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Quite possibly...the easiest Mauser question in the world
- Thread starter Zeebrahed
- Start date
If the wing safety on your Mauser cannot be moved from the left (fire) position, chances are you need to cock the striker by opening and closing the bolt. (Assuming it's a 98 action, otherwise open the bolt to the rear some, then close it, for the 96, etc) The slot in the striker's headpiece isn't aligned with the cam on your wing safety, hence the locking of the safety to the fire position, which allows the striker to go forward. Let us know what happens after you cock the action.
Hmm. After checking for an empty chamber, of course, can you cock it and dry fire it? E-mail me and we'll go through a complete Mauser systems check, although it's not that complicated an action. My first inclination was that the striker headpiece wasn't lined up properly to allow a safety swing...
I don't know the right terms for everything, so this might be a little confusing. What I'll call the striker is the cylindrical protusion out the back of the bolt. This is extended about 1cm back past the rest of the bolt when it is cocked, and nearly flushed after you've dry-fired it.
There is a slot in the top of the striker cyl. which the safety "wing" slides into when you rotate it from the leftmost position to vertical (ie, clockwise looking forward down the barrel).
First of all, to engage the safety, the striker must be cocked. Most likely, the safety "wing" is not aligned with the slot. You most probably have to pull the striker back a little bit more and the wing will enter the slot and it will engage. Presumably, this could be fixed with a little filing to ramp up the slot and/or wing.
If it is misaligned the other way - i.e., if the striker is too far *back* to engage the wing, I don't know how to fix it.
Hope this helps.
-z
There is a slot in the top of the striker cyl. which the safety "wing" slides into when you rotate it from the leftmost position to vertical (ie, clockwise looking forward down the barrel).
First of all, to engage the safety, the striker must be cocked. Most likely, the safety "wing" is not aligned with the slot. You most probably have to pull the striker back a little bit more and the wing will enter the slot and it will engage. Presumably, this could be fixed with a little filing to ramp up the slot and/or wing.
If it is misaligned the other way - i.e., if the striker is too far *back* to engage the wing, I don't know how to fix it.
Hope this helps.
-z
DANGER!
If the safety will not go into all three positions with the striker cocked, there is something WRONG! Do not file or stone anything! Take the rifle to a gunsmith immediately, BEFORE doing any firing.
The problem could be due to someone trying to "improve" the trigger pull by polishing the sear or the engaging surface of the striker. If so, the trigger pull may be too light or the trigger may not reset. The latter means that if the safety is put on, and the trigger pulled, the gun will fire when the safety is taken off without touching the trigger.
Jim
If the safety will not go into all three positions with the striker cocked, there is something WRONG! Do not file or stone anything! Take the rifle to a gunsmith immediately, BEFORE doing any firing.
The problem could be due to someone trying to "improve" the trigger pull by polishing the sear or the engaging surface of the striker. If so, the trigger pull may be too light or the trigger may not reset. The latter means that if the safety is put on, and the trigger pulled, the gun will fire when the safety is taken off without touching the trigger.
Jim
With the striker cocked, and using the edge of a counter, I can retract the rear portion of the bolt assembly approx 1/4" and snick the safety into all three positions. Upon setting the safety to safe, and releasing the pressure, the striker will remain rearward at that 1/4" and rest upon that little lip of metal on the shaft of the safety. That lip, has the same surface area in the middle position of the safety, hence no movement at that position either. However, upon moving to the fire setting, the striker will come forward that 1/4" because there is no metal on the lip in this position to retain the striker in its rearmost position. There is no way the saftey can move anywhere now, because it has no engagement with the cylinder wall of the striker.
Observations:
This bolt is very heavily covered in cosmoline, but that does not account for the mechanical condtion I have noted above.
I have examined the wing saftey and the striker, and I find no stoning, or filing marks that would indicate the sometimes tinkering that our hobby seems to invite.
I have partially disassembled the rear portion of the bolt, really only just removing the striker itself, not the firing pin, and the wing safety. I did not do this on purpose, but by accident while manually pushing the striker back to cock the action.
With these pieces removed, and examining the firing pin (I think) it is very solidly in place. An exceptional amount of crud is present yes, but it will not bulge with moderate force and that is where I stop on the force scale and come ask questions!
This is my first Mauser action, I am a very big fan of the Finn M39 series rifles. I am fairly mechanically skilled, but this one is a real brute. Is there any online visual reference on how to dissasemble this bolt and/or check for problems?
Observations:
This bolt is very heavily covered in cosmoline, but that does not account for the mechanical condtion I have noted above.
I have examined the wing saftey and the striker, and I find no stoning, or filing marks that would indicate the sometimes tinkering that our hobby seems to invite.
I have partially disassembled the rear portion of the bolt, really only just removing the striker itself, not the firing pin, and the wing safety. I did not do this on purpose, but by accident while manually pushing the striker back to cock the action.
With these pieces removed, and examining the firing pin (I think) it is very solidly in place. An exceptional amount of crud is present yes, but it will not bulge with moderate force and that is where I stop on the force scale and come ask questions!
This is my first Mauser action, I am a very big fan of the Finn M39 series rifles. I am fairly mechanically skilled, but this one is a real brute. Is there any online visual reference on how to dissasemble this bolt and/or check for problems?
