I really like the look of double square bridge Mausers yet the only actions I have that I could play with are M98 vz24's. Is it possible and safe to anneal the action, weld up square bridges both front and back, and fill in the lettering on the side. Then have the action reheat treated? Or would the welding at the front seriously warp the action?
Depends on how you do the welding. It's certainly possible to add square bridges and re-heattreat the action, and after that much welding, I would consider it mandatory, at least on my rifles. - Dan
Posts: 5285 | Location: Alberta | Registered: 05 October 2001
Thanks for the reply. I was thinking along the lines of arc welding by laying beads to build up the bridges, allowing the action to cool between welds so as not to allow stress to build up. It's not fast but I'm in no hurry. Then use Tig to fill in the lettering. what type of rod would you recommend for welding.
You can weld a square bridge to the rear with TIG and by making the bridge first then running a small bead around it, but if you try to lay on arc beads you're going to have a melted puddle of goo left over.
Mausers are forged and have quite a bit of stress in them. If you weld on the front ring the threads will egg-shape and the recoil embuttments will be out of square......the action will be ruined.
If you really want a front square bridge you need to make a sleeve that sweats on over the front ring with the square bridge made into it.
Jack, Thanks for setting me straight on the welding. I just didn't think about the stresses already present. I have never seen a bridge sweated on a receiver before. I assume it is similar to the way the rear sight base is attached on military M98s. Does this increase the diameter of the front ring out of proportion?
Jack, I remember seeing a 98 that John Hackley had square bridged. He built the front bases on a mill and had them kissing close and then tig welded them on. He then milled the edges so you couldn't tell. He had rigged up a 98 barrel with interupted threads in the top half and connected a garden hose to it and ran water through the action as he welded. I forgot about it until now. Nice to remember these things now that he is gone. He had it under his table at one of the shows at the Sands. He had a Winchster 63 that he had welded up scope base to and I was curious how he did it. He told me and then brought out the 98.
I saw that one too........I have one in a box somewhere that didn't quite come out!!
I prefer the treatment Ted Blackburn did on the #4 rifle. He surface ground the front ring of the P-17 and then sweated on a sleeve only .020 thick where it wraps around the receiver ring.
It's very nearly impossible to see on a Mauser and you can make two at a time!
Have a look here: http://www.waffen-kaestel.de/e800.html Choose "Custom" and then take a closer view of the .270". These rifles aren�t real squarebridges, but some variations on the same theme - still worth seeing.
Fritz
[ 03-22-2003, 23:57: Message edited by: Fritz Kraut ]
Posts: 846 | Location: Sweden | Registered: 19 April 2001
