About a year ago I bought a couple of stripped Mauser bolts. I gave them a quick inspection and placed them in my spare parts drawer. Yesterday I pulled them out for use in a new project and noticed both bolts have locking lugs that have been lapped. Is it possible to test the hardness on the bearing surfaces of the lugs?

There are 'hardness files' that are made to test something like that .Maybe someone has suggestions where to find someone with a set.

I didn't think about that. Is there a company you have used for re-heat treating?

quote:

Originally posted by faraim:
I didn't think about that. Is there a company you have used for re-heat treating?

Not speaking for Duane, but I'm about to send some Mausers off to these guys: Pac Met Been talking to Jim Sterling there.

It's not the problem of lapping but lapping too much especially with thin carburizing layer.
If the files check too soft you have to recarburize and reharden .Or get another bolt
Remember to check the lugs for cracks in case some hot shot loaded hot.Like they do for Krag !

dpcd,

You must have better luck than I. I have run into a few bolts recently that vary greatly. One was glass hard, file slid off it without making a mark. Another filed like 1018.

One I redid the bolt face and opened up to a mauser destroyed a nice freshly sharpened carbide endmill, I had to use a FX (62RC+) but it was beautiful when finished, no need to polish.