The Grey Zone of Alteration

S

SpringOWeiler

New member
Good morning everyone!
I'm curious for suggestions and experiences based on making alterations to original millsurps.
The problem child is my German K98 Mauser and it is suffering from a loose stock too receiver fit. You can actually shift the whole metal action back and forth probably about 1/8". It seems that bedding the action would be the easiest solution to this problem. Would this alteration be something to scorn at if you were looking at a all #'s matching rifle?
If I do end up bedding the action i won't be doing it myself. I'll happily pay my semi local gun smith to do it correctly.
 
Most reasonable MIlSurp owners are fine with work to repair damage. Its once you start to do things they consider "Blasphemous" to the item they'll get all hot under the collar.

The trick is to pre-guess how "reasonable" is being "reasonable", but I don't think anyone except a really rabid purist would object to re-bedding a Mauser.
 
I don't see what the problem is. Its your gun and you can do whatever you want with it. Bedding the stock should fix it. I doubt that the Mauser Police will come by and arrest you for 'altering' your own gun.
Sometimes I think people get carried away with the 'original' thing.
A '98 Mauser is one fine gun - either original or 'sporterized'. Sounds like you are doing an ordinary repair that will make the gun operational again.
Go for it.
Just my .02
 
Its currently "in" to preserve "rare" MilSurps. Personally I don't see anything that was made in the millions as in any way "Rare".

Back up a few decades & they were sold in every hardware store in the US out of empty barrels for $10~$20. How "rare & collectable" were they? Not very. Uncles Tom, Dick & Harry built venison-harvesters from them & no one cared. Now we worry about matching wood grain patterns in something that wasn't grain-matched from the factory in the first place. They just cranked out as many as possible as fast as possible so they could fight wars with them.:eek:
 
The problem child is my German K98 Mauser and it is suffering from a loose stock too receiver fit
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Really depends. If it is an original matching gun, anything you do will hurt the value. If it is a ratty Soviet rework, not as much.

What a lot of people do is shim the action in the stock. You can get a sheet of thin brass at most hobby-supply stores, or even make shims from beer/soda cans.

Put some some shims between the action and the stock (on edit) and between the floorplate and the stock. You can space the action up as much as you need (there should be clearance between the action and the magazine body). There are some details and photos here of how the rifle would have been set up by an armorer.

Maybe even put a shim behind the recoil lug, to make sure the action is snug against the recoil lug in the stock.

And it may sound like a dumb question, but are your action screws tight?

In other words, you can solve the problem, inexpensively, and without hurting the value of the rifle if you (or your kids) want to sell it later.
 
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Thanks for the reply's.
I'll check the shim method first since it seems to be the easiest and most reversible solution.
Yeah everything's tight.
 
If the appearance isn't externally altered in any way, only the most rabid purist would object to under-the-skin alterations to turn it into a viable shooter. The purist non-shooting collector might have a more valid beef with you, but so long as nothing is done that couldn't have been done at the factory the day the gun was made, I don't see how anyone could raise meaningful objections.

What you might have to do if you want to sell the gun later is detail exactly what was done in the repairs. The buyer can then make up their own mind how "original" it still is.
 
Back up a few decades & they were sold in every hardware store in the US out of empty barrels for $10~$20. How "rare & collectable" were they? Not very. Uncles Tom, Dick & Harry built venison-harvesters from them & no one cared. Now we worry about matching wood grain patterns in something that wasn't grain-matched from the factory in the first place. They just cranked out as many as possible as fast as possible so they could fight wars with them
Click to expand...

Back up a few decades, and you could go right to you local Ford Dealer and pick up a brand new 1964 1/2 Mustang for $2,320.

How "rare & collectable" were they? Not very.
 
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