Mauser 98 Bolt Bending - Need a Jig!

Arenegado

Arenegado

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Hey there Everyone,

I have a Mauser 98 sporter (Churchill, made in the UK with refurb K98 military parts) with a polished bent bolt. The throw of the bolt at the top interferes with every single scope I've tried to mount on it. Even in the downwards position, the bolt has quite a bit of room where it can be turned down further. Pic attached showing the furthest downward travel.

I am a Tool & Die Maker Apprentice, and have access to shop tools, as well as a good welder buddy who works right next to me with an oxyacetylene torch. Does anyone know where I might source a mauser bolt bending jig, just to give this sucker a few solid thumps and to put it down and out of the way of any scope I try to mount it on? Everywhere I look online seems to say they were cheap and plentiful at a time, and easy to find at brownells or ebay. Now, nothing! :unsure:

Thanks to whoever can help.
-A
 

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Arenegado said:
Hey there Everyone,

I have a Mauser 98 sporter (Churchill, made in the UK with refurb K98 military parts) with a polished bent bolt. The throw of the bolt at the top interferes with every single scope I've tried to mount on it. Even in the downwards position, the bolt has quite a bit of room where it can be turned down further. Pic attached showing the furthest downward travel.

I am a Tool & Die Maker Apprentice, and have access to shop tools, as well as a good welder buddy who works right next to me with an oxyacetylene torch. Does anyone know where I might source a mauser bolt bending jig, just to give this sucker a few solid thumps and to put it down and out of the way of any scope I try to mount it on? Everywhere I look online seems to say they were cheap and plentiful at a time, and easy to find at brownells or ebay. Now, nothing! :unsure:

Thanks to whoever can help.
-A
Click to expand...
If it's just the ball hitting the scope ocular bell, you can always grind and polish it to clear.
 
OP, I suspect the bolt is hitting the ocular lens on the scopes you've tried to mount, very close to the "root" of the bolt?

I like to use the 98 actions for personal, fun builds, or if I'm putting together something "special" I want to try hunting with.

They're great actions for the most part, even if some folks turn their noses up at them.

Go online and have a look at "The Mauser Bolt Actions" by Jerry Kuhnhausen.

It has a chapter on bolt handles.

Just bending that bolt won't fix your issue.

Guntech's suggestion is a good one, and with your access to tools, you should be able to make up a very nice "custom" bolt handle to weld onto the bolt root.

There is one other method that does involve heat and bending, but doesn't save any time at all.

I use the latter method, which I will explain. I use it because I don't have quick access to welding machines.

The first thing that needs to be done is to determine where to make the bend.

This is done by measuring how much space is between the bolt and the ocular ring on the biggest scope you want to use.

This distance is what you have to work within.

You will want at least .050 inches of clearance.

Ok, now this is a bit tricky because you don't want to heat the body of the bolt to the point temper will be altered. It's also possible to deform the body if you get too aggressive with the heat.

You will need something to work as a "heat sink," to keep temps within the safe range around the bolt handle root.

I make up a "shield" from a thin steel plate, appx 1/8" thick and 3" square, by cutting a slot the same width as the bolt root. This deflects direct heat from the bolt body, which is held in my vice, between Aluminum jaws, which also help to draw away heat. I also pack the bolt body with a wet cloth.

Now you have to make up a "spacer" to fit against the bottom of the bold handle, at the root, where you want to make the bend. If the bolt handle is round at the base of the root, it helps to file a flat at the bottom. This flat allows the spacer to fit close.

Once the spacer is in place, you can heat the bolt handle at the area you want to bend to a nice cherry red. I use an old box end wrench to start the bend, then heat up the area again and start forming it down with a hammer. Keep the torch handy and carefully hammer the handle to a nice 90 degree angle. You aren't finished when you've done this.

When the handle is at the angle you need to clear the scope when the bolt is open, which will be 90 degrees from where it was closed, you will need to heat the extended part of the bolt so it can be bent in a sweeping curve away from the stock.

Many people who haven't altered bolt handles don't consider that the bolt handle has to clear the stock when it's closed.

I usually cut off the ball, thread the end of the bolt handle, and make up an extension from either brass, aluminum, or steel, which is either soldered, brazed, or glued into place, depending on the clearance.

Be careful not to make the extension too long, or it will cause the bolt to bind on extraction.
 
First thing I would do is try higher rings, before starting to work on the bolt handle.
Forging, cutting and welding, cutting, replacing and welding are all serious operations, with an element of risk involved. I think replacing the handle provides the most elegant end result. But I would still try higher rings first.
 
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I would seek out someone that has the know how to do a good job. You will regret a poor job forever.
 
jbmauser said:
The only thing that may be a problem with installing a commercial bolt is that the receiver may have to be notched for clearance.
Click to expand...
If you are referring to the fit of the bolt handle into the receiver... it would have to be notched with a factory FN bolt as well... no real problem.
 
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If the bolt handle is shaped properly, cutting out a notch isn't needed.

The reason Mauser 98s with bent handles are bent where they are is to clear the stock, which also has an inlet milled out of the side for easy grasping.

Military bolt action handles don't really need to be bent. IMHO, it detracts from the efficiency of the action during stressful conditions.

That straight bolt handle is so much easier to find when things get exciting, mind you, proper and consistent training pretty much overcomes it.

We seldom see or even hear of "butterknife" bolt handles anymore. That was a design first brought about for its elegant look and sales appeal.

Hower, inadvertantly it did fix the "scope clearance" issue.

I find the butterknife bolt handles uncomfortable to operate under some conditions, but I do like the way they look.

I made up a couple of my rifles with butterknife style bolt handles, and I like the way they look. However, I make my handles a bit thicker than seen on most commercial rifles.

Most commercial butterknife style bolt handles are too thin and under some conditions can make grasping the bolt difficult. One lady complained about the thin edge hurting her hand and wanted me to change out the handle on her rifle.
 
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