I recently bought a very nice rifle based on a Czech Brno VZ 24 action. The seller advised that the safety is inoperative. The safety lever cannot be operated when the rifle is cocked. I think part of the problem is that the bolt numbers do not match the receiver serial number, meaining that the bolt is not original and was assembled out of odds and ends. Can anyone advise as to how to go about repairing the bolt so that the safety operates? I have a lot of experience with the '03 Springfield bolts but none a 98 Mauser. Thanks for any advice on how to disassemble the bolt.

Are you talking about the swing type original safety? My guess is the cocking piece is not being moved or held far enough to the rear to allow the safety to rotate in front of it. Could be wrong cocking piece, worn piece or cocking ramp or the trigger is to far forward when it engages the cocking piece.

Never had this issue with original safety. However I have had it when installing an FN left hand. Took a stone to the front of the cocking piece and it engaged smooth as silk.

I think Ramrod nailed it on the head. But it is easy to overdo it. The swing lever has to engage the cocking piece and move it back ever so slightly. If not you end up with a sear letting go when the safety is taken off. Be very careful!

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I think part of the problem is that the bolt numbers do not match the receiver serial number, meaining that the bolt is not original and was assembled out of odds and ends. Can anyone advise as to how to go about repairing the bolt so that the safety operates?

1. non matching numbers isn't the cause of the problem and as a matter of fact a great many of the VZ-24 rifles one purchases have non matching numbers.....

2. Fixing the problem isn't all that difficult and even I have fixed a number of them....it's not an unusual problem....that said I don't do work like that except for my own firearms.

Many folks that post here can fix it and I'd suggest you just wait....someone will PM you with a proposal.

You do not say where you are so it's hard to give advice of someone that might be close to you that can fix it....

Ramrod is right on the money if that helps.

Maybe THIS LINK will help.

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Maybe THIS LINK will help

Perfect.

Wildcat Junkie, many thanks. The link was very helpful. I still have a problem but the link showed me how to go. The safety lever was locked to the left and now I was able to move it to vertical. However, it seems no amount of manipulating the lever by me can make it swing to the right. This is an all-military bolt. How did you call it up? I signed up on that website to ask another question but could not get the post to come up.

I assume you have the bolt closed and fully down?

This might be of a lttle help.

http://pdf.textfiles.com/manua...itchell_mauser98.pdf

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Originally posted by Wahoo:
Wildcat Junkie, many thanks. The link was very helpful. I still have a problem but the link showed me how to go. The safety lever was locked to the left and now I was able to move it to vertical. However, it seems no amount of manipulating the lever by me can make it swing to the right. This is an all-military bolt. How did you call it up? I signed up on that website to ask another question but could not get the post to come up.

It sounds to me like your shroud/firing pin assembly is not screwed all the way into the bolt body.

It is possible to have the assembly only partially screwed in. That will allow the gun to drop the striker & otherwase funtion, but the safety will not work as you are experiencing.

Remove the bolt & engage the sear engagement surface of the cocking piece on a vice or other hard surface edge. Pull the bolt body down thus pulling the cocking piece another 1/8" or so to the rear

That will allow you to place the safety in the center position. (straight up)

Depress the plunger on the left front of the shroud. This will allow you to rotate the shroud/firing pin assembly about 3/4 trun forthur clockwise. When the shroud assemby is screwed all the way in, you will then see/hear the plunger engage the recess in the rear of the bolt body. This locks the bolt handle in the "open" postion until the plunger is depressed as it contacts the rear of the receiver thus allowing the bolt to be released to rotate down & closed.

Your safety should now funtion properly.

If you have an aftermarket 2-pos safety, it gets a little more complicated.

Do you have the original miltary safety?

If it is aftermarket, is it a 2-pos or 3-pos type?

Open then close the bolt, set the safety then pull the trigger, pause, then release the safety, that is the part that makes no sense, if the tiring pin falls with a loud click it should be no surprise for anyone working on a Mauser 98 type. In the fire when the safety is released the person setting the safety has all the information required to determine the safety is not working as designed, In the above configuration the safety will not touch anything when raised, it will not have a detent, in the above configuration the safety will flip and flop without effort, the first warning could be the last....warning.

F. Guffey

I want to thank Wildcat Junkie and Ramrod 340. Thanks to your advice and suggestions I corrected the problem and the safety now operates as it should, through all three positions. I got hold of a bunch of M98 bolt parts and started substituing. The first try was the answer, it was the safety lever itself. I looked very closely at the little half-moon areas along the bottom edge of the original and then those areas on the replacelment and the original was very badly worn and thin.
It apparently was so thin it was not moving the cocking piece back quite enough but the replacement does. I did have one instance when I took the safety off and the striker fell. Could not duplicate it but will get another cocking piece and see if I can get it to do that again.

Thanks again for the help.

quote:

Originally posted by wildcat junkie:
Maybe THIS LINK will help.

That link is pretty good but does have some errors. In the 2nd photo with the safty in the straight up position. This is NOT the safe position. It IS the bolt TAKE DOWN position.

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Originally posted by D Humbarger:

quote:

Originally posted by wildcat junkie:
Maybe THIS LINK will help.

That link is pretty good but does have some errors. In the 2nd photo with the safty in the straight up position. This is NOT the safe position. It IS the bolt TAKE DOWN position.

I think that's kind of a matter of semantics isn't it? The full description of the middle position in the referenced link was "Here it is in the SAFE mode. You can operate the bolt but not fire the rifle" which is a perfectly accurate description.

While this position is required to disassemble the bolt, I have never heard it actually refered to as the "bolt take down position." Perhaps original Mauser manuals call it this? Nonetheless, a minor distinction and not really an error in my mind...

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Originally posted by montea6b:

quote:

Originally posted by D Humbarger:

quote:

Originally posted by wildcat junkie:
Maybe THIS LINK will help.

That link is pretty good but does have some errors. In the 2nd photo with the safty in the straight up position. This is NOT the safe position. It IS the bolt TAKE DOWN position.

I think that's kind of a matter of semantics isn't it? The full description of the middle position in the referenced link was "Here it is in the SAFE mode. You can operate the bolt but not fire the rifle" which is a perfectly accurate description.

While this position is required to disassemble the bolt, I have never heard it actually refered to as the "bolt take down position." Perhaps original Mauser manuals call it this? Nonetheless, a minor distinction and not really an error in my mind...

The 3-pos M70 type safety operates in exactly the same manner.

In the middle "safe" position, it to can be used as "bolt take down position".

Never heard anyone call it that on the M70 safety.

And just like the M98 GI safety, it will allow the bolt to be opened on the "safe" position for loading/unloading.