I bought a used Mini Mauser made in Serbia which was supposed to be a copy of the original mini's. I don't think it was ever fired because you couldn't chamber the .223 round. I was surprised to find several things wrong which should not have left the factory.
http://www.hunt101.com/data/50.../P1020715_-_Copy.JPG


I found that the bolt sleeve lock was not fitted and would allow the firing pin to fall when you rotate the sleeve a small amount. Ground out the bolt recess for the lock point to fit into place. The bolt would not lift high enough to allow proper fit.


The extractor was too long on the front and cut a groove into the rear of the chamber. This had a burr and stopped the shell fron going deep enough. It could be that the barrel shank is too long. I will need to pull the barrel and check this later.



The only good thing I found was the bolt guide had a groove and this would allow for a smoother bolt action with out too much binding. The whole action and parts will need to be polish out by hand.

Kinda' sounds like it was just thrown together with no regard for function. Being a "used" item, there's always the chance that it's been 'gunsmithed' by a previous owner. Those extractors must have been fragile from the factory as ther don't seem to be any 'spares' available on the used market. Any chance that extractor is a bad copy, used as a replacement for a broken factory one? For that matter, the whole bolt could be a replacement.

The quality of those actions is abysmal. It's a shame too, as the design is great and can make a sweet little rofle, but the poor quality almost makes it not worth doing.

I agree with John on quality delivered. The extractor was too long or the barrel shank was too long and it closed on the rim of the chamber which should have cleared. No chamfering of the chamber and a burr was great enough to stop the cartridge short chambered. Probably this rifle was never fired or tested in the factory. A real piece of poor work all around. The numbers match, but action is a poor choice to pick for a custom rifle. Where is all the quality that should be coming from the little actions?

I think Duane pretty much summed it up but Les you could safety breech the chamber mouth as one would do to an older Sako.