I have a FN commercial action that I took of of a gun that was in a store fire. The Insurance adjuster bent the barrel & broke the stock in half; it was singed pretty bad anyway. Then I got the gun. I rockwell tested the receiver & they both came out 11 & 13 on the tester. I used a custom knife maker friends rockwell tester. Where can I send the action & bolt to have them retested & re-heat treated, & to what rockwell should they be. I know some of the military 98's rockwell out at 18 & some go to the mid 30's. Was the steel in the military guns different than the commercial actions? Or is this cost prohibitive. If this wasn't a commercial action I wouldn't be considering it.

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I'm not sure if I'd trust it - it depends on how hot it actually got.

I will look up a heat treater tonight.

Don

Your action can be re heat treated back to original specs.

Contact Blanchard Metal Processing; 1115 South Pioneer Road; Salt Lake City, UT 84125; Phone 801-972-5590.

This company is endorsed by Yavapai Gunsmith College in Prescott, AZ. and Jerry Kuhnhausen.

Don't use just any heat treatment facility as they have to understand how 98 Mausers are heat treated ie depth of case and location of case hardening. Most have a thicker case hardening around the locking lug recesses. Also Blanchard keeps records of metal analysis of all the differant variations ( in general the WW I era Mausers had very little carbon content and the WW II era and later had a small addition of carbon and other elemants added depending on who made them )

I haven't used them in a year or so but the cost on one action back then was about $70.00.

I have not used the following, but they were highly recommended by several mauser-active Western gunsmiths.

Pacific Metallurgical in Kent Washington or www.pacmet.com 1-800-428-9436

Craftsman,

I heard Blanchard changed hands. Have you used them in the last three years?

Don

Where did you test the action, by that I mean on what part or location on the action did you punch it?? It's crucial you know.

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

Don,

You could be right, I got to checking records and it has been over 2 years since I sent anything to them.

Who are some of the smiths using the company you reported?

Craftsman,

The word I got was that Half Moon and Tom Burgess used them exclusively. I don't remember the other names I was given.

When I phoned them two years ago they claimed to have heat treated over 500 Mauser actions in the last three years.

They test for hardness after treatment, and will put in for another cycle if too soft. They described a good, modern high tech sequence IMHO.

I never have used them, as my Mauser action is awaiting (on me for) some more work.

Don

I tested on the bolt lugs & on the bottom of the receiver 3/8" forward of the front end of the magazine box where the feed ramp starts.

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[This message has been edited by Bear Claw (edited 11-17-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Bear Claw (edited 11-17-2001).]

BC,
Try this, see if you can cut the bolt lugs with a 3 corner file and the inside on the rails and in the bolt mortice....I don't see how that action could have gotten hot enough to end up at 11 to 13, but that doesn't mean that it couldn't....

That said you can buy and FN action (Sears or JC Higgens) for about $150 to 165. in fact the whole rifle. Compare that to the cost or re-heat treatment, a process that I do not trust...

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

Ray,

Do you know where I might buy a complete rifle or barreled action, Sears or J C Higgins with F N actions for 150 to 165 dollars that you mentioned?

In my part of the country they are kind of scarce and when you do find one everyone knows that the F N actions are desireable and the price is usually around 325 to 400 dollars for a complete rifle.

At that price I would take at least 2 maybe 3 if in good condition.

Craftsman,
I usually pick up one or two and maybe 3 a year at gunshows up here...I bought one at the Corpus Christi, Tex. gun show for $125. last year...I buy them all if they are $225. and below...these are not mint guns, they are the rough ones but sound without pitting...

Like all guns they bring different prices geographically...

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com