Mauser 98 Missfiring

Mauser Firing correctly again...

Hello Folks, I was able to test and site-in the 8x57 Mauser this past weekend,my son asked me to take it to our hunting location and test it out ...the bolt was cleaned inside and out and inspected by ME,(I cleaned up the firing pin well)the ammo were reloads ,done by ME,The stock was a used Mauser stock won on ebay ,that fit the action,the trigger safety and barrel bedding was done by a professional gunsmith ......so.....six shots fired ,all went off! Sited in for 100 yards ,around a 3.5" group,now when time is available,I'll hone it in .....
I have learned something new ,how to take apart a Mauser bolt ,clean it,inspect it ,and try it,and see what happens ......I am not fearfull of my mechanical abilities ,and if there were any doubts in my mind it would have gone back up to a pro,to be repaired/resolved .....Thank-you all for your post ,it's good to know that there are others who care about the safety and well being of an avid hunter/shooter ,Thanks again.....Bigbird34 a.k.a. Jim:D
 
Also weak springs are common on old Mausers, a Wolff spring is a cheap and worthwhile upgrade.
Click to expand...

Agreed this is defintely a possibility.Also, its a very cheap and easy fix.If it works, you fixed it for about $15, if not, you eliminated 1 possibilty, and it only cost you $15, and now you have a backup spring if you need one in the future.I had the same issue with a Turk Mauser model 1893. I Put the heavy Wolff spring in it, and it's 100% reliable now.Just my .02 cents....
 
PzGren

Sir:
Thank you for your very informative posts!
Do you have any information on Mauser metallurgy, heat treat (carburizing), how it was done, oven, induction just in the ring, etc.
I'd simply love to have some info.
I've used Turk 38s. to build 416 Taylor, 9.3X64, 9.3X62, and U.S. calibers. I've, of course, used the VZ24s as well.
The Turks, roundly relegated to "rifles to be hauled around in the back of your pick-up" are fine rifles.
After truing the action face, removing the forend flange (leaves the action standard length as a VZ24) and generally truing things up makes as nice a rifle as a fine VZ24!
On drilling for mounts the O.D. drills fine but as you get into the interior it's so hard the drill will "sing" on the interior carburized interior! Looks like a fine heat treat to me. Yes, some of the bbls. I could have unscrewed by hand and a few crazy crests on the ring, but all have made fine rifles exhibiting NO set-back on any of them!
If I could have just been a little mouse in some Mauser plants!!
The paucity of information (technical) is madnening! Do you have more information, if so I'd be in your debt if you would be so inclined to share it. Thank you, and "May you live in interesting times."
Harry B.
 
Thorough cleaning and good ammunition was all that was required?

Sometimes that's not at all surprising. About 90% of all gun malfunctions may be attributed to the weapon being dirty or poorly maintained. Then again there's bad ammo too.
 
Missfires continue

Well, I brought my son up to the range last weekend (friday) to show him his gun was fixed.....unfortunatley, after several rounds the gun misfired again,again,and again.....:mad:
So I thought it might be bad primers,I could not remember what vintage the primers were ......:rolleyes:
So today I loaded up 20 more rounds,paying close attention to everything,case prep,primers used,shoulder length and overall length ....all 20 are good to go...:D
I setup my target at 100 yards,the 8mm is sighted in,I feel confident....number one thru number six fire without a hitch ....number seven does not fire :eek:what the hell,primer is indented but ,I didn't get the "click" I was expecting ,I rechambered the shell and it fired ???? The next five shells fired also ,for a total of 12 firing I had one missfire ,NOT GOOD ODDS !
Well I think I need a new firing pin and spring ,but I don't really know what the standard lenght of the firing pin should be,so I looked up one on Gunbroker.com,the seller states 7-1/4" long ,my F.P. is a tad longer (7-3/8"o.a.l.) so I assume my firing pin is good ??? Then I started looking at springs,a surplus spring measured 5-1/4 inches,(mine is 5 inches ??? my spring that is :)anyhow if you got to Midwayusa.com they sell 3 different springs,a 24,26 and 30 pound spring ??? which one should I purchase ??? 26 pound seems like average,but I'm not sure what one to get .
Anyhow any and all advice will be weighed ,before I make a purchase ....my son used my 338-06 this past weekend so there is no rush to get the mauser repaired....I just want to get it ready for next fall,and I want to be 100% confident that it will work correctly for my son......TIA Bigbird34
 
mauser misfire

Naw!
I smell an amunition problem or a handloading problem! Any Mauser that's properly chambered has never misfired except with old ammo!
I've had old corrosive stuff that would go "click------------boom" quite a while later, but never one with factory or good lillitary ammo!
Something's fishy here. Even one with everything wrong (which is exceedingly rare) will hold the shell by the extractor enough to fire!:confused:
Harry B.:confused:
 
what the hell,primer is indented but ,I didn't get the "click" I was expecting ,I rechambered the shell and it fired ????
Click to expand...

That is generally the sign for a primer not seated deep enough and for hard primers.
Somehow I suspect the primer seating to be responsible for your problems, to eliminate all possibilities, ream your primer pockets and make sure that the primer is seated deeper than the case head - unless you already do that.
 
