What are the preferred/best years for the VZ 24 action ?

I have several of them stamped 1938 that I'm very happy with but I doubt that there's any real difference in any of them.

Many have had crests and other markings ground off and it's impossible to tell the year on them.

VZ24 actions don't need to be heat treated even after laping the lugs and cutting seats square.

Because they are alloy and not case hardened,
correct?

Or do they need (or should) be heat treated just incase. After lugs laped and
surface ground?

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:
I have several of them stamped 1938 that I'm very happy with but I doubt that there's any real difference in any of them.

Many have had crests and other markings ground off and it's impossible to tell the year on them.

my experience as well. though I like these "best" of the milsurp m98 lr
jeffe

quote:

Originally posted by AllenBosely:
VZ24 actions don't need to be heat treated even after laping the lugs and cutting seats square.

Because they are alloy and not case hardened,
correct?

Or do they need (or should) be heat treated just incase. After lugs laped and
surface ground?

Hopefully someone else can confirm or deny this but as far as I'm concerned these actions are good to go as is.

I'm putting together three of them in my spare time and one will be chambered to the new .375 Ruger and I will not heat treat it.

I'd be the first to report the error should this rifle fail and suffer setback. Of my limited experience with 98 Mausers, the VZ-24 is as good as it gets.

I always laugh my butt off when I read people putting together a custom rifle which in itself is not cheap but then hem and haw at the thought of heat treating them. Three receivers will set you back a paltry $70 or so. A drop in the bucket compared to what the projects overall cost will be.

The vz24's are no more alloy than the 1909 Argentine, they just used different heat treat methods and are generally harder.

A non heat treated receiver will not blow up, instead they will be more susceptible to setback. Anyone that says they never saw setback in a mauser need only come over to my house where I can show them at least a dozen.

Yes these are not intended to be a cheap way to get two rifles.

So if for about a 100 bucks I can heat treat them and not have to worry about possible problems down the road. And there is little to no chance of ruining an action, I'll heat treat and not look back.I would consider it cheap insurance for peace of mind.

So with that in mind. I read the old posts on heat treating would like to verify a few specfics,

Blanchards seems to be a good outfit to have it done by. Can I send them the recivers and bolts and say take care of them? Or do they need specfic instructions ie. hardness,depth of hardness,aneal first ect.?

Do all the machine work (Surface grind, shape tang, polish to 320 grit. Then heat treat and square reciver, lap lugs, do final polish. any thing else?

I have one along with a 1909 bottom metal.

I seriously considering :

a 376 / 416 barrel
NECG open sights
new stock

Call it my cheap big bore.

quote:

Originally posted by AllenBosely:
Yes these are not intended to be a cheap way to get two rifles.

So if for about a 100 bucks I can heat treat them and not have to worry about possible problems down the road. And there is little to no chance of ruining an action, I'll heat treat and not look back.I would consider it cheap insurance for peace of mind.

So with that in mind. I read the old posts on heat treating would like to verify a few specfics,

Blanchards seems to be a good outfit to have it done by. Can I send them the recivers and bolts and say take care of them? Or do they need specfic instructions ie. hardness,depth of hardness,aneal first ect.?

Do all the machine work (Surface grind, shape tang, polish to 320 grit. Then heat treat and square reciver, lap lugs, do final polish. any thing else?

I called Blanchards some time ago for pricing and specs and what they told me they do is a far cry from what D'Arcy Echols asks for. If you've read old threads on heat treating I'd recommend you find his specs he asks for and use that.

IIRC it's .03 deep case at 40Rc but look up what he asks for.

For further clarification, I'd say that heat treating is an insurance policy and when I build a Mauser I have only my time and a few dollars in one. I now do all the work myself including the tig welding and a finished Mauser costs me something like $650 and to remove a receiver and replace it will cost me about $75 so for me the insurance of heat treating is not a big thing. I'm a hobbyist and consider my time free!

If one hires the work done he'll have $2,500 or more in a custom Mauser and replacing a receiver could run $1,000 depending on many things.