First, let's get some terminology. The front of the bolt with the lugs and the handle is called the bolt body. The part that holds the safety is the bolt sleeve. The part inside it is the cocking piece. The firing pin locks into the cocking piece. The sear is the part that holds the rifle cocked; you can see it in the slot in the bottom of the receiver when you remove the bolt.
When everything is working, the sear holds the cocking piece back. Pulling the trigger pulls down the sear and lets the cocking piece and firing pin come forward.
The sear should hold the cocking piece at the right point so that the safety will engage. Moving the safety from fire (left) to safe (right), will move the cocking piece back off the sear and hold it so that the trigger can be pulled without the gun firing.
If the sear does not hold the cocking piece at the right point, and it is either too far forward (as yours seems to be) or too far back to engage, there is something wrong with either the sear or the cocking piece. One or the other, or both, could be broken, have been worked on, or be defective from the factory.
Trying to put the safety on while holding back the cocking piece would be very dangerous in a loaded rifle. I strongly urge you to take the rifle to a gunsmith.
Jim
When everything is working, the sear holds the cocking piece back. Pulling the trigger pulls down the sear and lets the cocking piece and firing pin come forward.
The sear should hold the cocking piece at the right point so that the safety will engage. Moving the safety from fire (left) to safe (right), will move the cocking piece back off the sear and hold it so that the trigger can be pulled without the gun firing.
If the sear does not hold the cocking piece at the right point, and it is either too far forward (as yours seems to be) or too far back to engage, there is something wrong with either the sear or the cocking piece. One or the other, or both, could be broken, have been worked on, or be defective from the factory.
Trying to put the safety on while holding back the cocking piece would be very dangerous in a loaded rifle. I strongly urge you to take the rifle to a gunsmith.
Jim
I wonder if perhaps whoever assembled that bolt didn't press the cocking piece down far enough on those striker lugs before turning it to lock it, and missed a set of striker lugs? Then the safety cam, in the bolt sleeve, would never be able to go anywhere other than the fire position...
Nevada Fitch
New member
I am not familer with the gun you have but I grew up shooting an old Mod 95 Swedish mauser and I remember that if you put the wing in the middle which is straight up and opened the bolt and was not careful the housing which contained the wing safety would rotate around and if you did not turn it back in the same position.I mean the housing would wind up one turn out it would exhibit the same problem you described.I may not be remembering this exactly since it has been a long time since I fooled with that old rifle.My dad still has it. I may take a look at it next time I am over at his place if I think of it.
Hi, guys,
We can think of a lot of things that might be wrong and how to fix them, but it is obvious that Zeebrahed is not that experienced and would probably be better off getting expert help before something serious happens.
Nevada Fitch, the problem you describe was corrected in the Mauser 98 by a device called the bolt sleeve lock. The designers of the US Model 1903, working with the 93 Mauser, had the same problem and solved it with a different type of bolt sleeve lock. Both work, but I consider the Mauser 98 solution the better one.
Jim
We can think of a lot of things that might be wrong and how to fix them, but it is obvious that Zeebrahed is not that experienced and would probably be better off getting expert help before something serious happens.
Nevada Fitch, the problem you describe was corrected in the Mauser 98 by a device called the bolt sleeve lock. The designers of the US Model 1903, working with the 93 Mauser, had the same problem and solved it with a different type of bolt sleeve lock. Both work, but I consider the Mauser 98 solution the better one.
Jim
I think Jim Keenen is right about the M98 striker and firing pin.
I'm probably wrong on this, as I cannot totally grasp this problem in written words, but it seems to me that the sear is not engaging the lugs on the striker for some reason. Zebrahed says the gun is all caked up with dried out grease, so maybe the trigger is so gummed and gritted up that the sear does not pop up like it is supposed to do.
If Zebra head could get the barreled action out of the stock, he might try hosing down the whole trigger mechanism with grease remover to see if that solves the problem. I guess he could even try that with the action in the stock.
I'll bet any good gunsmith would understand the problem in about 1 minute if he could actually inspect the arm in person. And perhaps fix it (at least approximately) in 2 or 3 minutes.
I'm probably wrong on this, as I cannot totally grasp this problem in written words, but it seems to me that the sear is not engaging the lugs on the striker for some reason. Zebrahed says the gun is all caked up with dried out grease, so maybe the trigger is so gummed and gritted up that the sear does not pop up like it is supposed to do.
If Zebra head could get the barreled action out of the stock, he might try hosing down the whole trigger mechanism with grease remover to see if that solves the problem. I guess he could even try that with the action in the stock.
I'll bet any good gunsmith would understand the problem in about 1 minute if he could actually inspect the arm in person. And perhaps fix it (at least approximately) in 2 or 3 minutes.
Harley Nolden
Staff In Memoriam
Mauser
Zeebrahed:
I have taken the liberty of sending you the Assem/Disassem, w/photos, by separate email. I hope this will help ans your question. The photos will help, disassem of the bolt can be difficult.
HJN
Zeebrahed:
I have taken the liberty of sending you the Assem/Disassem, w/photos, by separate email. I hope this will help ans your question. The photos will help, disassem of the bolt can be difficult.
HJN