Primer pocket

PZgren,the primer pockets were all cleaned by "me" primers were installed using a RCBS hand priming tool .....I'm not new at this, I have primed thousands of pieces of brass....all the primers looked alike when completed .....

I am leaning towards buying the 26 pound spring ,what is your opinion on my choice ?

TIA Bigbird34
 
Bigbird,

the 26 lbs spring sounds like a good way to eliminate the next possibility.

This is just a wild guess but how is the exractor tension when you take the bolt out and keep a cartridge under the extractor?
 
Not to flagellate a deceased equine, but I mentioned firing pin protrusion a while back and it sort of vanished from the discussion. Has it been measured?

Jim
 
Protrusion

Yes! Jim it was discussed in my original post app.055" ....at this time I am going to try the 26 lb spring and see what happens,time is on my side (but shooting in the snow does not thrill me:()....I can't check the extractor tension,as the bolt is apart and in a ziplock bag on my desk,to remind me to order a spring .....Wolfe makes after market springs,available thru Midway,so I think I'll order one .....this repair will either be right or wrong ....I'll let you know! Tia Bigbird34
 
quick way to check if a Mauser firing pin is long enough, pull the bolt, trigger the shroud to go to the "fired" position. Measure pin protrusion with a dime and a nickel. The pin should jut out further than the dime, less than the nickel.

Jimro
 
Mauser

Sir:
Gentlemen! There is just something VERY, VERY fishy here! 98 Mausers DO NOT miss-fire unless there is a GREAT DEAL wrong with them!
Check and see if the striker assembly is screwed clear in.
Check the headspace.
Check the caliber.
Get fresh factory ammo!
Firing pin protrusion is .055-.060?
It'll go bang!
Harry B.
 
98

Sir:
Are you sure your bolt handle is going CLEAR down? Did someone weld a new one on? If they did that could be the trouble - not being fit all the way down to original level, - that can cause it. Is the handle hitting the wood stock>
Harry B. Something simple is wrong!
 
98

Sir:
When you resize your fired brass do you unscrew the striker mechanism and take a sized case, insert it under the extractor and see if when the bolt is closed you have any end-play in the bolt with the case in the chamber - you should FEEL the bolt close on the sized case (NO, NOT A LOADED ROUND!
Harry B.
 
Bigbird34.

I was double-checking the specs in Kuhnhausen. He puts the firing pin protrusion spec. between 0.055" minimum and 0.065" maximum and warns of the need to replace any pin with less than 0.055" protrusion. In post number one you said your's was between 0.050" and 0.055". Kuhnhausen is adamant that it needs replacement below the minimum. I would see if I couldn't borrow a depth micrometer and get a more exact measurement? I will speculate that Kuhnhausen's adamance is based not so much on, say, 0.050" protrusion being too litlte for ignition, but that a pin that starts out longer than that and sets back over time is likely losing proper nose contour.

Reviewing Kuhnhausen's misfire list, it also includes any bend in the firing pin, weak spring, excess headspace and an oversize firing pin hole (port) worn into the bolt. He comments that the most accurate rifles have 0.002"-0.003" firing pin port clearance. You will see crater rims (cratering) of your primers if the port is really wide.

Unless I am not seeing it, you have not mentioned what your primers are? About 20 years ago when I first got my Dillon Square Deal, I had to give up on CCI primers with it because it just didn't consistently bottom them out in my cases. The harder military brass cases in particular, even after cutting out the crimp, proved difficult with the slightly harder CCI cups. I hate to recommend a change in priming tool, but if this is your problem, K&M's Markel tool is the only one I know that absolutely positively lets you feel the primer cup touchdown on the brass in the flashhole. The priming tool built into the Forster/Bonanza Co-ax press is the only one I know that positively forces the primer 0.004" below grade, as it were, of the case head. Either tool will make sure your primers are where they should be. Going to a softer cup, such as the Federal primer (generally considered among the most sensitive primers, too), would be another approach to take if you aren't using them already?

The headspace thing still needs to be checked. As a shortcut, you can neck-size-only a few cases and see if that helps?

Nick
 
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New spring installed

Gentlemen thanks for all of your advice so far....

1).The head space was checked by a gunsmith,all ok.
2).The latest brass tested was all R-P.
3).The primers were this years Winchester L.R. primers.
4).The new 26# spring came in from midway,it is installed in the bolt,and I have fired the firing pin into spent brass primers,and there is a considerable difference in the primer indent (The gun has not fired live ammo yet!).
5).Off to the range Monday or Tuesday ,to test fire ...if it fails, I'll order a new firing pin,as when these missfires first occured,It was brought to my attention that the f.p.'s can wear from hard primers,time,and improper dissasembly and reassembly ...my firing pin measures at the questionable measurement/length .....
6).The new 26# wolf spring was longer then the original by about app.1" and took a little muscle to compress....and in the next 48 or so hours we'll know if I'm a). right,b).wrong.....:D

Thanks again for all your help,Bigbird34
 
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