I didn't want to hijack Allen Martin's thread, so I'm starting this one. J.D.Steele mentioned fitting a intermediate 98 bolt in a Mod 95 receiver. I have done two Mod 96 Swede receivers and it does make a very nice action. The side wall of the receiver between the thumb cut and receiver ring could be thinned like a G33/40 receiver also if desired.

further details?

interesting topic.

Here's the short description from the other thread.

"Yes it's COO and all 98 aftermarket parts will work. In fact at the observer's first glance it seems to be merely a small-ring 98 since the only real difference is the lack of an internal C-ring.

Been a few years since I did the last one but here goes a digest version of the steps.

Begin with a complete 98 intermediate-length bolt assembly, the whole thing, and your choice of early receiver. I've used the 1895 Chileans so far, with splendid results. Use of other-model receivers will necessitate different treatments of the anti-bind features but that's easy.

Remove the 98 safety lug and bolt guide rib. Alternatively you can use various simple shop tools as a shaper to cut a 98-type guide rib slot inside the rear ring. The Chilean receiver's guide rib is in the middle of the left-side receiver bolt lug raceway and it must be cut down slightly for the 98 bolt to enter freely. The bare 98 bolt should now enter the bare 95 Chilean receiver and cycle freely.

The front outer edge of the extractor must be tapered to clear the receiver's threads or else the rear 2 threads must have a small window cut into them for extractor clearance. The top tang must be lowered to provide the slight clearance ledge for the 98 bolt sleeve's gas block. The receiver's ejector slot must be lengthened to the front to allow the use of the longer 98 ejector and you must use either a 98 ejector box or else lengthen the slot in the 95 box. The bolt stop surface on the ejector box must be cut back to the rear at least 0.040" and probably more to allow sufficient ejector protrusion and sufficient rearward bolt travel to ensure proper feeding. The 98 cocking piece is sometimes too tall/deep to enter the receiver's slot and so must be ground shallower on its bottom.

The bolt sleeve lock must be lengthened to the front and then it must be properly timed and hardened. This is really the only area of any significant smith frustration factor.

Depending upon cartridge choice length you may need to remove some metal from the backside of the receiver's lower recoil abutment.

I STRONGLY suggest that you remove as little as possible from this area (grin).

As you can imagine, there are many pitfalls not covered in the cursory description above. I'll be happy to answer questions."

Mark, I've seen the left-side-rail mod you describe and it's a sweet one!

I suppose it's possible to do this bolt swap idea with the Swede receiver but I've looked at it and decided that it wasn't worth risking a nice action. The Swede bolt handle and associated sear parts are dimensioned slightly differently from the other early actions and that slight dimensional difference is just enough to convince me to stick with the 1895 receivers. Too bad.

My first conversion was done about 25 years ago and I'm still shooting the rifle, chambered in 280 Rem. The magazine isn't quite long enough to accept factory loads and so the 7x64 cartridge would have been a better choice but I didn't have a reamer....
Regards, Joe

Here are some photos of a Swede receiver I modified about 15yrs ago to accept a mod 98 bolt.




The first three images show the modifications to the receiver to accept the 98 bolt. The rear bridge is milled forward about .040" for the handle shank when closed. The top of the bridge is notched like a 98 for the extracting cam surface. The tang is lowered for the 98 bolt sleeve and the the radius cut in the tang under the bolt sleeve is milled forward for clearance of the larger rear portion of the 98 bolt. I used a woodruff key cutter to mill clearance in the receiver barrel threads for the extractor end. The last image shows the barrel shank. I machined the C-ring profile into the back of the barrel. A notch will have to be cut for the end of the extractor simular to a Springfield barrel after it torqued to determine the extractor position. Thanks for looking, I hope this makes sense.

Joe, I don't have another pre 98 receiver here to compare but, I assume the rear bridge on the Swede must be slightly longer than the 95 Chilean as I didn't have to modify the bolt sleeve lock for it to work properly. I will have to modify the bolt stop and ejector as you mentioned, for the ejector to work and for the bolt face to come back flush with the back of the magazine. The barrel in the photo is an old barrel I threaded to establish the proper shank shape. I have a new 6.5 Montana Rifleman blank that I will install and chamber for 6.5x55, to build a rifle for my daughter in law. I may thin the side wall down as well.

The subject begs a comprehensive thread and a sticky.

So far, great

quote:

Originally posted by tin can:
The subject begs a comprehensive thread and a sticky.)

I agree. The subject of the Mauser's dimensions and development is always interesting and the pre-98s are becoming especially so, these days (grin).

So, what needs to happen now?
Regards, Joe

I bought an 1889 Belgian receiver about a year ago. It appears to have been reworked for the 98 Mauser bolt sleeve. However I found that it is going to require some fitting to use an 1891 bolt. Use of a 98 bolt is not possible due to the added thickness of the extractor clearance in the right lug race way.
In addition the Belgian receiver has been reheat treated somewhere in the distant past. It is about as hard as a 1903 Springfield.

It's easy to swap the entire striker assembly made for the later 1893/5 actions into an existing 1891 bolt body, the only thing necessary is to shorten the nose of the striker into the shape of the 1891 part. Many years ago this was a method that SARCO used as a repair for broken (common) 1891 strikers.

I found the long 1895 bolt sleeve to be unsightly so I shortened it to 1898 length when converting the 1891 to upcock. Made up into a nice-looking somewhat daintier overall look for the 1891, especially after converting to a flush magazine.


Regards, Joe

What ever happened to the request to make these threads into a 'sticky'? Not enough interest?

BTW for anyone considering such a conversion, I have several intermediate-length bolt and magazine parts for trade, including Swede bottom metal. PM if you're interested.
Regards, Joe

Well, JD, we need pics and descriptions of practical experience in an ordered fashion.

I have neither of the above, so all I can do is hope from the sidelines