I love my Interarms Whitworth .375 h&h. It was my first big bore, and I am finally shooting it really well. Smacked a steel plate today three times in a row of sticks with a .300 gran partition.

Is there any way to smooth out how rough the action is to manipulate? I have always noticed it, but shot it today alongside my Steyr mca and weatherby mark v and it is super noticeable alongside the slickest actions I have.

I think these little vids are neat:

https://www.bing.com/videos/se...iew=detail&FORM=VIRE

Colin, it's difficult to get a Mauser bolt to operate as slick as the rifles you mentioned. But they can be slicked up considerably and made to feed effortlessly.
I found a round dowel, likely an old broom handle, that was slightly less diameter than the width of the Mauser bolts and then flattened two sides so I could wrap a piece of Emory paper around it and polish the rails of the action. Then I used a smaller round dowel again wrapped with Emory to polish the round section of the action.

It's not only how smooth the bolt and receiver are; it is also equally how HARD they are. And for modern actions made from alloy steel and relatively soft, they will never operate as smoothly as an old case hardened one. Because 98 Mausers have relatively small bearing surfaces and generous clearances too. But smoothing out the wrinkles does help. Use some 600 grit emory paper. Come over and I will show you the difference in a few dozen of them.

Ive found that polishing out any Mauser the use of stones makes more difference than anything else..A trick I learned from the late Jack Houge, he could hold a Mauser by the forearm and turn the gun over and the bolt would slide in either direction..Jack Belk can also smooth one up slicker n snot, and he also uses stones and tells me not to touch a bolt guns action with anything but stones??? Im convienced..

Years ago I found the same with a revolver action like Colt and S&W...

Tom, can new Mauser actions be case hardened like the original ones?

I bought a Mark X barreled action in 25-06 put a stock on it and hunted ground hogs all over the Shenandoah valley for a lot of years. Then I had it re-barreled to 375 Whelen. Fine piece of machinery.

quote:

Originally posted by Uncle Grinch:
Tom, can new Mauser actions be case hardened like the original ones?

Many years agbo, Jerry Fisher gave me a copy of a letter he submitter to Holland and Holland asking the same question. The answer was a firm "Heat treatable actions should never be case collared.

Now fast forward about 45 years and we see it being done. Apparently using a low heat process.

This low heat process is not a very deep case..but look's plumb swell.

So..as I understand it , an action made from low carbon material (as older Mausers) can be color cased by the old method. The newer low temp process would not be doing you much good.

Thins ying and yang has been going on for decades and I'm sure there will be other comments

Jon Speed's first book on Mauser Sportimg rifles has A little added tidbit of information about the Zastava made MKX action.

In 1989 Mauser contracted Zastava to produce the MK X action for them with the Mauser Banner name. Which I guess proves that the MK X is truly a real Mauser .

Duane is right; modern actions made from 4140 and the like can't be "case" hardened as we know it. Turnbull has developed a process by which he can make the vivid colors appear, but they aren't hard at all. I have sent him many Ruger Blackhawk frames, and the like.
A receiver made from 8620, such as an 03A3 Springfield, can be case hardened; the last two numbers is the carbon content in tenths of percent. .4 and up is already too much carbon to add more; you will make it brittle.
The reason stones produce smoother actions, and you have to always follow the direction of movement, is that they create channels for oil, and reduce the bearing surfaces, microscopically, which results in smoother bolt movement.
Not Rocket Surgery, but is tedious. Polishing bolts across the travel direction, only makes them seem rougher. As does bluing.

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:
Jon Speed's first book on Mauser Sportimg rifles has A little added tidbit of information about the Zastava made MKX action.

In 1989 Mauser contracted Zastava to produce the MK X action for them with the Mauser Banner name. Which I guess proves that the MK X is truly a real M.

No axe to grind with Zastava. Have had two failures of the cocking piece...It appears to be cast and is VERY brittle. My policy is to replace or if no replacements available, anneal slightly. They ARE pretty aggressive about opening the ramp up on long mags

Getting colors on the 4140 frames and the like, it was a balance of lowering the temp a bit, adjusting the time in the furnace. The quench water was heated to 90F as well. But that latter point was done on for all dunkings.

Colors with minimal hardness and at times no hardness at all was a goal early on to avoid warping.
When the collector guns became user guns such as S/Clays, galling started to be an issue and some hardness had to be put into the effort.

First winter I had my Whitworth I sat with it nearly every evening cycling the bolt. Add oil and repeat. She slicked up pretty good. I also have a Syrian Mauser that two or three wars slicked up pretty well.