I'm back working on old rifles, I find I'm  missing gunshows .

 

[rdm1962]

The first round out always makes me nervous. Like Doc says it's a shakedown run. I've had my share of no bang. You'll get it sorted out. When you do and then take a deer or shoot a sub MOA group it will be all forgotten. 

Keep us updated. 

[AzRednek]

On 4/29/2021 at 9:30 PM, Downwindtracker2 said:

Yeah, I was interested enough to look into it. It was never a military cartridge, or least it was never taken up. The barrel was chambered, but unfired. ??? A gain twist he said. I did find a couple of boxes 6.5x57R ammo at a gunshow. A rimmed version which was a bit more popular in Europe.

The Swedish Mauser is fixed, maybe. The shim under the front Weaver mount was .080", that's 64" at 100 yards if my math skills haven't deserted me . At near the bottom of the adjustment of the old K4 Weaver, it was still 18" high after bore sighting. I wonder what he was shooting ?  With the base off, it was a 1944 Husqvarna, the last year of the M96/38 .I replaced it with a .045. He screwed up the drilling and gave up, so he had a third hole on the base. I'm sorta stuck using it.  I also got a GO gauge,that day,too. after 5 weeks in the postal systems of our two countries.  It wouldn't even come close to closing with the GO and a .010 shim. A bit redneck. I don't have any .008 shim stock.

Now that I'm back working on old rifles, I find I'm  missing gunshows .

 

During WW2 my now deceased and former father in law. Liberated a gun collection form a Sicily police chief. He got a German Drilling that was a 6.5 with a rimmed cartridge over 16 gauge. I don’t recall if the 6.5 was X57. He was either a Captain or Major at the time and gave it to one of his enlisted men that showed interest in it. FIL told me he didn’t want to fool with an oddball caliber. 

[rdm1962]

On 4/29/2021 at 10:17 PM, ken98k said:

That 6.5x57 sounds like an interesting cartridge.

There is an artical in the latest issue of Handloader magazine on the 6.5x57. It was an interesting read. 

[Downwindtracker2]

Another day with no Bang. Yesterday it did, today it doesn't . It sure makes it hard to check the scope when you don't get any holes in the paper. I have been lowing the front base, so may be there is a too long screw. ?? It had an .080 shim under the front base, when I got it.  I then put a .046 under it , last night I changed that out to .021. I'm cutting up SS pre-cut shims so that is why I've got such odd numbers.I'm also dealing with windage. I'm glad I stopped to write out my misadventures, it gave me a chance to think about what I had changed.

I lately have  changed around some scopes, the other rifle today was a FN Mauser 338-06  shooting 225gr at 2650fps, one heck of lot more snap then a 6.5x55 with a starting load for 100gr. Damm near got me.The second shot, I was more careful.

[Dr.Hess]

So, no bang.  As in, click, nothing?  Is the primer dented?

[Downwindtracker2]

The trigger wouldn't move. A Swedish Mauser has a button that comes up from the floor that mates up with a relief cut into the bolt. If the bolt is removed the trigger works, I think the bolt is not in battery. This is the second problem, first the trigger shoe jammed on the guard, now this. If nothing else. I'm getting a good education on the workings of the M96/38.chuckle. Basically I have been dealing what the original owner did, a Swede , when he sporterized the rifle.

I only live half an hour from the range, so it's not like these trips are a big deal for an old retired phart.

[Dr.Hess]

I live about 2 feet from the range.

 

Next time, dry fire it, try it with some empty shells, etc. on the bench at home.  Check that the bolt is fully going down and that the stock is not interfering with it, or if the handle has been altered that the handle and receiver are not binding up before it is fully in battery.

[Racepres]

Only times my Mausers won't light a primer is

1) if the shroud is not fully seated...ie screwed in all the way.

2)firing pin tip broken off... I have replaced the business end, on more than a few

3) the shroud and striker/cocking piece, are mismatched, and the firing pin cannot go far enough forward to hit the primer properly (light strikes), check by unscrewing shroud 1/4 turn and look at/measure (as I recall about 50 to 60 thou) firing pin protrusion... Tip; the edge of my bench is where I "catch" the cocking piece to place the bolt into the "firing position", and back to "Safe"

Good luck, and LMK... If I had it in my hand... we would be done right now...

 

Wait... One more... I have had so much cosmoline in the bolt body that you could Watch the Cocking piece Sloooowwwly slide forward!!!! No Worky

 

 

[Downwindtracker2]

Last Thursday,It didn't go bang again. This time I picked up the other identical black soft case.. I have 260 and 6.5x55 ammo. Friday morning I got a couple of holes.

