I gave my son a custom Mauser 98 ,beautiful rifle, etc. .It has no iron sights, but was D&T for scope mounts. When I bought it, it had two-piece bases and a scope already mounted. The first five shots I put through it grouped well under 1" at 100 yds.In between then and me giving it to him, I moved, and whatnot, and somehow lost the bases the rifle came with. He's in KA, I'm in ME, and he says he couldn't find bases to line up properly with the mount holes. He recently had a "gunsmith" look at it, and this guy says that the front mount holes are "in the locking lug area of the receiver" and the "rifle may be unsafe to fire".Maybe I'm a moron, but aren't ALL front mount holes on a Mauser -type action drilled in the "locking lug area" on the receiver ring? I just think this "gunsmith is trying to hose my son out a firearm. What say all of you?
Mauser 98 mount holes "in locking lug area"?
- Thread starter bk42261
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rcmodel
Member in memoriam
I say you are right.
All Bolt Action rifles have scope mount holes drilled in the front receiver ring right over the locking lug recesses.
Find another gunsmith.
Now to the problem.
If it had a two-piece base on it when the guy built it, there is no guarantee you will ever find a one-piece base that matchs the existing holes.
You can find a blank base with no holes, and drill it to match the receiver hole spacing.
Or, you can put a two-piece base on it again if you find the correct one.
It seems unlikely the guy didn't drill it right to fit an existing base if it used to have bases on it.
rc
All Bolt Action rifles have scope mount holes drilled in the front receiver ring right over the locking lug recesses.
Find another gunsmith.
Now to the problem.
If it had a two-piece base on it when the guy built it, there is no guarantee you will ever find a one-piece base that matchs the existing holes.
You can find a blank base with no holes, and drill it to match the receiver hole spacing.
Or, you can put a two-piece base on it again if you find the correct one.
It seems unlikely the guy didn't drill it right to fit an existing base if it used to have bases on it.
rc
WardenWolf
member
It'll be fine. Small holes aren't going to affect the integrity of the receiver, and it's over the lug, not the bolt head. If it was over the bolt head, THEN I would worry.
dirtyjim
Member
what your smith is talking about is common on rifles that were drilled & tapped to far back placing the front hole into the lug seat.
some very good smiths will scrap the action and some will say that the corresponding bolt lug is split for the ejector so a shallow slot down the middle of the lug seat doesn't make any difference.
i personaly wouldn't build a rifle on a receiver that was drilled into the lug seat but i would have no problems shooting one that was already done.
there was a time when i would try to buy previously drilled & tapped rifles for my sporter projects but at least 60% of them ended up being off center or into the lug seat so know i will very rarly buy a donor rifle thats been drilled and tapped.
some very good smiths will scrap the action and some will say that the corresponding bolt lug is split for the ejector so a shallow slot down the middle of the lug seat doesn't make any difference.
i personaly wouldn't build a rifle on a receiver that was drilled into the lug seat but i would have no problems shooting one that was already done.
there was a time when i would try to buy previously drilled & tapped rifles for my sporter projects but at least 60% of them ended up being off center or into the lug seat so know i will very rarly buy a donor rifle thats been drilled and tapped.
If a hole is in the lug seat, it would be the rear hole, not the front hole. More to the point, the idea that a small scope base hole will weaken a Mauser receiver ring is plain silly. The only ways scope holes can create problems in the receiver itself would be if the receiver was annealed wrong and softened, or the front hole was drilled through into the chamber. Off center holes aren't dangerous, just a reason to change gunsmiths.
Jim
Jim
Clark
Member
The only term that is looser than "gunsmith" is "girl friend".
The idea with either one is to build up trust over time.
The idea with either one is to build up trust over time.
dirtyjim
Member
yep, i have a brain fart about once a year. i was even looking at one of my bare actions when i wrote that.
NCsmitty
Member
I think that's a possibility, at the least, he doesn't know what he's doing. A good gunsmith should have a selection of Mauser bases to try and match up a pair. I'm not a gunsmith, and I have some extra.
With it having been previously fired a few times, I wouldn't worry even if the lug was slightly scarred, as it is should be a non-issue. You just need to use the correct length base screws so they don't interfere with the bolt's operation.
I didn't see the caliber mentioned and was curious, as I have an affinity for Mausers.
NCsmitty
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