Since I first began building Mausers--not that long ago--I've been inletting the stock, fairly roughly, and then glassing in the pillar/sleeve that positions the rear guard screw between the rear receiver tang and the bottom metal tang.

In a recent thread, I asked if most contributors are inletting Mausers so there's a gap between the bottom metal and the receiver.

The consensus is, yes: leave a gap between the bottom metal and the receiver.

It occurs to me now that if one does this, the sleeve/pillar will be too short to provide a metal to metal contact between the receiver/pillar and the pillar/bottom metal at the same time.

Should one, therefore, cut a new sleeve/pillar say, .030" longer than the original?

Best,

flaco

I must have missed that thread. What was the purpose of the gap between the bottom metal and receiver?

I use a piece of threaded lamp rod that has been cut so that I have a gap between the bottom metal and the receiver.

After bedding and dis-assembly, I run a drill bit up through the rod to clean out any wayward epoxy.

quote:

I must have missed that thread. What was the purpose of the gap between the bottom metal and receiver?

Here is the thread

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9411043/m/754109008

quote:

Originally posted by ramrod340:

quote:

I must have missed that thread. What was the purpose of the gap between the bottom metal and receiver?

Here is the thread

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9411043/m/754109008

Got it, thanks!

quote:

It occurs to me now that if one does this, the sleeve/pillar will be too short to provide a metal to metal contact between the receiver/pillar and the pillar/bottom metal at the same time.

IIRC, you don't want metal to metal- the top of the pillar should be glassed. if the pillar is glassed in the receiver screw hole, that is what the screw will work against when drawing the receiver into the glassed top of the pillar.

that doesn't explain away the gap question, however.

I don't care what the stock is made of, in order for a rifle to perform it's best the action must sit on a solid, unwavering platform. Accuracy demands it. You can't expect to maintain the accuracy of a rifle if the material surrounding the action is weak. If the wood is shrinking to the point where you must continually tighten the screws to keep it pulled down and snug, then you are eventually going to place accuracy destroying stress on that action.

The whole purpose of using pillars is to provide solid support for the action that won't deteriorate over time. So my opinion is, if you are going to go to the trouble of using pillars, then they have to make contact. Metal to metal.

quote:

The whole purpose of using pillars is to provide solid support for the action that won't deteriorate over time. So my opinion is, if you are going to go to the trouble of using pillars, then they have to make contact. Metal to metal.

OK I'm confused or I think we are talking about an apple and orange.

If you are pillar bedding then you have a fixed non moving point of contacts and the pillars are glassed in place. So wood shrinkage should not have an impact

As I read the orginal question it was concerning contact between the bottom metal and action with wood between. Most that answered were talking about the gap between mag box and action(or at least that is what I read)

When I pillar bed I have two points of cantact not a full contact between the magazine box and action.

Hey I have been confused before.

Yeah, I work with so many actions who's mag boxes are a separate item that, because of years of exposure to lead and chemicals, I forget at times that the mag box on the Mauser IS part of the bottom metal, which should have a gap.

So yes Flaco, bed the action up off the mag box. And if you are using a rear pillar, make it long enough to maintain the gap.

Thanks for weighing in, Gents.

Just for giggles we pulled apart a Parker Hale .308, built on one of their faux Mauser actions.

A target rifle.

They had added a third bedding screw under the bridge, there was no magazine--just sort of a blind recess in the stock to hold a follower and spring, CRF, remember?--and they had a small triggerguard like the triggerguard on a M70.

The forward guard screw sat in an escutcheon in the stock, and there was a pillar in the rear, but it didn't seem to reach up to the rear tang.

Although the tang was severely bedded.

We have a few of these, and if we weren't so far behind, it might be interesting to take more apart and see how they've been treated.

Now.

It seems to me it might be wise to cut a longer rear pillar, and... one could machine a small washer to sit in the counterbored seat of the Mauser bottom metal's front tang.

This way metal to metal contact could be maintained, but there would also be a small gap between the bottom metal and the receiver.

?

flaco

You will never get accurate information until you start using the 'CORRECT " terms to describe parts of the action .
No one really understands what you are asking.
To " Pillar Bed " a Mauser action you need to mill off any projection on the bottom face of the recoil lug.
That face sits hard against the top face of the front pillar.
The front and rear of the "floor plate " should also fit hard against the bottom of the pillars.
This is acheaved by leaving the pillars a bit too long and after epoxy hardens , milling them down until they are just above the wood slightly. Also mill down any edges on the floor plate tangs that will stop it from sitting flat against the pillar face.
The " magazine well " should fit neatly between the floor plate and the action and not apply any pressure to the action above as the action screws tighten up.
That's a basic description there are many other steps in the whole process.

It is confusing, isn't it J. Valentine?

What I referred to as sleeve/pillar, Brownells calls "Ferrules".

Go figure.

And I always thought the floorplate was the part that kept the cartridges from falling out the bottom?

You know? The part that the follower spring sits in?

Still, I expect that for the most part, the guys understood my question.

Although I might have done a better job of describing the Parker Hale .308 treatment.

Anyway, if you've milled off the projection on the bottom of the Mauser receiver recoil lug, and pillar bedded a 98 Mauser for accuracy, I'd love to hear more.

Thanks,

flaco

Why Flaco, silly boy. Don't know nothin? The floorplate is that big metal thing that not only keeps the cartridges from falling out the bottom but also the piece it's attached to by a pin. You know, the one on the mauser that has the trigger bow attached as well as the magazine.

J.Valentine. you seem to be the one that cannot use correct terminology.

Remember that on a mauser, as Westpac pointed out, the bottom metal and magazine box are integral. Not so with the model 70 or 700's.

Now, when you get your verbage straight, come back and talk to us some more.

quote:

Originally posted by J. Valentine:
You will never get accurate information until you start using the 'CORRECT " terms to describe parts of the action .
No one really understands what you are asking.
To " Pillar Bed " a Mauser action you need to mill off any projection on the bottom face of the recoil lug.
That face sits hard against the top face of the front pillar.
The front and rear of the "floor plate " should also fit hard against the bottom of the pillars.
This is acheaved by leaving the pillars a bit too long and after epoxy hardens , milling them down until they are just above the wood slightly. Also mill down any edges on the floor plate tangs that will stop it from sitting flat against the pillar face.
The " magazine well " should fit neatly between the floor plate and the action and not apply any pressure to the action above as the action screws tighten up.
That's a basic description there are many other steps in the whole process.

That's one weird Mauser action your're talkin' about. Never seen one like the one you've described.

quote:

Originally posted by rem721:
Why Flaco, silly boy. Don't know nothin? The floorplate is that big metal thing that not only keeps the cartridges from falling out the bottom but also the piece it's attached to by a pin. You know, the one on the mauser that has the trigger bow attached as well as the magazine.

J.Valentine. you seem to be the one that cannot use correct terminology.

Remember that on a mauser, as Westpac pointed out, the bottom metal and magazine box are integral. Not so with the model 70 or 700's.

Now, when you get your verbage straight, come back and talk to us some more.

Read again sport ! I never said that at all.
" The " magazine well " should fit neatly between the floor plate and the action and not apply any pressure to the action above as the action screws tighten up.
Never said anything about it being seperate or intergral .
The military one is one piece but I have seen after market hinged floor plates that are seperate
I was going to post the whole process of pillar bedding a mauser 98 and the machining steps involved . However you have changed my mind.

quote:

Originally posted by craigster:

quote:

Originally posted by J. Valentine:
You will never get accurate information until you start using the 'CORRECT " terms to describe parts of the action .
No one really understands what you are asking.
To " Pillar Bed " a Mauser action you need to mill off any projection on the bottom face of the recoil lug.
That face sits hard against the top face of the front pillar.
The front and rear of the "floor plate " should also fit hard against the bottom of the pillars.
This is acheaved by leaving the pillars a bit too long and after epoxy hardens , milling them down until they are just above the wood slightly. Also mill down any edges on the floor plate tangs that will stop it from sitting flat against the pillar face.
The " magazine well " should fit neatly between the floor plate and the action and not apply any pressure to the action above as the action screws tighten up.
That's a basic description there are many other steps in the whole process.

That's one weird Mauser action your're talkin' about. Never seen one like the one you've described.

You should listen not shoot your mouth off and you may learn something.
Nothing is worse than ignorance in action and your the ignorant one!

quote:

Originally posted by J. Valentine:
I was going to post the whole process of pillar bedding a mauser 98 and the machining steps involved . However you have changed my mind.

That's good, you've probably saved someone from mucking up their action and or stock.

quote:

Originally posted by J. Valentine:
You will never get accurate information until you start using the 'CORRECT " terms to describe parts of the action .
No one really understands what you are asking.
To " Pillar Bed " a Mauser action you need to mill off any projection on the bottom face of the recoil lug.
That face sits hard against the top face of the front pillar.
The front and rear of the "floor plate " should also fit hard against the bottom of the pillars.
This is acheaved by leaving the pillars a bit too long and after epoxy hardens , milling them down until they are just above the wood slightly. Also mill down any edges on the floor plate tangs that will stop it from sitting flat against the pillar face.
The " magazine well " should fit neatly between the floor plate and the action and not apply any pressure to the action above as the action screws tighten up.
That's a basic description there are many other steps in the whole process.

Correct termonology was used throughout the above. The post was regarding "bottom metal" which in this case includes the magazine box. I misinterpreted what was being said because I don't normally refer to the magazine box as bottom metal. But I'm back on track now and am saddened that I won't be learning the secrets of how to pillar bed a Mauser 98.

Me too.

My pillars are long,
my epoxy won't hardened,
the agent i used was bought at a bargain,

my Floorplate fell off,
my mag box is loose,
my guards screws are buggered,
so what's the use.

That gap must be small if Barnes TSX are not going to get stuck.

One can glass the gap, but it falls off.

Some put tape over the gap.

Some have a piece of plastic covering the gap.

If you know what you are doing with the pillars, you can make the gap .005".