Hello Folks

This is a horrible photo of a Brno Peruvian small ring action. The action above the stock line is absolutely pristine, bluing etc is great.

However it has light pitting on the reciever rails and this quite heavy pitting at the front of the reciever ring (about 5/32nds back).

I would like to use it to build a nice lightweight sporter - but what to do about the visable pitting (or rather - what to tell the 'smith ??)

I'd touch up the pits with my TIG welder and grind them flush. You might be able to cut back the face but I think that would look bad.

question on welding pits-

I have no practical experience with this, and I don't mean my questions to challenge TooMany Tools post above.

what I have is a situation where I have read opposing views from knowlegdable, working gunsmiths.

I have read here and other places that there is too much carbon in the receiver's skin to weld pits closed without the welded area "popping" while being welded, meaning that welding the pits is not an option. is this true, or are there some mausers that it can be done to, others not?

just curious, I'd like to try to do it.

All I can say is that I've never had a problem welding them--maybe I didn't know any better.

quote:

All I can say is that I've never had a problem welding them--maybe I didn't know any better.

probably the best approach

it's good news for me, anyway.

Tom Burgess doesn't have any problem either. That action has ALOT of pitting though. Not sure I'd do anything with it.

I Likewise have never encountered a problem TIG welding a receiver. As with anything, you have to clean and prepare the area before welding on it. I bead blast the pitted area to remove any hidden crap. If you don't get the stuff out of the pits, it may blow back at you. Maybe that's what they are referring to. The only other way to have problems is poor gas flow and stirring the puddle with the tungsten...

quote:

Originally posted by Westpac:
The only other way to have problems is poor gas flow and stirring the puddle with the tungsten...

Well, you gotta have someting to stir the puddle with....if not the tungsten, then what?

quote:

Originally posted by z1r:

quote:

Originally posted by Westpac:
The only other way to have problems is poor gas flow and stirring the puddle with the tungsten...

Well, you gotta have someting to stir the puddle with....if not the tungsten, then what?

Perhaps one of these

somewhere around the cave here I have a military mannlicher-schoenauer action, I'll have at it... if I ever find it.

quote:

Perhaps one of these

that pot is never too far away...

quote:

Originally posted by Westpac:

quote:

Originally posted by z1r:

quote:

Originally posted by Westpac:
The only other way to have problems is poor gas flow and stirring the puddle with the tungsten...

Well, you gotta have someting to stir the puddle with....if not the tungsten, then what?

Perhaps one of these

Yeah, but I can't figure out how to plug my computer into my welder.

Seriously,

Pits can be fixed by welding however, if more than a few small ones the cost gets prohibitive. It's one thing for me to spend the time on my action but another when you have to PAY someone to weld, grind, and contour the receiver.

The 1924 (?) Peruvian is so rare! It would seem to be a shame to not use it....1909 (high stripper clip) is hard to find, so is the 1935, but a 1924!!!! Great find. Compared to many of the 1909's, these pits do not seem too outlandish. Have at it, and congratulations! Arthur

Hello Arthur

This is even rarer, its a Modelo 1932, Brno made, with high stripper clip. Probably like hens teeth, as according to the only source I can find on the net only 5,000 were made. This one is "like new" on the bolt (not matching numbers) and about 95% on all visable metal but the stock has been refinished I think. According to collecting folk here it is not "worth much" because no one in NZ is really into South American stuff and the numbers don't match.

Cheers - Foster

IMO there are still many good '98 mausers available and I'd pass on that one.

When I weld pits shut the surface never looks the same.....I can see the repair in different hues in the steel.

Well, you could sand blast it then slather on some steel bed and sand it smoothe. Then do a spray on type finish.

Just another option if you didn't want to weld on it.

Rojelio

i'd pass... the pitting on the front ring is BAD....

wait a second, if it was CHEAP enough, i would become either a 358 or 376 steyr, but that's just me

Hmmmmm - Thanks for the thoughts guys.

