tapping a mauser

S

shortround

Regular
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
5   0   0
Location
Newfoundland
I have an Israeli re-barreled rifle and have been wanting to get it drilled and tapped for a proper scope mounting however neither of the local gunsmiths here in St John's Nfld will touch it because they say the receiver is hardened as a military receiver and won't touch it . is there anyone who can do this or are the local gunsmiths screwing me over . I don't want to name names but there are only 2 smiths here
 
There's a little more involved, but you CAN have hard-milling done by competent machinists. Hard-milling threads is not going to be cheap.
Or if there's a "sink-edm" shop nearby they might consider burning some tapped holes into your receiver... EDM cuts anything that conducts electricity. It won't be cheap, either, but accurate and clean threads can be "drilled" into hardened steel.
 
People have been scoping Mausers for probably near a hundred years. I have a 98, VZ 24, and a Husky 96 that were drilled and tapped for scope, and two C.G. 96's with diopter sights.
Maybe spot annealing might be required, but nothing new or special as far as I know.
 
I once did a lot of drilling and tapping for scope mounts on M98's... I don't remember any that were actually too hard to do. You will never know how hard it is until you try to drill and tap it, just because it is a M98 doesn't necessarily make it too hard... a much different story with some P14/17's.

As with any drilling and tapping for scope mounts it is best done in the drill press, with the tap perfectly held in line and turned by hand.
 
I don't recall amusers being hard either. The question I have is if these gunsmiths won't drill & tap it, who will you get to alter the bolt so you can use a scope?
 
I've done a few and they can be pretty hard but it's usually only surface hardening. The key is using a carbide drill bit, buy a couple because they are very brittle. A good thick cutting oil and a rigid set up with a solid drill press. The carbide drills go through a M98 like butter. Use a new carbon steel tap and use for only two holes max. So expect to spend 40 bucks or so but it makes the job easy.
 
You can buy a good rifle for less than you will spend altering a military 98 trying to make a good rifle...
 
Ive tapped a few hardened receiveres and if you heat the area where you want to drill and tap with a TIG torch you can make little 1/4" diameter soft areas with out effecting a large area.
if the gunsmith doesnt have a tig welder, you could mark the scope mount holes and take it to a welding shop get them too, then bring it back to the gunsmith. My work would do that for a walkin (softening the little spots) for free if the receiver was already marked where they wanted.

A carbide endmill would also go through no issue but go real easy on the tap. The metal will still be hard. Unless you didnt use coolent on the endmill and let her heat up a bit.
 
I' ve read somewhere that spot annealing could be accomplished by a an old, blunt drill bit. It was suggested to first make a small hole with a good carbide drill. Then replace the bit for a bigger blunt one and crank up to the maximum speed. Let it turn red and don't worry about the smoke. After a few min per hole the material should be softened up for drilling / tapping. I have not tried this myself - I wonder if anyone here has tried this?
 
Don't know who you contacted about getting your Mauser drilled and tapped (but I can guess) but it's not as difficult as they've been telling you.

Contact Complete Gun Repairs on O'Leary Ave; they've been doing them for years. They did one for me a little while ago.
 
actually they were the first one's I contacted . They were the ones that told me it was too hard , he said it used too many bits and taps too be worth his time . About what I 've come to expect .
 
shortround said:
actually they were the first one's I contacted . They were the ones that told me it was too hard , he said it used too many bits and taps too be worth his time . About what I 've come to expect .
Click to expand...

What about S+K Insta Mounts LLC? Great product and easy install. Cheers
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom