Hi everyone

Just asking if anyone has some tips for getting this old bbl off K98 Mauser. This is the first Mauser I've tried re-barreling. Actually it's only the second rifle I've attempted to re-barrel and I'm very much still on uphill learning curve.

I did re-bbl an old P-14 and found just by soaking bbl/receiver junction overnight with mix of ATF and acetone, it released quite easy. I didn't even have to make the relief cut to get it to un-screw, as some suggested. That became my 416 Taylor and with a new trigger is my most accurate hunting rifle.

This Mauser is apparently a lot tighter. Tried yesterday to get apart, and found it would not budge, only managed to spin in the bbl vise. I've read that the Mauser bbl has a shoulder bearing in inside of the action, so relief cut does not supposedly help much. I did however still make a relief cut so as to relieve any pressure on the shoulder of leading edge of action, hoping that would help. Soaked overnight
with the acetone/auto-tranny fluid mix. Does any one have any further tips to get to release??? I don't want to damage my receiver, hoping to turn this project into a 25-06.

Any suggestions/comments welcomed. --- thx --- Bob

The relief cut has to be close to the receiver and to a depth of the approximate minor thread. Don't be afraid to use some heat on the front ring. A propane torch should be sufficient to warm things up.

A VERY good barrel vise and a 4 ft. piece of pipe has always worked for me. I use the Brownells vise which has 4 capscrews to lock things together. The relief cut won't help much, the barrel is torqued against the inner collar.

Soak in Kroil. Try some liquid refrigerant on the inner ring to shrink it a bit. Make sure the barrel vise is absolutely rigid. No give or flex. Strike a sharp blow on the action ring wrench handle with a sledge.

If you aren't going to reuse the barrel use a pipe wrench to hold it along with the barrel vise to prevent it from turning in the vice.

What type of vice are you using?
If you have the type that uses wood bushings head over to Lowe's and dig through their bin of 2"x2" oak till you find a piece with nice strait grain running perpendicular to 2 of the sides. While your there pick up a 1" ID cast iron thick wall water pipe 3-4' long.

Clamp the blocks in a drill press with the grain going vertical and a paint stir stick between them and drill them to whatever diameter you need.

If you have a Wheeler vice like I do rosin the blocks then rotate the receiver wrench to where you can get the best leverage in the down direction and torque down the vice with a 1/2" breaker bar then put the pipe over the breaker bar and continue to crank them down until the wood just begins to change shape. Then put the bar over the receiver wrench and try not to turn over the bench.

Don't forget to put some anti-seize on the vice bolts.

I don't think I would buy the wheeler if I had to do it over but I have it and have to make due with it. Good blocks are the key to the whole thing and the ones that came with the vice split along the grain before I could get them tight enough.

Get a solid barrel vice and hit it a good
sharp blow with a good sized hammer.

Thanks everyone for the replies. I finally got it off. I soaked bbl-action joint overnight with acetone/ATF mix and gave my action wrench a couple of whacks with hammer. I also had to use pipe wrench on the barrel as my aluminum blocks just would not grip tight enough. Didn't have any rosin.

Man that was tight. The only other action I've taken apart was an old P-14 which came off a lot easier -- and I didn't make a relief cut on it either.

Thanks again for the tips -- Bob.

quote:

Didn't have any rosin

I'm told powdered sugar can be used in a pinch...

the powdered sugar has worked for me, incl. a 1917 enfield.

a relief cut won't do a thing on a military barreled mauser...they aren't torqued on the front of the receiver, by design, and is unlikely to even be in contact.

p14/m17 use acme/square threads which draw the barrel in and lock them down. and the relief cut allows that SPECIFIC thread pattern to relieve pressure..

heat it up to hot to touch, keep it there for 15 mins or so, to allow the heat to sink into the barrel tennon, and then let sit over night in a can/bucket of Brake Fluid (and be 50/50 ATF)

as it cools, the combo will soak into the joint...

setup in your barrel vise, and give the action wrench a sharp rap with a deadfall hammer... don't try to break the wrench off, just "shock" it to further break up the rust surface tension in the barrel/action joint ...

oh, i guess you could actually use a relief cut ... if you could precisely measure and cut INSIDE the action, at the barrel to flange surface-- torque flange is commonly called a C or H ring .. .and relieve where the actual pressure is .. but outside of the action, assuming its a milsurp setup, isn't going to to help

"...p14/m17 use acme/square threads...."



