Mauser bolt stripping... any takers on this one?

BadgerDog

BadgerDog

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Hey folks ..... :)

I bought a beautiful new Mauser from a fellow CGN member, but I think I may need a volunteer to help me get the bolt apart at least once, so I can finish doing my standard photo montage of it stripped. After reading all the warnings on other gun boards about NOT taking this particular Mauser bolt apart, I haven't attempted it so far ..... :)

1904/39 Portuguese "Vergueiro" Model 937/M39 Mauser
(Mfg by Deutsche Waffen und Munitions Fabriken, Berlin)

Originally 6.5 x 58pmm in 1904 and converted to 7.92 x 57mm in 1937.
All matching except for bolt safety, c/w matching bayonet and original sling.

Why is the bolt safety the only part mismatched on this rifle ?
Here's a funny anecdotal story about possibly why..........

http://www.saaaca.org.za/links/m1904_bolt.htm

The complex nature of the M1904 Bolt and its difficult stripping and reassembly process conducive to the loss of parts, contributed significantly to the demise of this Rifle as a Service Arm with the Union of South Africa, Defence Force. UDF Troops are documented as arriving on Parade with disassembled Bolts and their parts tied in a handkerchief and many surviving Rifles today are found with replacement Bolts, or the Safety flag having been replaced, as was easily lost. Today, many M1904 owners rather do not strip the Bolt assembly, or, hand this job to a competent Gunsmith.
Click to expand...


(Click PIC to Enlarge)(Click PIC to Enlarge)


1904/39 Portuguese "Vergueiro" (lots more detailed pics ... click here)http://imageevent.com/badgerdog/germanservicerifles/190439portugueseg3853

So, the big question is, which one of you guys is going to volunteer to put this bolt back together, once I get it apart..... :D :D :D

I'll pay for the round trip shipping... :D

Regards,
Badger
 
If you have never seen bolt parts fly across a room, buy one just for the novelty! See below, this may help.


Bolt Disassembly:

1) Take the bolt out of the rifle with the safety in the OFF position. (You cannot take it out with the safety in the ON position like a Mauser). The slotted lugs ---one on the bolt body and one on the bolt head--- are aligned with each other.
2. Hook your trigger finger around the safety to control forward movement under HEAVY spring pressure, and rotate the bolt knob 90 degrees to the left to UNCOCK it.It will move forward about 3/8 in./10mm. The bolt head will rotate 90 degrees with it, and the bolt head stops pointing AWAY from the bolt handle.
3. Rotate the bolt head 90 deg. MORE, lining the slotted lug up with the unslotted lug on the bolt body. That movement disconnects the firing pin from the bolt knob. Pull the bolt knob off. The safety comes with it, is loose, and can be easily removed --- or fall off and be lost. Be careful!
4. Prepare to hold the bolt head IN against the strong spring pressure. Rotate it BACK 180 deg. to align the two slotted lugs again. Then rotate it BACK a FURTHER 90 deg. As the slotted lug comes to the position where it lines up with the bolt handle, the bolt head will come out --- bringing the firing pin and the firing pin spring with it--- at high speed, if you are not ready for it!
5. Pull the bolt head off the firing pin, and the firing pin and its spring out of the bolt body. Note the ''key'' on the firing pin flat --- it will only mate with the bolt head in ONE way. Remove the spring from the firing pin. Bolt disassembly is now complete.

Bolt Reassembly:

1. Insert the firing pin into the firing pin spring, and into the bolt head. The firing pin will only go into the bolt head one way, so no error is possible.
2. Insert the assembly into the bolt body, and line up the slotted lug with the bolt handle. Compress the spring to insert the bolt head all the way into the bolt body.
3. Rotate the bolt head 90 deg. to line up the bolt head and the bolt body slotted lugs, then rotate it a FURTHER 180 deg. to line up with the UNSLOTTED lug. 4. Rotate the safety to the OFF position, and push the bolt knob back onto the rear end of the bolt, and hold it in that position.
5. Rotate the bolt head 90 deg. so its slotted lug is pointing AWAY from the bolt handle. Now comes the tricky bit!
6.Grasp the bolt head in your LEFT hand, and the bolt knob in your RIGHT hand, with the bolt handle pointing DOWN.
7. Go to the table and move your WRTISTS so that the bolt handle is sticking out to your FRONT. Hook the bolt knob on the edge of the table.
8. In this step the bolt knob will be sliding up a steep ramp toward becoming cocked, so considerable force is required. PREVENTING the bolt body from rotating by holding the bolt knob in its position on the table, rotate BOTH the bolt head and bolt knob 90 deg. by moving your wrists toward the table. SNAP!
9. The bolt is now cocked ---with the slotted lugs lined up with each other--- and ready to reinsert into the rifle.
 
JP said:
If you have never seen bolt parts fly across a room, buy one just for the novelty! See below, this may help.
Click to expand...

Thanks JP .... :)

I've got pages of instructions including some with pics, but I understand they can be misleading. Ludwig Olsen's book "Mauser Bolt Rifles" has instructions on Page 204, but another 1904/39 owner said he followed those and they turned out to be wrong. He sent me pics of the various pages and the corrections. It appears even Olsen had problems with these beasts. :D

(Click PIC to Enlarge)(Click PIC to Enlarge)


I love the comment about using a a large nail head .......... :D

I'm still looking for someone local, who has actually taken one of these 1904 Mauser bolts apart and put it back together successfully, just so I have a safety net before I take a crack at it. :D :D

Regards,
Badger
 
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I did one, and that's the last one! It flew apart just as a co-worker was walking into the room. He heard the part(s) bouncing off the walls, left and wouldn't come back in until I sore on a 6' stack of bibles that I was done.
 
Not the same kind of Mauser, Vergueiro bolt is different and full of surprises (a jack in the box of rifle design).
 
kjohn said:
I did one, and that's the last one! It flew apart just as a co-worker was walking into the room. He heard the part(s) bouncing off the walls, left and wouldn't come back in until I sore on a 6' stack of bibles that I was done.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you had fun!!:D :D
 
JP said:
Not the same kind of Mauser, Vergueiro bolt is different and full of surprises (a jack in the box of rifle design).
Click to expand...

I love that "jack-in-the-box" analogy..... very appropriate .... :D

I have no problem with regular Mauser bolts either, but I have to confess, I use a special disassembly tool that I think was originally designed by Argentine armorers for their service rifles. It works great on most other Mausers as well, such as Gew98's, K98k's, Brazilians, Czech and Swedes (with some slight adaptation in handling). I think I got mine off a guy on GunBoards who had an advertisement in the WTS/WTT section, but I've also seen them on eBay.


(Click PIC to Enlarge)

The only part of it I don't understand and have never used, is the large rounded "hole" end with the inset large steps. The unit screws into the bolt sleeve and the large black roound end also acts as a handle, so you can turn it like a cork screw, winding (compressing) the firing pin (under control) in and out of the bolt sleeve.

However, I have no idea what the large black hole "thingy" itself is for. Anyone else here know????

Regards,
Badger
 
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