I have a Mauser 98 fitted with one of Jim Wisner's 2-position M70-style safeties. How do you experts cut the curved notch in the cocking piece that the safety engages?

Bench grinder or "knife makers" belt grinder. And it's not a "notch" but an angle.

With my favorite tool; the belt sander. Do not over do this and you should look at one before you do it; if you get the angle too deep, then you have bought a cocking piece. I can take a picture if you want.

I have to admit that I kind of cheatererer on those fool things. I put a material stop in the mill and then clamp the cocking piece in by its sear and use a 3/8ths carbide end mill to take a couple of thousandths radius off the leading edge of the cam. It creates a bat wing, double radius which leaves the back side of the old safety cam intact which allows easy on again but still allows the cam to move the firing pin back the same amount as it did before. I take .002 inch and try it in the gun. If its not enough the material stop allows me to go right back in to zero on the mill to take another .002 inch. Try and cut, try and cut.

The procedure is the same whether you are re-cutting an old one or installing a new one.

ADD NOTE: It generally takes me two to three cuts and then I give the cam a light buff on a felt matchless wheel to take it to a mirror finish. I run the end mills at about 2000 RPM so they give a pretty clean finish as it is.


Gunsmith Rod Henrickson 70 Safety by Rod Henrickson, on Flickr

Here is one that has been done. You can clearly see the first radius that has been cut to allow the safety to re-engage the cam. The second angle is also clearly visible. The safety will now pick up the first radius, begin camming the firing pin back and then pick up the old angle. Only about .004 inch maximum is generally removed. Sometimes less.


Gunsmith Rod Henrickson 70 Safety Cut by Rod Henrickson, on Flickr

quote:

Originally posted by Duane Wiebe (CG&R):
Well....I'm puzzled...The safety question was a TWO position for 98. I think we've morphed into the THREE position on a Remington?

OOPS MY BAD
I thought he was talking about a model 70 safety on a Mauser!

The Wisner safety doesn't need a notch in the cocking piece.
The Chapman does, so just check to confirm which one you have.

It is a Wisner, and the cocking piece is a commercial one. The safety should engage the cocking piece and just lift it. Fitting can apparently be done by shortening the entire face of the cocking piece, or by taking a bit off of the top face. I was thinking of milling the face, but I have also heard of guys using a sander to take a bit off of the face.

Lots of ways to remove metal. It usually looks cleaner if you use a surface grinder or a mill because it takes out the shaky-old-man element. Well, for me anyway. Usually you can find a way to jig it in the machine so that you can take it out, try it as you cut and get it back in the machine in exactly the same spot for another cut.

Sounds like you're on the right track. Good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by loud-n-boomer:
It is a Wisner, and the cocking piece is a commercial one. The safety should engage the cocking piece and just lift it. Fitting can apparently be done by shortening the entire face of the cocking piece, or by taking a bit off of the top face. I was thinking of milling the face, but I have also heard of guys using a sander to take a bit off of the face.

I do mine on the surface grinder,more exacting. It is a flat that the surface of the lever rides on; give it about .015 camming action; it has to cam the cocking piece back when moving the lever.

On the grinder with a little jig I made. Holds it at an angle for three position units and straight for two positions and cutting the sear ledge.
Don

Thanks Don. That looks like a neat little fixture. What is the angle on the tilted hole.

Dave

30. I might still have a couple left somewhere. Here's the other hole in use. For cutting the whole face as you were inquiring about I just drop a nut in act as a shim.
Don

If you do have another, I would sure be interested.

fwiw,
Even though the Gentry three position claims to need the cut, after I ruined my first cocking piece, I found a Nazi Proof Marked unit that fell into place and worked like it was destined for the task... Nobody at the School of Trades had a clear idea of the proper relief angle. Posts like this one are GOLD...

Regards, Matt.