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Old mauser needs a new barrel, will it be safe to shoot with pitting like this?
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Old mauser needs a new barrel, will it be safe to shoot with pitting like this?---
WTB: old cz75 with round trigger guard & spur hammer, sf bay -
Rule of thumb is if pitting on the receiver by the chamber area is deeper than 25% of the thickness of the wall in that area it should be tested with extreme caution.
In your case it is not just pitting but entire areas rusted off ...more like rust canyons.
If none of the area is deeper than 20% of the thickness of the wall in that area you should be safe, if you clean all the rust out that is. Just dont go shooting full power loads and you should have some life left in it. Welding such a large area in the chamber area is HIGHLY not recommended as the heat treat for almost a entire side will be ruined.
If the chamber area is also pitted I would say you have a nice collectable paper weight.Last edited by Gunsmith Dan; 10-21-2012, 5:38 PM. -
I'm planning on getting it rebarreled. i have a replacement already...
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WTB: old cz75 with round trigger guard & spur hammer, sf bayComment
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Well if it was worth saving i might consider welding and a re heat treat.
But It may not be worth the effort. I wouldn't bother on anything other then a DWM or an Oberndorf. What make is it? and what year if you can tell?
But after welding and heat treat you'll have a couple hundred tied up in a $200 action in good condition. This one is more like $75
I would not rechamber in any cartridge rated over 55KPSIComment
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Wow that sounds serious.
I am completely ignorant when it comes to mausers. And on most other subjects as well.
Its a "Standard Modell" short rifle.
What KPSI is 8mm mauser, approximately?
Sounds like your valuation is that it should be retired.
Here are more pictures of the rifle (at the bottom)
http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showpost.php?p=8816591Last edited by durandal; 10-21-2012, 6:30 PM.---
WTB: old cz75 with round trigger guard & spur hammer, sf bayComment
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Leave as is...
Get another one for your project.Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you,
Jesus Christ and the American Soldier.
One died for your soul; the other for your freedom.
George PattonComment
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8mm Mauser is rated right at 57KPSI and should be fine if the pitting is less then .0625"
Thats my safe limit and a industry rule of thumb. Its not a hard and fast rule but will keep you safe in most situations
What I'm getting at with the max pressure is don't rechamber it for something like 59KPSI or 62-65 KPSI like some of the more modern cartridges. For one the bolt will probably set back letting you know you're over board on the PSI. Worse case is you get a over pressure situation with a week case on a hot day with a little oil in the chamber and the receiver lets go. Highly unlikely and quite rare but it has happened.
I can't say for sure if it would be safe to shoot I'd need to make an accurate evaluation of the depth of pitting. But I would not chamber it in anything other then a 7X57 or an 8X57 just to be safe.Comment
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If you are serious I would stop just after the new barrel. These things become money pits very quickly. Tell yourself that it is only to be a safe shooter and nothing more. That will help keep you from dumping huge sums into it.Comment
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Well putting a new barrel on it or welding on it no matter how historically significant will lose any interest by any collector and make it's value next to nothing.
If this is a rifle that was used by someone famous in history soak it in rust inhibiting oil and keep it oiled, otherwise a paperweight would be worth more if you slap on new parts.Comment
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It pretty much is a paper weight it's a 1933 standard modell Mauser. Chinese version.
So at best it's worth about $450 in decent condition. as it sits. $150 at best.Comment
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It could be a half rusted zip gun but if there is proof to verify someone famous owned it the value shoots up a good amount.Comment
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Im not really of the belief system that an untouched historical lump of rust and mold that used to be a rifle is more valuable than a functioning, restored weapon.
I figure, If a mauser rifle with a shot out barrel was in the KMT armory in 1945, they would slap a new barrel on it and send it back out to the front line.
The resale value is of no interest to me, for many reasons, least of which is i intend for these guns to stay in my family after I pass on.
Besides, there is almost no collector interest in such a rifle within the United States. Chinese antiques may as well be scrap iron. Ironically, if you were in communist china, you cant own them, and here, nobody values them.
A lot of the rifles that returned from china that were used by the KMT to fight the japs/commies, are seen as junk guns, and americans seem to like refinishing the stock, scrubbing the unit markings off the guns, removing any chinese made replacement parts and refinishing the metal to remove the last trace of its time spent abroad.
Im not like that. I want to restore my old broken guns, not deface them.
Thank you for your advice. I will try to get a tool to measure the depth of the pits. If the gunsmith i intend to recruit for these services (kendog) refuses to work on such a rifle, well, then that will be the end of the road for this old gun.Last edited by durandal; 10-21-2012, 8:51 PM.---
WTB: old cz75 with round trigger guard & spur hammer, sf bayComment
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Well if you have correctly Identified it as a Chiang Kai-Shek Standard modell Mauser It was made by Chinese state arsenals prior to 1949 as per my "Rifles of the world" and was a Chinese copy of a 1898 Mauser of the 98K variety. More notably the book goes on to state the poor quality of craftsmanship and poor stock shape.
No where can I find any information that show the Germans delivered weapons to the Chinese in the form of a 98 Mauser variant.Comment
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