[Downwindtracker2]

I still have the original two stage military.After dealing with the HVA model 1600 trigger, that's a good thing.  There is a button on the front of the housing that comes up through the floor and matches up with a milled recess on the bolt, so it won't fire unless it's in battery. When I lowered the shim  under the front mount, the screw got in the way of the bolt lug. That was before the last time, when it was sitting at home. It's tough to test a rifle at the range when it's at home.

[Racepres]

14 hours ago, Downwindtracker2 said:

I still have the original two stage military.After dealing with the HVA model 1600 trigger, that's a good thing.  There is a button on the front of the housing that comes up through the floor and matches up with a milled recess on the bolt, so it won't fire unless it's in battery. When I lowered the shim  under the front mount, the screw got in the way of the bolt lug. That was before the last time, when it was sitting at home. It's tough to test a rifle at the range when it's at home.

Sounds like the Military trigger on a model 93-95... I thought the Swede might be Different??

[Downwindtracker2]

The Swedes bought some of the M93-M95 as the shorter cavalry rifle version first and liked them. So they contracted with Mauser for the regular army rifles. A M96 is really a M93 made with Swedish steel. Or that's my understanding of it's history.

[Racepres]

Something I never looked into..

But we all know Swedish steel is Superior to German...and of Course 1916 Oviedo's from Spain are dead soft...Right???

Drill and tap one and LMK....

[Dr.Hess]

I think the 96 bolts are a bit different.  They have an extra rib on them.  They won't fit in a 93 action.

[Downwindtracker2]

I worked at a wire mill.  We got our rod from a couple of steel mills, one in Kobe  Japan and another from a mill in Brazil. We used Kobe steel in wire for aircraft arresting cables and Brazilian was OK.  Kobe had an earthquake and the Brazilian mill went broke . So with out any suppliers, they went on the open market and got some Spanish rod. It was terrible stuff, it would break in our wire drawing machines constantly. That was my experience with Spanish steel.

Metallurgy made great strides during the first half of the 20th century, much like electronics now. Before that, the Swedish iron ore had some impurities that made it prized in steel making.

The alloying of steel is a much underappreciated.

[Dr.Hess]

There's a documentary on the Japanese making Samurai swords.  It's practically a religious event, starting with the picking of blocks of (more or less) back yard smelted iron.  Very interesting.

 

[Horsefly]

In late 70’s Lincoln welding supply company went on strike so our trailer manufacturing shop bought welding rod made in Pakistan. The smoke smelled horrible and now and then your bead would go nuts and blow big hole or stick so bad we’d have to grind it off. I knocked flux off a few rods and you could see different blends of steel in one rod. Now almost all cheap knives on eBay are made in Pakistan. We still talk about camel s_ _ t rod 40 years later. 

[Dr.Hess]

Not just ebay.  Near as I can tell, virtually all the "Damascus" blanks come from Pakistan too.  At one gun show, there were maybe 5 "knife makers" that all had Damascus knifes they made laying out that were virtually identical from a steel perspective.  Same little scallops on the back of the blade, etc.  Even the same shapes.  Maybe the handles were different.  And some of them were obviously purchased online for $25 and laid out as a "custom made" $100 knife. 

 

Smoky Mountain Knife Works https://www.smkw.com/ carries the blanks and completed knifes.  They were out of stock on a knife I ordered once and "to make up for it" gave me a coupon for $25 or so.  I bought a $25 Damascus knife with it, so, got it free.  I was going to get a blank and make it myself, but for $5 more, I got the whole thing already made and I have enough projects.

[Dr.Hess]

Here's my collection of Damascus knives.  I have one more full size Bowie somewhere that I paid $20 for onsale, but it would take me a while to dig out.

 

The lower right one I bought at a gunshow for $70 or so, stag handle and the blade is roll stamped "Colorado Knife Co."  I bought it first and it is virtually identical to the upper left knife that I got later from BudK for about $25.  Handle is different, but the blade, down to the notches on the spine, is virtually identical.  The other 2 came from SMKW, if I recall, for about $20-25 ea. All came with the shown sheaths.

[Downwindtracker2]

You need a couple more if you're skinning out a moose.  If you hit moose hair it's like dragging a blade across a stone.

[AzRednek]

On 4/29/2021 at 8:17 PM, ken98k said:

That 6.5x57 sounds like an interesting cartridge.

I wonder how close it is to the 257 Roberts and the numerous improved versions.