Winter Project: A Mauser-based 1911-magfed Bolt Action

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Originally Posted by Caballoflaco

@RevolverRob I haven’t looked to see if anyone makes one, but I really doubt you need a full power striker spring to run pistol ammo reliably. Experimenting with cutting a spring down yourself or getting a softer one might slick up that action even more.

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I thought about that that - my cursory understanding of the Mauser action is that a lighter striker spring may result in pierced primers, because the striker is so hefty (less spring tension lets it push farther forward into the primer). This could probably be remedied by shortening the firing pin a bit, so the extra protrusion isn't an issue.

Or get some Titanium and build a new striker assembly to run with a lighter spring. I'd need Titanium, a mill and a lathe for that. So that is obviously the correct solution. :eek:

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Originally Posted by Lex Luthier

If you are going to go full stock, I urge you to go as slim as possible- the lines of a real Steyr-Mannlicher are classic for a reason. The 93 Mauser action is so svelte it deserves to be paired with an equally sleek stock layout.
I can talk you through inlaying a spline of carbon fiber in the barrel channel to keep everything stable forward of the action pillars.

Attachment 96969

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Maybe start separate thread just about Carbon Fiber spline? That sounds very interesting for full stock projects in general.

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Originally Posted by awp_101

I didn't know Rhineland was still around. I looked at those kits probably in the 2010-2012 time frame and they were perpetually out of stock. Have they given you any kind of ETA or ship date?

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Update - They did ship my parts and they were delivered last week. But to be on the safe side I had them shipped to my sister's house in Texas where we'll be for the holiday.

So no real progress on this thread until I get stuff setup'ish in NY.

Starting to get back to the de Lauser (pronounced "delouser") -

I'm simultaneously juggling a few things, like building a new workbench. But today I started soaking the old barrel on the action with penetrating oil. Which I'll spray down a few times and let soak. I might took a sooty flame from my torch and just get the action warm-to-hot to the touch. Not hot enough to damage any heat treat, but maybe enough to help the oil really get in there.

I also got out the calipers and measured the mag block insert (3.14") and my bottom metal(3.11"). Then slowly started filing away at the bottom metal. I also stripped the anodizing off the front and back of the aluminum mag block, because it will simply get ruined at this stage of the build. I tried an 80-grit sanding drum in my dremel to speed it along. But I didn't like the unevenness of what I was getting due to the inability to get the Dremel really in there. So, I went back to coarse and medium files. I'll work it down some more, it's only a few hundredths anyways. Eventually, I have to notch the bottom metal to clear the mag release and drill a few holes in it for cross pins to secure the mag block.

I still haven't made up my mind on a stock. Though a Boyds AT-One is tempting.

File and Dremel
Attachment 101844

File and Dremel More
Attachment 101845

File and Dremel Some More
Attachment 101846

It fits!
Attachment 101847
Attachment 101848

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Next step(s):

Notch the bottom metal for the 1911-mag release.
Swap out the barrels and head space the new one.
Then confirm that the magazines and/or bolt doesn't need to be modified to feed.
Pin the mag adapter into place.
Fit into a stock.

Someone else who crosses his sevens!

Gotta clean up the radii on these humps and get them even. Also this is a mockup piece, the cheapest mag release that Midway had. I'll end up swapping this for an extended one for sure. And probably one that is drilled and tapped and use a larger paddle on it.

Attachment 102174

Attachment 102175

Attachment 102176

I realized I also have to do something about the the magazine sitting too high. I'm about 0.15" too high and the bolt hits the feed lips of the magazine. I can drop the magazine a bit lower with a lower magazine release, but that is only going to net me 0.05". So I decided to ramp and narrow the bolt a bit. I have plenty of breech face:

Attachment 102177

All I'm planning to do is narrow the lower shoulders a bit so they slide inside the feed lips of a mag. Then just ramp the leading edge so it doesn't hang on the follower as it slides forward. I have about .07" to narrow. Shouldn't get close to the black ring which is below the rim.

Attachment 102178

Swipe all the way right to see a short vid of the results of ramping and narrowing the bolt.

http://instagram.com/p/CpbSvjHLamu/

I'm not sure which step I'm on here, but it seems like about step 60 out of about 10...

Anyways - this is the step where I remove the old barrel. So, I built a barrel vise out of some scrap wood and 1/8" flat stock. Then bolted it down to my jigging block (an old Boeing Surplus piece I got when I was living in SeaTac-area), which is bolted to a bench grinder stand. Each of these steps took time as I needed to mount the jigging block, make the stand steady enough, make the barrel vise, etc. All to end up here:

http://instagram.com/p/CpxfXgFrmL6/


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And this is the part where I make a grand reveal of my unbarreled action. Except...not. Because I still haven't gotten the barrel loose.

Attempt 1: Some penetrating oil for a couple of weeks. Tighten it down in the barrel vise, grab the action wrench and give it a turn. Ha. No dice, turns in the barrel vise.

Attempt 2: More penetrating oil. Add some sticky stuff to prevent it from turning in the barrel vise. Nope, still turns.

Attempt 3: 18" pipe wrench on the barrel (the barrel is trashed from erosion), first around the rear sight base. Turns out that was a mistake, because the rear sight base isn't one piece, it's a sleeve. I found that out, by turning it and then tearing it off the barrel. So...Nope.

Attempt 4: Pipe Wrench on the barrel (not rear sight), and crank down on the action wrench and hold steady or apply slight counter pressure to the pipe wrench. Nope.

Attempt 5: Pipe Wrench on the barrel (not rear sight), and crank down on the action wrench and hold steady or apply slight counter pressure to the pipe wrench, now add a floor jack handle as a cheater bar to action wrench. Nope.

Attempt 6: Pipe Wrench on the barrel (not rear sight), and crank down on the action wrench and pipe wrench to bear on the jigging block. Put cheater bar on action wrench, lean on that bitch with all 210 pounds of RevolverRob. Nope.

Attempt 7: Cut a relief notch around the shoulder of the barrel where it enters the receiver with a diamond wheel in my Dremel. Pipe Wrench, Action Wrench, Cheater Bar, All my weight. Nope.

Attempt 8: Whack the muzzle end with a 2# dead blow hammer a few times with the action held in my bench vise. Then relief cut, pipe wrench, action wrench, cheater bar, body weight. Nope.

Attempt 9: Same as above, only whacking the hell out of the action wrench handle with my dead blow hammer. Nope.

So, we are now at Attempt 10. Still soaking it in penetrating oil at night. For this attempt, I'm going to deepen my relief notch a bit, this time with a hacksaw (it's pretty shallow) and see if that helps.

If not, Attempt 11 will be gentle heat from a propane torch to the receiver.

After that, I'm not sure. I could try Kroil, heating/freezing cycles, cutting the barrel to a stub, chucking the action in a lathe and deepening the relief cut. Since I don't have a lathe, that'll involve either finding a machine shop or buying a lathe (which I'm good with, but Mrs. RR might not be so cool with).

@RevolverRob

Have you thought about grinding a couple of flats on the barrel to see if you can get a better grip on it?