Ok guys, I did some horse trading with a fellow forum member. One of the items in the trade was a M98 bolt from a "mismatched" English style sporter.

I was told that the bolt was for a "magnum" so I assumed .532" boltface. When it arrived I slipped a 300 H&H case under the extractor and it was pretty loose.

Upon closer inspection it looked like a non-magnum cartridge had been fired against this bolt as there was a brass ring on the face. When I measured the brass mark I came up with a diameter of .505". I contacted the seller and he said the rifle this bolt was taken from was a 9.3x64. So the .505" brass mark matches the cartridge, but the bolt face is quite a bit bigger at .552".

I don't believe the bolt-face had been opened, and if it was it was done long, long ago.

I received some 404 Jeffery cartridges today and they fit the bolt-face perfectly. The extractor springs out a bit when a cartridge in snapped onto the face. The extractor holds the cartridge against the face snugly.



So my question: is this bolt from a 404J? What other cartridge could it have been manufactured for?

Also, does anyone recognize the markings on the bolt?



Bolt-face showing brass mark that is smaller than the opening:


Bolt-face with a 404J cartridge in place(extractor removed for photo):


.552" bolt-face:


404J cartridge held in place by the extractor:


Stamping on top of the bolt:


Stampings on the bottom of the bolt handle:


Bolt handle and dovetail in the cocking-piece for a peep sight:

Ifthe shoe fits and you already know what size your feet are, then you know what size the shoe is....

AD

I have some Interarms bolts out of .30-06's whose boltfaces are perfectly sized for the 9.3x64 or .376 Styer. The extractors though are correct for the .30-06. Sloppy workmanship from the factory.

In this case, you have what appears to be a German Military 98 bolt which has been altered. No telling what its history is. But you know what you can use it for..

the bolt and english action are danergous.. they will cause your vigra to not work, your barrels to rust, and your scopes to wander.. QUICK, send it to me!

quote:

Originally posted by Allan DeGroot:
Ifthe shoe fits and you already know what size your feet are, then you know what size the shoe is....

AD

That is kinda what I figured, but it seemed too good to be true. I thought I might be missing some other cartridge that used a .550" bolt-face. From my research this sized face is pretty unique to the 404.

Jeffe
Sorry, I don't have the receiver, only the bolt

Mike
The bolt handle looked ex military to me also. Do the crown(?) markings on the bolt support this?

Thanks guys.

Anyone else want to weigh in?

You have a military bolt as demonstated by the proof marks. Bolt face has been openned up quite sometime ago...some pitting on face. The .552" diameter could accommodate the 404J (base diameter .545") or 303 British (base diameter .540). The extractor profile and fit would leave me believe it was from a 303 Mauser conversion. A friend has one done by WW Greener Birmingham England.Very nice sporting rifle. The military firing pin has been trimmed and the military cocking piece has received a dovetail cut for a bolt mount aperature sight.

The stampings look to be Imperial German proofs, similar to what you'd see on a Gew 98. As to the brass burnishing of the bolt face, remember that most brass has a bevel on the back edge of the rim. Therefore the full rim diameter would not mark the bolt face; only that portion which is in direct contact. So it is possible it was used for a cartridge with a wider rim.

quote:

Originally posted by rgg_7:
The .552" diameter could accommodate the 404J (base diameter .545") or 303 British (base diameter .540). The extractor profile and fit would leave me believe it was from a 303 Mauser conversion.

Yes, I was afraid it might be for a 303 British. What specifically about the extractor makes you believe it was for a 303?

Thanks again guys.

.

quote:

Originally posted by ALF:
Two proofs on the bolt;
Crown + N = German Nitro Proof
Crown + BV = Birmingham Nitro Proof

I thought that might be a BV but the crown looked a bit odd to me.

.

Alf,

Can you give a better shot of the bolt handle?

Sweet rifle. That staggered magazine is kinda kool too.

Alf
I was hoping you would lend your expertise. Thanks for weighing in. Would you guess 303 or 404?


rgg_7

quote:

Originally posted by rgg_7:
The fact that the 404 pushes or stress the extractor and does not have a hook on it would further support 303 British.

I believe I was a bit unclear, the extractor deflects outward about .008" as the case is being snapped into place. Once the case is fully on the bolt-face the extractor is only .002" deflected from its "empty" position.

This amount of deflection is similar to my other Mausers, both military and commercial. I was led to believe, by Duane Wiebe and others, that the extractor must exert some force on the case(in the case's grove) when the case is on the face in order to provide proper extraction.

Thanks again everyone.

quote:

Originally posted by ALF:
This is the boltface of a genuine Oberndorf Mauser in cal 303 British.

Alf
I notice that my bolt has the two projections on either side of the ejector groove unlike your 303, and my extractor does not have the upper third of the claw milled off.

In your expert opinion what would my bolt most likely be?

Thanks again!

.

These 303 Mausers are not that commonn but do exist. I've also see 8mm Mauser Lee-Speed rifles.

The "BV" dates the time the proof was done to a specific period. So the crown with "BV" is the 'view' mark of the Birmingham Proof House (the initial proof mark) from 1904 -1954.

German proof was not recognised in Britain so even if imported fully finished (or made up from parts) the finished rifle would still require proof.