RC K98 cleaning rod problems

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Hi guys,

I just picked up my first milsurp, a nice old RC K98. Receiver code is CE 41 so looks like it was manufactured by Sauer in 41. Shiny bore with decent rifling from what I can tell. The eagles on the side are intact but it looks like the Mod. 98 on the side was scrubbed oddly enough, or maybe didn't exist in the first place?

Anyway, my question is about the cleaning rod. It's got a early flat butt plate stock which definitely takes a 10" rod and I'm finding it really difficult to get the cleaning rod into the gun let alone get it screwed in. It seems pretty tight/sticky I guess. Thoughts?

Also, the rod also stops just about at the front edge of the sight band. I was under the impression that it typically should screw in to about the middle of the front sight hood. Is that not correct?

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

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Repro rod I assume? They aren't made with the greatest care or precision for the most part. Could be over size or something or your cleaning rod hole in the stock could be full of crud, shellac, or something.
 
Hmm. Yes that is a repro cleaning rod but I was lucky and got an original 12.5" one (and the sight hood!) with the rifle which obviously doesn't work length wise with this stock but it's tight with that one too.

It should thread in another cm or so right?
 
I had a thread on this a few months ago. The blind hole where the rod screws in is likely full of crud and dirt.

If you remove the action from the stock, you will see the rod nut in the wood. There is a little groove that can be used to pry on the nut to try to coax it out. Use a sharp tool like an awl or probe or pointy punch.

Put something hard down so you don't damage the wood. Something to pry against.

And hope your nut will come out willingly....some won't.

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...ing-rod-insert-and-thread-in?highlight=mauser
 
If the nut won't come out...there is another idea.

If one had a long hollow tube...with the same or smaller diameter as the cleaning rod...one could supply air to it or vacuum to it and insert it down to the bottom of the hole, trying to blow/suck the dirt out.

Wouldn't be easy, wear eye protection, getting the nut out would be the best solution.
 
Good link thanks. That pretty much sounds like what I'm experiencing though I've got the earlier stock with the flat butt and I don't recall seeing anywhere to get at the nut when I had the rifle apart.
 
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The early 10.5 inch stocks will have the cleaning rod nut visible on the outside under the lower band at the bottom of the stock. Take your lower band off and you should see it.

Use care if you try to remove it as damaging the stock is a concern.
 
Aha! Found this.

Should be easy, unless there is a rod end broken off in the nut.

You should be able to see the nut through a little hole on the inside of the stock. Use a punch carefully and tap it out.

Early 10 inch rod nuts... The couple I have taken out of of the early 10 inch nuts had only a single threaded hole. But then those had no need for two holes to aid in installation or removal since they are tapped out using the small hole inside the barrel channel...

The early nuts for the 10 inch cleaning rod are installed from the bottom exterior of the stock. These have a small access hole above them in the channel of the stock. They can be removed using a small diameter punch to gently tap out, try to avoid splintering the wood.
Click to expand...

ht tp://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?103384-cleaning-rod-nut
 
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jbmauser said:
The early 10.5 inch stocks will have the cleaning rod nut visible on the outside under the lower band at the bottom of the stock. Take your lower band off and you should see it.

Use care if you try to remove it as damaging the stock is a concern.
Click to expand...

Yes, it's under the band. Is there a technique to removing the nut on this type of stock without risk of damage?
 
sfx said:
Yes, it's under the band. Is there a technique to removing the nut on this type of stock without risk of damage?
Click to expand...
Yes. Read cantom's excellent info above.

Edit: There is always a risk of damage but we're not talking about a high dollar matching original here and if the wood does splinter a bit it is under the band and shouldn't be noticeable.

Be careful, go slow.
 
Mission accomplished.

No WWII dirt jammed in there, I think it was just cosmoline. I was confused initially because I had the rifle stripped for cleaning when I got it and I didn't see any way to get that retaining nut out. Why? Because the small access hole above it in the stock was *completely* filled with grease.

I got it out easily by carefully warming the area surrounding the nut with my heat gun to loosen things up and tapped it out with the smallest punch I had. Didn't break anything. :)

I used some Crud Cutter in the cleaning rod channel with the nut out and used some pipe cleaners to degunk it. 5-6 of them came out near black pretty much. My 10" repro rod still doesn't screw in as far as expected but I've seen a bunch online like that so... oh well. The rod does go in much easier now at least.

Thanks for the help everyone.

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Thanks for the pics.

When you threaded your repro rod into the nut when it was out of the rifle, did it thread in readily and right down to the bottom? Or did it seem like the threads weren't cut quite right?

When I had mine apart I played with it in hand, threading the nut on and off and making sure the threads were right.

BTW, the repro rod threads were correct on tpi, but the thread was a bit thinner than a real rod. (not as wide and thus tight in the nut)
 
It seems to screw in okay, but no it didn't bottom out for sure so I'm going to blame the rod.

I luckily got an original rod with the rifle but it was the longer version so it didn't match the earlier stock. Just by looking at the two it's obvious the thread pattern is different.

The one in question is from Landser. I have another coming from IMA so I'll be able to do a comparison soon.
 
So, aside from the initial stickiness problem, it turns out the 10" repro rod from Landser was just too long. It was more like 10.5" almost for some reason.

I picked up another one from IMA USA along with a repro sling and this cleaning rod one seems to have the correct length and also has a more accurate thread pattern to my eyes.

TLDR version: Buy from IMA USA if you need a repro 10" Mauser cleaning rod.

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