All right I need to know what the angle is that you must make the cut/grind on the Mauser 98 cocking piece is for installing a three position safety? I have 30 degrees in my head is that right? I want to make a fixture like PME used to make for grinding the bevel into the cocking piece. Thanks for any help in advance.

Chris

Jim says it is 30 degrees. Why bother with a fixture. Set it up in a small vise on the surface grinder.

Or, just clamp it into your Kurt vice and use a sharp, carbide endmill in your Bridgeport to cut it. Easy, peezy, lemon squeezy.

I used to do it that way too but when I got my surface grinder it went a lot easier. Besides,it is damn hard on those expensive carbide end mills.

How do you keep from removing too much from the cocking piece? Do you use a fixture to allow for a repeatable reposition of the cocking piece in the mill or grinder for removing small amounts for final fitting?

I measure form the back of the cocking piece to the shroud when in the cocked and then in safety position. After a rough grind and a fit and check measurement again, I use a bit of trigonometry to determine how deep to go. I like to have not much more than .010" camming action.

You guys are too technical for me...I just scribed a 30 degree line on the table of my 1x42 belt sander. Then try it in a closed bolt in the action with bolt sleeve attached. Thumb pressure with the L. hand against the cocking piece (firing pin nut)and operate the safety flag with right...usually only takes one final check fully assembled.

I also have a surface grinder and wouldn't even dream of using it on a 3-position safety. Like I said, I clamp the cocking piece in the Kurt vise, rotate the swivel base to 25-degrees, and cut it. Polish on the blending wheel once it fits. Did one today. And, it's not hard on the carbide endmills at all. Easy, peezy, lemon squeezy.

As per the Winchester Blueprint ( yes a real Blueprint ) that I have for the pre 1964 Model 70 firing pin. It is a 30 degree angle from the face of the dry fire stop of the cocking piece.

The fixtures I sold at one time were made from 1 1/4" square 1018 steel, that way you could either us a mag chuck or vise to hold the fixture. The recess had a bottom in it so as the cocking piece would bottom out at the same point each time.

The first angle cut is not bad, even with the hard Mauser cocking pieces, just use a 1/4" carbide endmill, I have plies of used ones laying around. If you watch MSC, I can get them from 8 - 10 dollars each for a 1/4" double end mill.

But the final fitting of the sear face is where the time spent making the fixture is of great benifit, as you can measure, and cut most of it. Reassemble and measure, remove the cocking piece and simply drop it back into the fixture, tighten the clamping screw against the cocking piece, adjust the cutter Z hieght and take another cut.

For those who do not understand repeataive operations, the use of a fixture is a Godsend.

And yes I did install one three position safety last night as well, took about 20 minutes from start to finish. Took almost as long to dig out the fixtures, for the cocking piece, and bolt as it did to do the three machine cuts.

James Wisner
Custom Metalsmith

Dakota instructions specify 25 degrees; Gentry says 30.

quote:

Originally posted by Toomany Tools:
Dakota instructions specify 25 degrees; Gentry says 30.

In all honesty folks....it's clearance.....as long as there's clearance the angle means squat!

OK.
For fun I pulled the Winchester Blueprint.

We are all wrong.

From Jan 11th, 1935 until Feb 2nd, 1951 the angle was 45 degress.

It was changed in Feb 2nd, 1951 to 27 degrees from the front face.

Was changed again in Oct, 3rd 1951, to 35 degrees from the front face.

Please note that there is a Winchester service order stateing to recut those early ones to the later 35 degree angle.

You would figure that Winchester made a WHOLE lot more of these safties that we ever dreamed of installing.

The sear face remained the same through out production at 35 degrees.

Also the qualified firing pin protrusion was from Jan 1935 until May 1959 was .058" to .068", then they changed the print to .055" +.010"

James Wisner
Custom metalsmith