Disassembly of M38 Swedish Mauser

E

Eat more possum

New member
For the life of me I cannot figure out how to remove the bayonet lug/barrel band and barrel band/sling swivel on my M38. Wanting to steel wool/linseed oil the stock and for obvious reasons prefer complete disassembly. Forgive me for being so thick as to being unable to figure this out on my own, but that's how thick I am. Thanks for any help.
 
If force doesn't work...

...you are not using enough.

Seriously, there's no trick -- you just have to depress the spring (which runs fore to aft) below the bands. The problem is that these are always, in my experience, =really= tight. Try using a block of wood (so that when it slips, it doesn't mar the forearm) to depress the spring. You may also need to tap the band gently with another wood block. If it comees to that, you may be better off with another set of hands. Be very careful, or what starts off as a project to improve the stock's appearance can very easily result in permanent damage to the stock.
 
Yes, its these spring band releases, typical of pre-model-98 Mausers that are the problem. You usually cannot get them off by hand.
I have use a C-clamp and two blocks of wood. One peice of wood has a groove in it and sets on the barrel. The groove is needed or else this peice of wood will slip off the barrel. The other is a longer, deeper peice that sits on top of the band release. As you tighten the clamp the band release lowers and it's hook slips past the band. Then you usually need to tap the band with a mallet and another peice of wood to nudge the band off. This C-clamp set up leaves your hands free to do this.
Getting them back on might be just about as hard, but if you can get them off the rifle without marring it, you will be able to get them back on.
 
Well, disassembly is complete without difficulty. Stock cleanup is proceeding well. Amazing what a couple of hours with steel wool will do for how a stock looks and feels ain't it? A couple of screw holes were LOOSE too, and that little matter has been dealt with with some oak slivers and yellow glue.

Another hour or so with "0", then go finer and hit 'er with a couple of coats of boiled linseed and she will suit me jest fine.

Thanks for the responses and wanted you all to know how the project is going. BTW, the old M38 WILL be going to the deer woods this fall. Ordered one of those Mojo aperture sights that replace the military leaf with no modifications (so if I ever want to I can put the original back on) and have started hunting load development.

This is one of the more fun gun projects I've had recently. Just discovering the joy of 6.5x55, and it's neat.
 
EMP, these are really fun rifles, and still (even with prices way up) a bargain considering what you get.

What you need next :-) is a nice M96 with the lonnnnnnnng barrel. If anything, more nicely made, though not exactly a rifle for the thick woods!
 
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