What seems to be the desirable steel for fashioning bolt handles for 98 Mauser bolts? I am thinking of using 78/14 grade 8 bolts turned in my lathe. Would that be a descent steel for a bolt handle. I buy the bolts at a local surplus store for .98 cents a pound. Is this a good idea? Inquiring minds want to learn!

Hardware bolts would not my choice. Why not just use a Dremel tool and cut off the original bolt handle near the root and TIG weld it back on at your desired angle? That costs $0.

quote:

Originally posted by Bobster:
Hardware bolts would not my choice. Why not just use a Dremel tool and cut off the original bolt handle near the root and TIG weld it back on at your desired angle? That costs $0.

Because the original bolt knobs are ugly. What I'm concerned about is the grade of the steel for the bolt handle. I can dress it up to any shape I wish.

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quote:

Originally posted by Doug W:
No, don't use a grade 8 bolt. It is medium carbon, too hard, difficult to machine and welding will lose the hardness and temper.

Why reinvent the wheel?
Use 8620 or 4130, both low carbon like weld on bolt manufacturers use.



Check out the Brownells catalog, they list the steel grade.

+1

quote:

Originally posted by kcstott:

quote:

Originally posted by Doug W:
No, don't use a grade 8 bolt. It is medium carbon, too hard, difficult to machine and welding will lose the hardness and temper.

Why reinvent the wheel?
Use 8620 or 4130, both low carbon like weld on bolt manufacturers use.



Check out the Brownells catalog, they list the steel grade.

+1

Is it going to hurt anything if I use the grade 8 material?

They can be used as well as grade 5.

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Brownell's has a Talley bolt handle for $9.99

To add to Doug's post. The weld unless perfectly clean will most likely have some porosity in it. The higher carbon content will give you some trouble. On top of it being to hard before and after the weld. A piece of 1018 scrap would be better then a grade anything bolt.
Olcrip if you need a chunk I'll ship you a few pieces FREE

I am not a metalurgist or a gunsmith.....

The questions I have are around gun safety and shooter responsibility.

What is the project about? If you are planning to make a cool, neat rifles with a nice finish and plan to hunt with it, then why take a risk on some home grown technology when the expert's recomendation is not expensive?

You are not just building a plinker, so what do you plan to do with the rifle? Again - if you plan to let a youngster use it, do the responsible thing. If you plan to sell it, again do the responsible thing.

If you are just doing hobby gunsmithing and learning on the job & can afford to wreck the bolt and get a new one if needed, then by all means do what you please.

Good luck with the project.

This thread got me wondering. How would plain old cold rolled steel work? I'm betting the original Mauser bolt handles weren't much different than that.

that's what 1018 steel is. CRS
And actually a mauser action is closer to 1045 but who cares CRS would do just fine.

I have an investment mold for a couple of differant bolt handles that I like and have always specified 8620 at the foundry where I have them cast. Welds very well, easy to shape and polish, and the bluing always matches well. It has worked for about 25 years now.

I concour, 1018 (cold roll steel) matches most military 98 metalurgy pretty close.

Be sure to get full penetration on your weld. LOL
Butch

If using high-carbon alloys, you may run into heat-treat issues if you don't preheat and PWHT (Post-Weld Heat Treat, basically a very slow cooldown) the weldment and its surrounding steel. I wouldn't use the high-Grade steel, it's not necessary and could cause problems from postweld embrittlement.

What Butch said, except he mighta said it in partial jest in reference to a previous thread while I'm serious. There's no reason for a partial-pen weld, what's an extra 5 minutes?
Regards, Joe

Thank you gentlemen. I went with the grade eight on this one, already committed. The next batch will be CRS.

Olcrip,
What was the purpose of this thread? You asked for advice from people that know and then said you are going to do the opposite.
Butch

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I suggest that you use the poor man's magnaflux (gasoline) to check for any cracks, and then thoroughly anneal/soften the weldment area and the steel adjacent to it. You'll have to either reharden the cocking cam area or else use some sort of heat-block on it while annealing/softening.

The reason is that frequently the cool unheated area of steel next to the weldment will SUCK the heat right out of the welded area, thereby serving as a quench for the red-hot steel. Thus the over-hardened steel is subject to quench cracking as well as embrittlement from the too-fast quench. This situation is worse when using any sort of electic arc welding (TIG, MIG, SMAW[stick]) because of the relative speed of the heat application and removal.

Of course this isn't a problem with CRS and similar low-carbon steels. It's also not a problem with many high-carbon steels IF the area is preheated before and cooled slowly after the weld, thereby avoiding the abrupt quenching action.
Regards, Joe

quote:

Originally posted by butchlambert:
Olcrip,
What was the purpose of this thread? You asked for advice from people that know and then said you are going to do the opposite.
Butch

Butch, don't get your kachotees in an uproar. The key word in my reply was (Committed) because my welder is not working and I dropped it off with a friend in a weld shop. At the time of the response the bolt handle had already been welded. If you really read my reply I said henceforth I will use CRS for my bolt handles. If that upset you Butch so be it. Your a big boy and you'll get over it but in the meantime I learned something new on this gun smithing forum and I'm grateful! I thank you all.