Acme and square are two separate and distinct types of thread.

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
oh, i guess you could actually use a relief cut ... if you could precisely measure and cut INSIDE the action, at the barrel to flange surface-- torque flange is commonly called a C or H ring .. .and relieve where the actual pressure is .. but outside of the action, assuming its a milsurp setup, isn't going to to help

Sons of Guns is looking for a gunsmith Keffe, I think you'd fit in perfectly. A relief cut will relieve any pressure that may be bearing against the face of the receiver or lead thread, and there are Mauser's who's barrels do just that. A relief cut also provides a direct path to the threads so the PB Blaster, Kroil or the ATF mix can get in and get to work without all the drama of using 4 foot cheaters, "deadFALL" hammers and such.

quote:

Originally posted by Keffe: "heat it up to hot to touch, keep it there for 15 mins or so, to allow the heat to sink into the barrel tennon, and then let sit over night in a can/bucket of Brake Fluid (and be 50/50 ATF)"

Yep, you'll do just fine on "Sons of Guns"! I'll be watching.

Right; relief cuts won't help on a 98 Mauser; very little bearing is done there; 90% of it is on the inside ring. Heat? I don't recommend it on a Mauser; too much risk of damaging the lug surface hardness. You need Rosin, and a good wrench and VISE (NOT VICE) You already have a vice; working on old guns. It will come off. Oh, I see you got it off; sorry; I never read posts before I respond to them. It's easier to spout off when I don't have facts to distract me.

The relief cut certainly didn't appear to help much here. I didn't want to cut too deep and have the threaded portion snap off --stuck in end of receiver. I believe I was about 1/8 inch deep.

I have another bbl I purchased some time ago also for Mauser 98, and will soak with the acetone/ATF mix maybe better part of week. This Mauser I had so much trouble with --I stood the bbl with action up in a shallow can to catch run-off, and used oil can with the mix, squirting joint every four-five hrs. Next time around I'll do it properly and use larger can and submerge the action/bbl joint in solution. I believe the acetone in the mix when applied with the oil can probably mostly evaporated with the way I did it.

But anyways -- I'm learning and enjoying the rebuilds. I want to do a few old guns that bbl's are rusted/pitted turning them back into good hunting rifles.

My choice of using acetone/automatic tranny fluid for helping release ---- based on this posting by another member:

---Machinist's Workshop magazine tested penetrants for break out torque on rusted nuts with significant results!

They arranged a subjective test of all the popular penetrants with the
control being the torque required to remove the nut from a
"scientifically rusted" environment (obviously a BIG nut!).

Penetrating oil ...... Average torque



None ....................... 516 ft lbs



WD-40 ................... 238 ft lbs



PB Blaster .............. 214 ft lbs



Liquid Wrench ..... 127 ft lbs



Kano Kroil ............. 106 ft lbs



ATF-Acetone mix....53 ft lbs



The ATF-Acetone mix was a "home brew" mix of 50 - 50 automatic
transmission fluid and acetone. Note the "home brew" was better than any
commercial product in this one particular test. Our local machinistgroup mixed up a batch and we all now use it with equally good results.---

thanks again guys for the discussion --- Bob.

Almost forgot -- happy thanksgiving everyone!!! ---Bob.

Jim
Happy Christmas

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
Jim
Happy Christmas

Same to you, will I have a chance to meet you in Dallas?

Jim,
I will more than likely be traveling for work during dsc. if not, then likely

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
Jim,
I will more than likely be traveling for work during dsc. if not, then likely

If you make it to the auction I will make sure to buy you a drink.

Bob
Jeffe's purple nerple is equal parts
Royal purple ATF
Royal purple 0 wt oil
Brake fluid
WD 40
Kerosene

Smells good, lubes, penetrates, displaces water, and good surface wetting

I don't use acetone as it boils off too quickly. I have found brake fluid alone to be of the best penetrating oils out there, and it is in nearly every gas store in the us

Hello everyone;

Far be it from me to question the knowledge and experience of folks like jeffeosso and dcpd, but I think it may be a bit mis-leading to say that relief cuts will not help.

I have only seperated about 8 98 Mauser military barrels. All but one of them came off with action wrench and barrel vise, without any big problem. The one that I could not get off, I made a relief cut all the way around, and it then came off.

So, if the barrel is scrap anyway, why not give it a try. There is a chance it may help.

Hugh