What about if I had the pitting "turned off" than had one of our local machine shops who repair crankshafts etc use their "metal spaying" skills to rebuild a new ring profile onto the front of the ring (which would be turned and polished off by the smith). These guys have made some amazing repairs to cranks I have seen, as long as they didn't get it hot what else could happen ??

Cheers - Foster

PS the pits are not as deep as they look in the photo, and they are right at the front maybe I could just re-profile the radius on the front of the reciever ring ??

quote:

Originally posted by Rojelio:
Well, you could sand blast it then slather on some steel bed and sand it smoothe. Then do a spray on type finish.

Just another option if you didn't want to weld on it.

Rojelio

That sounds like a real good suggestion to build a nice shooter. I've seen some Spray/Bake finishes that looked very nice.

Weagle

break out the coat hangers. I hear they make good welding rods.

Rich

Just have a true gunmaker TIG them up and reheat treat the action after the metal work is complete. I strongly advise not going the route you suggested. And you really need some one who is a gunmaker to weld it up for you. I have worked with some of the best welders in the world, and I would not let them weld on a gun for me. I can't do what they do, but I can TIG up actions.

anyone:

would there be too much loss of material on the ring if it was just turned back, say on an angle?

I know the aesthetics would go to hell- say you just wanted to make a shooter out of an action with similar pitting.

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break out the coat hangers. I hear they make good welding rods.

I only use the high-carbon hangers from your better dry cleaning establishments.

quote:

Originally posted by richj:
break out the coat hangers. I hear they make good welding rods.

Well...don't laugh, but its been done before. When you gotta get it fixed, you gotta get it fixed...

quote:

Originally posted by Rojelio:
Well, you could sand blast it then slather on some steel bed and sand it smoothe. Then do a spray on type finish.

Just another option if you didn't want to weld on it.

Rojelio

Dude ,,,!!! thats a cheap plastic skirt gun bubba repair! You gotta be jokin!

Thats just makin it more of a piece of garbage, not worth the effort, kinda like spray painting a old trash can silver to make it look chrome plated

Bubba gone wild!

If the pits are not too deep you could possibly turn them off on a lathe and them make a sleeve the same dimension as the removed metal, except being a few thou smaller in inside diameter. Heat the sleeve to expand it and chill the receiver to shrink it and press together. If the joint is cut smooth it should make an almost invisible joint. Similar to the way a front sight is put on a Swedish mauser. The mauser front sight may be soldered instead of a press fit though.

Hart

quote:

Originally posted by GSP7:

Bubba gone wild!

oh man...


what is metal sparying??? is that like passing material under a plasma torch and the splatter behind coating or something equaly exotic?

jeffe

you are getting soem very, very creative ideas here. Not sound ideas, but creative none th eless. Whatever you do, please stick with the only proper repair of having a gunmaker TIG it up and then re-heat treat

Hello Concerned Citizens

Many thanks for your suggestions and thoughts. When I chanced onto this action I had high hopes that it would make the basis of a very nice rifle, as I have not seen as many actions that are as clean and straight - at least on the parts that are visible. Small ring actions in nice "unbubba'd" condition are not all that common here.

Anyhow I see that it's going to cost a sizable chunk of money to fix this one properly, and even then the final result might not make a rifle high on the "nice" scale.

Here's what I'm going to do - the bolt on this one is good, so I'll have the bolt handle done and mounts fitted by the best 'smith available in NZ. I'll fit up an old barrel that I have to hand. I'll confirm an order for a Biesen stock for a small ring, and then put everything together so that I have a light rifle to replace my tired old BSA Hunter.

I'll keep looking of a Brno Model 21 (they come up occasionally here with altered bolts and tired tubes). When I get my hands on a 21 I'll rebarrel it "properly", fit the modified bolt and bottom metal from the Brno Peruvian, fit it to the Biesen stock and go hunting with what should now be a "nice" rifle.


Cheers - Foster
Cheers - Foster

Spray welding requires that the part being welded be heated up to a red heat or hotter.
Any lower temperature will not allow the new metal to fuse with the part being repaired.