Mauser 1914 frame repair

N

nemesiss45

New member
I have a serious beater 1914 mauser pocket pistol that I got from my dad. as it sits, it is basically a wall hanger, but I think with a little love, money, and improvising, I can turn it back into a shooter.

The primary reason I am posting is for recommendations on some frame damage. The 1914 has a cylinder attached to the top rear of the frame which mates with the slide and retains the firing pin spring. The tail of the firing protrudes through and acts as a cocking indicator. This part is sheared off on my gun. Someone at some point drilled the back of the slide and stuck a roll pin through to retain the spring and trimmed the firing pin tail to function (I presume it functioned at some point). needless to say, the spring is mangled.

so I was toying with the idea of rebuilding this part of the frame. I have a section of steel tubing that is the right diameter and would function with minor modification if I could attach it to the frame. before I did this, I was hoping for some insight on the issue. do I need to be concerned about the alloy of the steel? hardness? would it be ok to tig weld this into place?

If I am way off track on how I am approaching this, does anyone have a recommendation on how to proceed?

Thanks
 
I see the boss extending off the rear of the frame. One could make that, and it would be best to TIG weld that back. After welding, then polish and blue to blend it in. If not you'd have to try to find another frame. The slide should have a hole for the firing pin also, should it not, but was it drilled out? Last, you may find a firing pin, or have to make one.
 
That frame boss is simply not as strong as it should be and IMHO repairing it in such a way that it would be strong enough is very iffy. The saving grace is that, unlike some other pistols, that part does not serve to stop the slide, only to provide support for the firing pin spring. The spring kinked because the "tail" of the firing pin acts as a spring guide as well as a cocking indicator.

If I had that gun to fix and was only concerned about function, I would consider threading the slide and inserting a screw with a hole drilled through it to take the firing pin with the spring guide, and leave the frame alone.

If the frame needs to be repaired to look right, your solution sounds like a good one, but it will need a pretty good welder to do the job without damaging the new part or the rest of the frame.

FWIW, those tails often break off the firing pin; the fix is easy, simply use a headed pin (or even a modified nail). Insert the head end into the firing pin where it will be held in by the spring, and things will work fine.

Jim
 
I see what you are saying, jim. I would hesitate to modify the slide, however... since someone already dropped a roll pin through it, threading it is not that big of a deal.

Anyway, here's what im working with...

b3a507d658fcc928c4020f8a03cae31c.jpg
d866de85f1444c6809180f9f2b3e73cf.jpg
fe7d748dd62de29c1c9ef180ca7f7b57.jpg
4641b33f8834919a60b4a0260304fc99.jpg
 
The frame lug appears to be there, though I can't tell what damage it has sustained. The roll pin would have probably worked OK if it had been offset enough to clear the firing pin tail, but with it through the center that way, the gun won't work.

As I said, if I only wanted the gun to work, I would alter the slide; if an original look is wanted, that wouldn't do. In all honesty, though, that gun is just as you say, a beater, so I am not sure what harm can be done at this point.

Jim
 
That could be welded back, but it will need fitted using files, then the exterior blended in, but it can be done. You would need someone experienced in welding small parts using TIG. Since that part of the frame is weak anyhow, as Jim mentioned, and the welds would not have 100% penetration, most likely, it could break again later on. One might be able to drill down into the broken post, along with a hole into the boss, and pin the boss to the frame post before welding either side.

I saw a drawing on the firing pin, and it showed the spring guide is either pressed or soldered into the firing pin body. They drilled a hole into the rear of the firing pin body, and inserted the guide. If so, another could be made. H&L Books shows this, in their e-book for the 1914.
 
thanks guys,

after weighing my options, I decided to try Jim's suggestion of tapping the slide. I went to the hardware store and found that a 5/16 socket set screw would fit well. I have tapped it out and the fit is good, so I will try to drill out the screw so the firing pin tail will clear it.

I'll post some pics in here as I go
 
I don't blame you, as what I'm speaking of would be time consuming, and more expensive. If the gun isn't worth much, as a collectible, then you're better off fixing it so it will fire.
 
Yeah, i figure in good condition it is only $300-$400 anyway, and whoever worked on it before already killed what value it had, so why not at least get it functioning.

Anyway, here is what i did

258fe19e003f2dbf33a1c2206718c20f.jpg
3220e0c8e9f27b46434db14aecf383b7.jpg
d8950a041efb99538bd396ee43ee12de.jpg
994165c79a885c343dc004689f57b9d6.jpg
3c4fab4acaac0d8413f66eaf1fbf2028.jpg
769fc940447ae67957da7f7df824b346.jpg


I had to tap the slide, which went easily. I then rounded out the firing pin tail to keep it from catching the spring. lastly i filed down the back if the receiver so the new plug would clear.

it seems like it should work, though i need to order a new trigger spring and disconnector before i shoot it. I also want to lengthen the firing pin tail to work better as a cocked indicator, but that should not impact the functionality of the gun.
 
Hi, Dixiegunsmithing,

I have fixed a couple of dozen of those firing pins. At first, I tried to make the tail a press fit, which was fine until I had to get one back out to work on it. Then I found out you can just use a headed drop-in and the spring against the head will keep it in place.

I believe that the Mauser 98 was probably the best designed and finest made bolt action rifle ever produced. But Mauser's pistols simply are no good, even the vaunted C96. They are overengineered, overly complicated, not at all well made, and parts break frequently, especially springs. It is hard to believe that the same company produced the 1898 rifle and the Model 1910/14 pistol.

Jim
 
Well, I can't argue with the c96 being over complicated, and maybe they do break down too often...but I can't help but love the c96. I think it is a thing of beauty and a pleasure to shoot. of course, I would not choose it as a service weapon, but I am glad I have one in my collection.

this gun however... well... it's a project... we'll see how much I like it when it shoots.
 
Jim,

My guess always was, that they about had to design them that way over patents. That, and semi-auto's were a new thing. There were some Rube Goldbergs back then, like the Borchardt, but it just took Browning to simplify them, when he came up to bat.

The Broomhandle was a complicated piece, and its big drawback, user-wise, was having to use a clip to load the non-detachable magazine. Of course the Bergmann-Bayard, though it looks similar, did have removable magazines. Mauser tried to use what he knew of rifles in a pistol, for the C96, with a moving bolt, and enclosed frame, with no slide.
 
"Mauser tried to use what he knew of rifles in a pistol." Very good; not many folks understand that the Feederle brothrrs (the actual designers) started with the Mauser rifle concept they knew - bottle neck cartridge, double column magazine, stripper clip loading - and worked up a pistol around it. In spite of a large and long production life, it has aspects of an unfinished work. That might be due to the fact that Paul Mauser didn't like the gun and didn't support its development, though he was the boss and happy enough to have the patents issued in his name.

Of course, the whole idea of an auto pistol was new; the pioneers were feeling their way. Browning went his own way, partly, I suspect, because when he was developing his concepts, he had no knowledge of the Borchardt, Mauser or any of the other early efforts.

The small Mausers suffer from a lot of overengineering or, as the current term puts it, overthinking. That shows in a design that seems user-friendly, but deviates from the norm (even then) and is thus actually a poor concept. Particularly, of course, is the complex mechanism that locks back the slide if there is no fresh round available, then closes it automatically when a magazine (loaded or empty) is inserted. I'm sure it sounded good someone proposed it.

Jim
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top