Olcrip,
None of the things you said bother me. I just find it hard to believe a guy asks for advice on a job that he has no experience with and goes the other way. If you think you are up to the job, so be it. I wish you all the luck.
Butch

quote:

Originally posted by butchlambert:
Olcrip,
None of the things you said bother me. I just find it hard to believe a guy asks for advice on a job that he has no experience with and goes the other way. If you think you are up to the job, so be it. I wish you all the luck.
Butch

Butch, I didn't go the other way!!!! By the time I got responses it was done.... I explained that I learned from the forum replys and the next batch will be CRS or 1018 Steel. I wish you would chill out, I respect your opinion and am grateful for it. I can't do anything for this one but on the next one it will be different.

No problem.
Butch

quote:

Originally posted by olcrip:
I can't do anything for this one but on the next one it will be different.

Yeah you can.... You can cut it off and do it again.

Never say anything is beyond repairing.
Ask Butch. I made him a set of sight bases. Some how or another the base was not sitting flat in my vise and the dove tail was cut at an angle.( might have been sitting on a chip i missed) In the scrap pile they went and start all over again.
If its worth doing it's worth doing right

Is safety issue. Replace bolt. Never step over dollar to pick up dime; your foot might be on a bouncing Betty.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by butchlambert:
Be sure to get full penetration on your weld. LOL
Butch[/QUOT

Oh no, not again.

quote:

Originally posted by Doug W:

quote:

Originally posted by butchlambert:
Olcrip,
What was the purpose of this thread? You asked for advice from people that know and then said you are going to do the opposite.
Butch

Because
What seems to be the desirable steel for fashioning bolt handles for 98 Mauser bolts? I am thinking of using 78/14 grade 8 bolts turned in my lathe. Would that be a descent steel for a bolt handle. I buy the bolts at a local surplus store for .98 cents a pound. Is this a good idea? Inquiring minds want to learn!

What he really meant is....
I am going to use a grade 8 bolt to make a bolt handle, anyone want to try and talk me out of it?

Seems as though the learning part was forgotten or ignored. Good on all who advised to the contrary. Dang, there are well thought out and tried reasons for what has worked for well over a century. We need not re-invent all things. Over the years I have always regretted not following sound advice. Each time I took a divergent position I spent more energy explaining my obstinance to others and myself than the project required in total. In short, if one wishes to stumble around in the dark then leave the lights off.

Stephen

I just wish everyone would just quit hammering me over this bolt. It was welded before I got a single reply to my inquiery. The project is on hold til I remove the grade eight bolt handle and replace it with CRS. I've had my ass kicked enough and don't appreciate somebody coming out of the woods to kick it again. Now let's give it a rest and put this puppy to sleep.

Hey Olcrip
It's never to late to

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quote:

Originally posted by Doug W:

quote:

It was welded before I got a single reply to my inquiery.

Hmmmmm..... I replied within 4 hours and 7 minutes of your original post.

I guess that makes me a slacker.

Anyway no big deal olcrip, just cut it off and redo it.

DOUG, IN MY PART OF THE COUNTRY WELD SHOPS DON'T TAKE 4 HRS 7 MIN. TO WELD A BOLT HANDLE.... IT WAS FINISHED BEFORE I EVEN POSTED. I'M SOOO TICKLED A SLACKER LIKE YOU CAME OUT FROM UNDER HIS ROCK AND JUMPED MY SHIT SO FAST... THAT MUST BE SOME KIND OF RECORD.... BEING HOW NEW YOU ARE TO THIS FORUM YOU NEED TO WRITE SOMETHING OTHER THAN ASS KICKEN SHIT... NOW CRAWL BACK UNDER YOUR DAMN ROCK AND THINK OF SOME THING GOOD TO WRITE ABOUT.... NOW, PLEASE EVERYONE JUST GIVE IT A BREAK. IT'S OVER!

Olcrip
I don't mean to sound like an A hole but a few more responses like that and you'll be lucky to get any help again.

I'm not going to beat a dead horse. You made your decision and you're sticking with it all be it for now. The thing is give us time to post before you go a do something you're not sure about.
These guys were just trying to give you the best options available and then you go piss an vinegar on us. Take a shot of liquor or go get laid but either way your panties are in a bunch if you haven't noticed. I know some here have pushed the issue I'm one of them but don't sweat it.

Just think of the many thousands of old, and some good, Mausers fucked up over the years with the kind of attitude demonstrated. The pawn shops all over the country have um and can't sell um. Most aren't even worth salvaging, and it didn't have to happen.

Ho hum.

KB

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