Today I got some time to try the 1933 98 Mauser(the nice and shiny one) barrel removal one more time. Used a lot of rosin and made the screws REAL tight. Barrel shim is the original wood block. The aluminum shim that I made need some acraglas to make more contact, they provided very less gripping power.

As I was using my entire weight to thrust against the wrench in order to tighten the screws...I heard a snap, didn't know where the sound came from...I kept going at it till the screws won't budge anymore.

Cheater bar.....the barrel slipped.
Sledge hammer.....the barrel slipped.

So I stopped, because I was growing uncomfortable with the sound of hammer impacting the thing.

Disappointed...I saw the 1944 98 Mauser(the crude one) laying on a box, as I used this barrelled action for reference the other day. "Might as well try again", used the same setup and rosin. As I tightened the vise screws, I noticed an unusual mark on the table.

It is no mark at all!!! The 1.7" thick solid wooden table had cracked, the crack is several feet long and might go on to the other end of the table.

"GREAT!!!", but I still scooped up some morale to continue the work, very carefully, not to cause any more damage to the table. Now not only I didn't remove the barrel, the table need major repair too.

Cheater bar.....*snap*

I looked at the wrench, the wrench had rotated a little but the barrel didn't seem moved at all. One turn on the action wrench, and it has been clear that I have unexpectedly done my first barrel removal job. Triumph after adversity .

The thread had a lot of oily gunk, so much that it looks dripping wet. Might have to do with the oil that I had sprayed into the cracks many days earlier. The same barrel wouldn't budge last time, looks like the oil made such inspiring difference.

The 1933 98 Mauser received the same oil spray at the same time, yet it didn't come loose even with the use of sledge hammer. I am starting to think the gun is one of those "over proofed" ones.

According to a gunsmith book, some Mauser actions are proofed too many times with too high a pressure, that the threads become elongated and will crack the receiver if barrel is forced to turn. Checked the gun, the barrel shank had some marks :

BG
UN
(each letter has a crown above them, this group of marks also showed on receiver next to serial#)

156.14

7.?
(? is a number but only partially showing, could be 8 or 9)

A

5

Can someone tell if this rifle is "over proofed" and I should abandon the regular barrel removal method?

Thanks

I can't say about over proofing, but here is something to try.

Get a container of water large enough to immerse the action up over the barrel junction.

Boil the bejeebers out of it.

Sometimes this will force out the oil - grease - cosmoline. Give it a try then.

If this doesn't work, some oil of wintergreen from the pharmacist may help. It is an exceptionally fine penatrating oil. Raccoon oil works nearly as well.

This is what I do. Take a piece of 400 grit wet or dry sand paper and fold it grit side out, cut it the width of your block and long enough to make one wrap around the barrel, degrease the barrel good, with the barrel wraped with the sand paper tighten the blocks. I use a two foot cheater pipe and pull down with my left hand and hit the pipe with a rubber mallet, this always works for me.

The top of the work bench that I do all the barrel removing from is made from a section of rail road box car flooring (2 1/2" thick oak). Thirty years later & no cracks yet!

Pyrotek - Only a 24" cheater bar? - Stop playing with it!

I have a 60" cheater bar - with my 212 lbs hefting on one end that's over 1000 ft lb of available torque - works for me! Although to be honest I have never reached the 1000 ft lb level yet.

I make the inserts for the receiver and barrel clamps from copper rod. It yields to the barrel/receiver shape for 100% contact and doesn't mark the bluing at all.

A blast from a hot air blower (hi-tech for borrow your wife's hair dryer) and a cooling spray of penetrating oil for a couple of nights before applying the torque test would also help things along.

cheers edi

If you put the barrel in a lathe and use a cut off tool to make a relief grouve just in front of the receiver ring, the barrel should unscrew with moderate force.
Some Mauser and 1917 Enfields were put together by brutes.
Don't kill yourself put a relief grouve in the barrel and this will relieve the pressure.

You should have these actions rockwell tested
to insure proper hardness.
Gerry Kunhausen has a very good book on Mauser rifles.

Steve from New Joisey

A relief groove ahead of the receiver on a mauser will frequently do squat since the barrel is seated against the inner collar. Regards, Bill.

Congratulations. Glad you got the barrel off that sucker.

To be honest, I think the next time I have to remove a stubborn Mauser barrel, I'm going to use either hydraulic power or air power to do the work. Methinks a nice whack on the action wrench with an air hammer might be just the right thing...

I think it will be easier and cheaper (time wise) to build a jig for application of said power sources than to screw around with it, job after job, by hand. Will probably include a really solidly supported mandrel for the inside of the action where the bolt normally goes too, to assure that the force is all applied as rotational force.

Since almost every shop has an air compressor, and almost every man has a hydraulic jack for his car, there's got to be easier ways...

AC

[ 06-27-2003, 06:08: Message edited by: Alberta Canuck ]

Gents,

I might have stumbled upon a little discovery---as I was working around the garage today, a flashback reminded me that there's one more thing that I did to the 1944 Mauser that I didn't do to the 1933 Mauser(the one that I can't remove barrel of).

Before I gave a try on the 1944 one, I was holding a steel hammer, and I lightly tapped around the receiver ring where the internal threads are, I think I tapped around for 3 or 4 full circles. It was not a "let's see if this will help" moment, so I completely forgot that I had done this(I was actually quite absent-minded at that moment). Besides the 1944 is so crudely made that I wouldn't hesitate to tap it with a hammer, whereas risking to mar the glassy 1933 Mauser surface never crossed my mind. I think I would hammer the 1933 too and give it one more go...if the splitting table can make it.