Decision time- To heat treat or not?

[mr fixit]

I am really going back and forth with this decision.  I've read so much about Mausers, I have the Kuhnhausen manual and I've read lots of pro and con about it as well.  Some of what I have researched tells me that the strength of a Mauser action is not in the heat treating, since it is low carbon steel and can't be through hardened like modern steels. I've read lots of statements about Mauser's being carburized or surface hardened which supposedly only helps with wear not strength.  And of course I can't forget reading that even if it doesn't need to be heat treated, it probably wont hurt to have it done anyway.

Here's what I have, a FN Marked Greek 1930 action. I got it already rebarreled which I took off, and will put on a new .270 Win barrel.  All I've done to it is true the receiver face, drill and tap for scope, grind the rear notch for the new bolt, and weld on a new bolt handle. I know the bolt lugs were not too hot because I TIG welded the handle and had the front half of the bolt in a jar of water and wrapped in rags.  The bolt lugs never even got warm.  I have lapped the lugs to the receiver, but I can barely see where any metal was removed, it was pretty minor. I have not and will not be removing the charger hump.

All that to explain my dilemma.  Sending it off for heat treat at Blanchards or the other place in Salt Lake (I forget the name) will cost me about $250.  That's not a deal breaker but.... I can spend that on other nice things for the gun if I don't have to spend it here.

Advice? thoughts? suggestions?  What would you folks do?  For those that have much more experience than me with Mausers, what would you do?

Thanks for your thoughts and ideas in advance

Scott

[Dr.Hess]

I would not bother with it.  As you note, the heat treating on there now is really surface only.  And the action is very strong as it is.

[Horsefly]

I’m not a Smith but have tinkered with Mausers for 50 years and have never seen, read, or heard of a failure that someone said “if it had been re-heat treated that wouldn’t have happened”. Good tight action that’s head spaced correctly in calibers within safe pressure range will be fine. I’d rather trust a good tight original action than run chance of heat treater having off day an make something brittle or warped. Not many of us can afford the ammo to wear out an action these days. 

[Racepres]

My $0.02 even headspace is Not insurmountable, if you reload and have ever Wildcatted... I have, on an Accident, blown an 8mm case terribly badly... I mean Scary!!!

That action is Tough.... Very tough

Mark me as "Not Skeert

[Jeremy]

Like others have said I wouldn't worry about it. The hardening is in effect just on the surface nothing more it isn't going to change the strength of the steel. The strength of the steel is in its blend of alloys and the heat treatment after the original casting. For a receiver that is 92 years young and made in Germany before WWII. I don't think that you have anything worry about. But there is always a chance that I could be wrong. More-over if you feel more comfortable getting heat treated it's entirely up to you but I would recommend that you have it tested with a Rockwell hardness tester first. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the receivers strength. A good machine shop should be able to provide this service to you. 

If it were a late war model then you would have something to worry about. Take for instance the last ditch model Arisaka's and some of the Mauser actions. But this is a topic that has been debated for more than a century now. 

[Jeremy]

2 minutes ago, Jeremy said:

Like others have said I wouldn't worry about it. The hardening is in effect just on the surface nothing more it isn't going to change the strength of the steel. The strength of the steel is in its blend of alloys and the heat treatment after the original casting. For a receiver that is 92 years young and made in Germany before WWII. I don't think that you have anything worry about. But there is always a chance that I could be wrong. More-over if you feel more comfortable getting heat treated it's entirely up to you but I would recommend that you have it tested with a Rockwell hardness tester first. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the receivers strength. A good machine shop should be able to provide this service to you. 

If it were a late war model then you would have something to worry about. Take for instance the last ditch model Arisaka's and some of the Mauser actions. But this is a topic that has been debated for more than a century now. 

I meant to say made in Belgium not Germany.

[mr fixit]

I was already leaning toward not sending it off for treatment.  But sometimes I worry too much.  The only place I would even consider being a possible issue is the locking lug seats. I believe taking too much off there could be an issue and cause the bolt lugs to 'dig in' to the seat.  My gut tells me that it should be fine because it took very very little to lap the lugs.

[AzRednek]

My two cents says no, especially at the cost. I know everything has gone up in cost but $250?? Your prewar FN built before war time pressure or possible war time sabotage utilizing slave labor, I’d pass.
 

In the early 70s I had a early 50s Spanish manufactured receiver go bad. According to a gunsmith it had what he described as receiver set back, the steel is to soft. With my slipping memory not sure if it was a 308 or 06 barrel we stuck in it. I recall my friend asking the smith about heat treating. The gunsmith exhaled loudly almost laughing through his nose, shook his head then telling us no the quality of the Spanish receivers of that era were inconsistent, the next one might be to brittle.