Guys

I have a 1908 DWM action to make into a full custom 9.3 x 62. Here is my list of metalsmithing I will have done - have I left anything out?

1. Surface grind whole of outside of action, removing charger hump and making all surfaces square and parallel etc. Also all corners should be left sharp. Remove all stampings etc.

2. Square receiver, lug recesses, bolt face and lugs etc.

3. Weld up screw hole in tang and flare bolt raceway at tang.

4. Make and fit new straight bolt handle. Checker knob with 3 panels. Fit 2 or 3 pos safety. Check inside bolt body for burrs etc. Check firing pin and spring and replace if nec.

5. Fit Blackburn trigger and bottom metal.

6. Make and fit square bridges suitable for Burgess mounts and 2.5 - 8x leupold allowing clearance for bolt handle.

Thanks for your help.

GG

you might want to consider adding heat treating.

Usually a part of No. 3. is to grind a rearward slope to the tang so that the top surface ends up even with bottom of sear slot. This will prevent having to notch the stock behind the tang and also allows a more graceful grip. You pretty well have it covered. I personally like leaving the left sidewall markings, though. Good luck.

I was going to suggest what Glen71 said, but he beat me to the post!

It is surprising how this small change makes for a more graceful pistol grip.

jpb

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Uaually a part of No. 3. is to grind a rearward slope to the tang so that the top surface ends up even with bottom of sear slot. This will prevent having to notch the stock behind the tang and also allows a more graceful grip. You pretty well have it covered. I personally like leaving the left sidewall markings, though. Good luck.

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I have a 1908 Brazilian that was surface ground by the late John Westrom and rehardened by Blanchard. The tang was not sloped enough for my tastes and the sear slot was not flared. Of course, at the time I had the work done, I did not know enough to request it. All receiver markings were removed, and I regret that. To me, the receiver is now too generic looking. At least with the DWM markings on the left siderail, you could tell its history.

Definitely what Glen said, and the heat treat. If you are going to do the Burgess rings and bases you should make sure whoever is doing the work coordinates with him because I think on the quick release ones at least he fits them to the action and they become a permanent addition, so want to make sure whatever is done to the ring and bridge will not hinder his doing that.

I have an argentine with a Burgess 2 pos. mod 70 style safety, I would recommend it, great working and I don't need a 3rd position.

The only thing I see missing is the engraving. :-)

Red

Small oval checkered pad on the bolt release is a nice touch. Mauser logo engraved on the front ring.
Bob

Straighten and polish inside of action as well as the bolt body.

I also like the writing on the side it adds a kind of charisma to it....my custom .404 I am having built just would not be the same I don't think without the writing dwm 1909 on the side.

GG,

by the way who is doing your work ?? I am having Bob De'Vries of Kudu Services doing mine.

I forgot to add gg if you have not bought your blank yet I just bought a nice piece of English Walnut from Rodger Vardy....he sells some nice blanks for every budget.

GG 375, D.Red mentioned special attention to dovetail bases as on the CZ & ZB actions. He got it right, but in addition to his brief remarks: I use the top surface of the dovetails or "Prismatic" mounting if you are into Eurospeak.The Czechs use the flats at the bottom of the dovetail, and leave clearance between ring bottom and top of flat. Pulling the rings down flat to the 2 rather narrow strips at bottom of dovetail didn't seem serious enough for me if you intended to make a mounting system that would repeatedly return to exactly where it had left from scope removal. The dimensions were a puzzler to me because Parker -Hale called the M-'21, and ZG-47's 20 m/m wide. This would be .787 in Imperial. A reply from director Parker to my inquiry went into some detail about the Parker Hale rings for these things, which duplicated my findings. I settled on a width at top, corner to corner of the tapered sides of .800" Imperial. Ultimately this came to making bases for round or otherwise naked receivers. The clamping force on my Lever release rings is such that you can squash the dovetail bases if they are not at the least Rockwell c 32 or better. I make these of AISI 4340 steel already hardened to R c 36-38. Generally it is a lot of extra work to harden the bases after, particularly the front baseWhich at its thinnest cross section will be about .135" thick and will more than likely warp.

After grinding the receivers I drill and tap these in the milling machine Top dead center, The bases are then attached after tinning both underside of base and receiver location with ordinary 50/50 lead tin solder. I then use regular 6x48 screws to attach them and to squeeze excess solder from between the parts. Once I have confirmed that these bases are in alignment, I remove these screws and use screws made of the same material as the bases with same hardness. I do not slot these. The screw to be used is at the time still in the lathe collet and I simply use the collet as a wrench to tighten the screw in place, for a trial and to determine how much protrusion to trim off where the screw enters inside of receiver. The screw being correct I sink it, and hack saw from the material still in collet, leving a stump which I trim to about .025" above base. The last step is to use a strippling punch which is nothing but a small area checkerd with a 75 line per inch checkering file and hardend. This upsets the metal filling the screw head socket of the base. Last step is a relief cut about .400 wide down the middle of both bases which is about .005 below the flat top. This provides clearance for any possible ring distortion from clamping or attachment to the 'scope tube, and also hides where the screws were. The ideal shear strength of the solder is achieved when the solder is between.0015-.002 thick, and at that thickness bluing salts will not eat it. The first screws need not be screwed up really tight when the soldering ( sweating)is in process. Shear strength is about 7000-7500 P.S.I. in the joint this way. I use the same location and dimensions for the recoil tab stop as is on the CZ & the ZB 47 bridges. The bases are installed after re-carburizing, and from all 1908's I have checked recarburizing is needfull to be totally confident of the outcome. Receiver grinding is done with a special mandrell which locates off the bolt bore. You cannot depend on the thread alignment to bolt bore for this critical an alignment of bases.

Tom,
You are a marvel!

Thanks guys for your comments which have been duly noted. And a special thanks to you Tom for your in depth instructions re making bases for your mounts which may very well be the only ones of their kind in Australia. Would it be ok to show your post to my metalsmith?

Cheers.

GG

GG375, My post was to be of use to you and your gunsmith. Of course you may show my post to him. He might think it overkill, but in terms of extra time does not add that much to the total. It does eliminate some of the frustrating variables to the launching platform /guidance system . Peace of mind . Much easier to trouble shoot problems when you are not following false clues.

Tom,

I also passed that data on to my smith who is doing my custom 1909 in .404 J. He has made a set of custom Talley bases for my action which look much better than the standard Talley bases as they look as though there part of the action.