I agree with Z1R that heat treating is cheap insurance but I'm just not one to buy insurance!

For questions of Mauser heat treatment, go here.

As usual, you'll have to sort through the opinions and speculation, but here's a hint: Look for posts by Echols and Burgess.

I'll narrow that down a little more. Look for the Burgess posts.

systeme98

I'll admit that I was a little worried; one member I met at Reno spoke of sending a finished--lots of money invested here--action off for heat treatment, only to have it come back warped.

So when I finally tracked down Jim Sterling at Pacific Metallurgical, I was ecstatic.

His first words were "We use the Tom Burgess method."

flaco

I agree. I have used a number of heat treaters in the distant past. I have received back a few warped actions. I have recently used PMC once. The action was not warped when I got it back.

I had Pacmet do a South American 1909. I asked them to use the "Burgess Method". They knew exactly what I was talking about and turnaround time was a week.

flaco,

Is that thread at the top of your "saved" list too?

The first time I read it I felt just like the guys who first read the Dead Sea scrolls.

LD

I found that thread last night.
Thought now THATS a good thread!
Allen

I have one VZ marked 1937, and plan on using it without heat treating. The cartridge of choice is classic, and mild pressure. I want to use this action because I plan on making the rifle traditional or classic looking, and use a nice looking walnut stock.

Many years ago, when 1909 Argentine actions were easier to get, I had a least four, as I remember. I had one made up into a 338-06, and the darn thing set back significantly right away.

So, I sent the other three actions to a place in Salt Lake City, can't remember the name, for heat treatment. They all came back warped - and for my purposes, ruined. I can't even remember what I did with them, but I certainly didn't use them. I got rid of the set back one too, and used the barrel and stock again on a Mark X action.

That was my last real consideration of actually using an Argentine 1909 action. I bought another one about two years ago - in a momentary lapse of good judgement - and sold it quickly, before I became attached. In the same deal, I acquired several other military mauser actions, including the only one left - the VZ - 1937.

KB

Kabluewy,
You're not the first to experience a warped action upon returning from heat treating and this needs to be considered when one decides to heat treat a Mauser action.

I have no idea what the percentage is but it's not unusual to read such a comment as I've read it here by at least one other poster.

I seriously suspect you'll have a lot better experience with the VZ-24 as I truly believe they're a much better action even though I no longer have access to a Rc tester.

I've had dozens of mausers heat treated (gas carburised) and none have warped. I have seen other's whose experience was not as good as mine. The key is knowing who to send the receiver to.

quote:

Originally posted by z1r:
I've had dozens of mausers heat treated (gas carburised) and none have warped. I have seen other's whose experience was not as good as mine. The key is knowing who to send the receiver to.

And to whom do we send a mauser for HT? Please don't just tease us.

quote:

Originally posted by z1r:
I've had dozens of mausers heat treated (gas carburised) and none have warped. I have seen other's whose experience was not as good as mine. The key is knowing who to send the receiver to.

Agreed. At the time I had no idea of alternate sources for heat treating. Since then, I've vowed to never be in a situation where I needed heat treating services.

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

I seriously suspect you'll have a lot better experience with the VZ-24 as I truly believe they're a much better action even though I no longer have access to a Rc tester.

The last Argentine 1909 action I had was tested for hardness by a reliable source, as I was making a decision to barrel it or not. It was very soft.

I also think I'll have no trouble from the VZ, but now that I think about it some more, I think I'll send it to the same folks, and have it tested too. It's only postage, and a small fee. That's my insurance. If its too soft - its gone.

KB

seems to be that the vz is harder than most.. I have a 550 express on one.

jeffe

quote:

Originally posted by Rusty Marlin:

quote:

Originally posted by z1r:
I've had dozens of mausers heat treated (gas carburised) and none have warped. I have seen other's whose experience was not as good as mine. The key is knowing who to send the receiver to.

And to whom do we send a mauser for HT? Please don't just tease us.

I sent mine to Pacific Metallurgical in Kent, Wa. It came back in perfect condition.
www.pacmet.com