Thought this might be the best place for this ? I've acquired a 71 Mauser and I 'm cleaning it up. I want to take the bolt apart - how does one remove the firing pin? Does the "sear / cocking piece" just twist as on a 98 / what. Thanks for any input on how to proceed. --- John303.
71 Mauser ?
- Thread starter John303
- Start date
One way you can do this:
Remove the bolt from the rifle but unscrewing the retaining screw (don't loose this or the screw washer, cavet: if it is a 71.84, the screw won't come out all the way so don't force it), and pull the bolt out of the action. Next, de-#### the bolt by holding the main bolt body with your left hand and the cocking piece with your right hand. With the bolt facing away from you, twist the bolt body away from you and the cocking piece towards you. Now, unscrew the firing pin nut. Once you remove the firing pin nut, the wing safety will be under some spring pressure but not alot so just catch it with your finger. The cocking piece should also come off too. Check that the bolt head is not being retained in the bolt body as there is a bit of metal that keeps it together. The reason being is that it will be under considerable spring pressure and if it comes out after the back end has been removed, it will become a mini projectile (hence why we de-#### the bolt as one of the first steps). For safety, I keep the bolt head on and place it against my leg so that it won't fly away if it is caught in the bolt body.
Now, just take the bolt head off along with the firing pin, spring, and bolt rib guide and you are good to clean.
For re-assembly, you want to assembly the bolt in the cocked position. This can be a bit tricky but it is doable. All you have to do is align the bolt head in it's track on the bolt body. It will be under spring pressure so keep this in mind. Now, you will see at the end of the firing pin, one side that has a milled portion on it. This is important as the firing pin can only go in one way with the cocking piece. When you put the firing pin, spring, and bolt head back in, with the bolt handle facing the ceiling and in front of you, this milled portion of the firing pin should be facing you.
Now, put the cocking piece back on in the cocked position (the long end pointing right at the bolt handle). You should still be able to see the milled piece on the firing pin. Now, put the wing safety back on and press it down as you put the firing pin nut back on. You can will have to depress the wing safety once every full rotation of the firing pin nut. The key to reassembly is to watch the bolt head and make sure it stays in it's track and also to watch the firing pin milled piece and make sure it doesn't move around. When the firing pin base is flush with the firing pin nut, and you hear the final "click" from the wing safety, you have reassembled the bolt.
If the firing pin moves on you during reassembly, one trick I found is to anticipate the firing pin rotation and rotate the firing pin slightly behind of where it would be at the 9 o clock position. This allows you to screw on the firing pin nut and allows the firing pin to move itself to the proper position right when it goes into the groove in the cocking piece.
I hope this helps. It may be complicated the first time around but a few times doing it and it will be no problem.
Edit: To remove a bolt from the 71.84, the disassembly and reassembly process is the same (except the retaining screw and washer stay on the bolt). I found a neat trick to remove the bolt from the rifle easily is to have the magazine selector in the middle position, lift the washer up a bit and while pulling the bolt out of the action, press the selector switch forward.
Remove the bolt from the rifle but unscrewing the retaining screw (don't loose this or the screw washer, cavet: if it is a 71.84, the screw won't come out all the way so don't force it), and pull the bolt out of the action. Next, de-#### the bolt by holding the main bolt body with your left hand and the cocking piece with your right hand. With the bolt facing away from you, twist the bolt body away from you and the cocking piece towards you. Now, unscrew the firing pin nut. Once you remove the firing pin nut, the wing safety will be under some spring pressure but not alot so just catch it with your finger. The cocking piece should also come off too. Check that the bolt head is not being retained in the bolt body as there is a bit of metal that keeps it together. The reason being is that it will be under considerable spring pressure and if it comes out after the back end has been removed, it will become a mini projectile (hence why we de-#### the bolt as one of the first steps). For safety, I keep the bolt head on and place it against my leg so that it won't fly away if it is caught in the bolt body.
Now, just take the bolt head off along with the firing pin, spring, and bolt rib guide and you are good to clean.
For re-assembly, you want to assembly the bolt in the cocked position. This can be a bit tricky but it is doable. All you have to do is align the bolt head in it's track on the bolt body. It will be under spring pressure so keep this in mind. Now, you will see at the end of the firing pin, one side that has a milled portion on it. This is important as the firing pin can only go in one way with the cocking piece. When you put the firing pin, spring, and bolt head back in, with the bolt handle facing the ceiling and in front of you, this milled portion of the firing pin should be facing you.
Now, put the cocking piece back on in the cocked position (the long end pointing right at the bolt handle). You should still be able to see the milled piece on the firing pin. Now, put the wing safety back on and press it down as you put the firing pin nut back on. You can will have to depress the wing safety once every full rotation of the firing pin nut. The key to reassembly is to watch the bolt head and make sure it stays in it's track and also to watch the firing pin milled piece and make sure it doesn't move around. When the firing pin base is flush with the firing pin nut, and you hear the final "click" from the wing safety, you have reassembled the bolt.
If the firing pin moves on you during reassembly, one trick I found is to anticipate the firing pin rotation and rotate the firing pin slightly behind of where it would be at the 9 o clock position. This allows you to screw on the firing pin nut and allows the firing pin to move itself to the proper position right when it goes into the groove in the cocking piece.
I hope this helps. It may be complicated the first time around but a few times doing it and it will be no problem.
Edit: To remove a bolt from the 71.84, the disassembly and reassembly process is the same (except the retaining screw and washer stay on the bolt). I found a neat trick to remove the bolt from the rifle easily is to have the magazine selector in the middle position, lift the washer up a bit and while pulling the bolt out of the action, press the selector switch forward.
MauserMike
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
Thank you both for taking the guess work out of the pin removal, everything is apart and soaking in solvent - 100 years + worth of dirt and grime getting the boot. Just a couple of things; 1. the safety is pinned, so no spring and 2. the firing pin nut has a tab on the face that lines up the nut with the cocking piece. Is this normal on a 71 Mauser "single shot"? Another surprise is no recoil lug per.sec. so I would guess the rear tang does that job. --- John
I'm glad you were able to get the bolt apart. I have run into some interesting disassembly issues with a few of my 71.84 bolts as I would be the first person to take the bolt apart in a century and boy were those firing pin nuts stuck in position.
Is the tab for the firing pin nut on the head (i.e. where the serial number is) or on the round body ?
Is the tab for the firing pin nut on the head (i.e. where the serial number is) or on the round body ?
Nabs the gun is apart, but before I reassemble I will take some pics. I have a few of the gun pre clean-up, will take some pics. of all the parts when clean. That tab is on the round body facing the cocking piece, it's about 1/8" long and slips into a long groove on the under side of the cocking piece. To remove the nut I had to push on the firing pin till this tab disengaged before I could turn the nut. Being unfamiliar with a 71 I'm not sure if this is different but it is different than the 71/84. Serial is 54XX if that means anything. --- John
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