I have been reading this forum for some time, and there are some savvy gun people here, so here is my query.
What is the feasibility of chopping a section out of an action and welding it back up? The action happens to be a Schultz and Larsen, although that should not be the issue. I'm talking straight engineering/machining pro's and con's, not why on earth would it be done. I know it has been done in the past on Mauser actions, but how do they stand up, would they stand up to a short mag round, how important is the matching of the weld material to the action metal, can proper heat treating be done, etc.
Finally, what gunsmiths can/would do such a thing and would the cost make it unworthwhile.
By the way, I do have pre 64's, Sako (new and old), Rem, Browning and a couple others, so this is not a question about what action I should use
Thanks
Doug

dj,

That's a good question. I too have seen this done. While I have no intention of ever shortening an action in this manner, I am interested to hear what the smith's here have to say about this.

I'm not a gunsmith but in the gun digest book of Riflesmithing by Jack Mitchell, it goes through shortening a Winchester action. I have read it over several times and even though it is above my level it does not seem as hard to do as I would have thought. Providing one has the skill and machinery.

I have cut and welded 2 mauser actions. I cut them at different places and switched the parts around so as to end up with a short and a long action. The reciever work was not difficult, but making the jigs to hold the pieces true was time consuming. Also the alignment of the bolt halves was difficult (I scribed lines to line things up but didn't get them in exactly the same place on both bolts) so had to put them in recievers to tack them, then take them out for welding. I used a Miller wire feed even though I have a Tig torch setup. I haven't had enough practice with the Tig to be comfortable with it. I could only guess at the time invested as some nights I worked 4 hr. on them and some 15min. The majority ot time was spent doing cleanup with air die grinder,Dremel and files/emery cloth. I still need to make hinged floorplates and followers but ran out of ambition before finished.Reliability/Safety are not concerns in Mauser, IMHO,as no weling is done in critical areas. Does your Shutz and Larsen have rear locking lugs?Mark

Mark,
Yes it has 4 rear locking lugs. I suspected it would take a bit of time to line things up, and certainly to polish the bolt races to be as smooth as the original action. But these are the kind of ideas you dream up at 2am. A slick light,short throw short magnum action is all I want (schultz and larsen is not light!). How hard is that?!

Shortening actions with front lugs is OK because the part of the action you are cutting and welding on is only needed to position and cylce the bolt. All the strength to contain the cartridge pressures is in front of the action alterations.

If you cut and weld on a section BETWEEN the cartridge chamber and the REAR locking lugs then you would be altering a part of the action that has to contain and support over 50,000 lbs per square inch of pressure. DONT DO IT. Theoreticaly you could use welding rod of the same material as the action and re heat treat but that would be treading on thin ice. As we say in Texas you would be messing with the undertaker.

I second MacD's suggestion, Riflesmithing is a terrific book and the article on action shortening is very good, Also the book "Gunsmithing" by Roy Dunlap has a very good chapter on action shortening. Both of these books are a must read.

Shortening a M-98 Mauser is a neat deal especially a G33/40 small ring to take a 250 Savage...

Shortening a Shultz and Larson is an experiment in futility...The action isn't worth it and it would have no resale value.

------------------
Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

djpepper

I've shortened a couple dozen M98s and M70s. Once the fixtures are done and a means of re-broaching is made it's actually a profitable job.

I'm doing some custom work now on a Shultz and Larsen.....believe me, work on something else.

S&L receivers are 4350 steel instead of the usual 4130/4140 or 8620. It welds like cat hair with anything but a specialty rod. I used Rockmount Research Tartan Tig, .062� in a total inert atmosphere with 300 deg pre-heat with copper heat sinks in the lugs. It is a perfect match in metallurgy and rust blue to the same color. Tartan is triple de-oxidized, is mild and chrome-moly alloy steel compatibly, and will also case color perfectly. (1-(800) ARC-RODS)

A good machinist with one special reamer could make a short S&L action in a day. They�re considerably simpler than a M700 receiver.

Thanks for the input. Mr. Belks idea of machining one is intriguing, I think I'll look into that.
Craftsman, thanks for the reminder on Dunlap's book, I have it and will re-read that section.
Mr. Atkinson, if everyone owned a Mauser 98, what would happen to all the Gun Companies?! I foolishly sold my last one, just a short time ago.
Thanks again.

djpepper,

Last week at Reliable Gun & Tackles (a gunshop in Vancouver) I saw a guy came in with a shortened Mauser in 22-250.

I didn't know it was a "shortened" action because the work is seamless. It is based on what I guess is a Brazilian or Argentinian Mauser.

The owner of the rifle did the work himself,
What he did is he removed the section where the stripper clip loading thumb-cut is. Bolt, firing pin, springs, trigger guard/magazine well, floorplate, follower are shortened accordingly, then he finds or makes
a stock that fits. It's a tremendous amount of work, but the result is a compact rifle that is very pleasing to the eye.