416WSM on Siamese Mauser & 416/348Ackley Improved on Martini

[Rule 303]

Hope so - the English profile is a Geoff Slee pattern, which I have on both of my Enfields. I also have a Geoff Slee on my 45/100 Martini. Geoff was a great talent and sadly missed.

Yes Geoff is sorely missed. Because Cam's stocks are from Geoff's pattern is the reason I ordered a couple at the same time. Both are on Enfield's, M17 in 358/338RUM

Figured stock imports would cop scrutiny nowadays. Been at least 10 years since I brought them in.

 

[BlueFlyer]

While I am waiting for parts to arrive for the Siamese Mauser I welded a new bolt handle on my 243AI that is built on an Omark 44 range rifle action - single shot bolt action with 60deg lift. The original knob had minimal clearance to the scope. this one is about 1/2" longer. I have also made up an alloy bedding block for it.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

While I am waiting for parts to arrive for the Siamese Mauser I welded a new bolt handle on my 243AI that is built on an Omark 44 range rifle action - single shot bolt action with 60deg lift. The original knob had minimal clearance to the scope. this one is about 1/2" longer. I have also made up an alloy bedding block for it.View attachment 620827View attachment 620828
View attachment 620829

Very nice! Wish you had stuck the bolt handle on my Mauser. The twit who welded it (before I purchased the action) didn't get it lined up properly and overheated the back end of bolt, distorting slightly. Was a chore truing everything but it cycles slick now.

 

[BlueFlyer]

Cam from Hatchers just sent me through some photos of the rough machined stock - this was one of his lower end blanks at Xx grade. A bit of a split personality!

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Interesting. What is the wood? I would advise pinning that one through the wrist. The "split personality" makes its split there. Here's the jig I built to hold the drill bit when I pinned my 98 Mauser. Most use 1/4" threaded rod but this stock wrist was too thin. Didn't want to remove that much wood. Instead I used 3/16" straight stainless rod and roughed it up with grinding wheel before gluing in place with JB Weld.

 

[BlueFlyer]

What is the wood?

It is walnut out of the middle east.

 

[BlueFlyer]

Correction - the walnut blank is from New Zealand.

 

[BlueFlyer]

The stock for the Siamese Mauser is still in transit, so I thought it was time to fit and chamber the barrel to the Martini. The barrel I am using had been chambered for 416Taylor and the shank thread was 1" x 12tpi. The Martini thread is 1" X 14tpi, so the shank had to be cut off and then start again.

You will see in the photo that the barrel was set up in the 4 Jaw chuck with a 3mm aluminium tig rod as the clamp point. The Al rod allows the barrel to pivot when adjustments are made at the spider.

When I clocked the bore to be straight the remainder of the 416 Taylor chamber was 0.020" off centre. Luckily the 416/348AI is a larger diameter than the 416 Taylor so I was able to bore out the old chamber and make the new start point concentric. When the bore for the chamber was set up, the muzzle end was also 0.060" out of concentricity. All you can do is mark the point (centrer punch mark) when the muzzle is high so that the barrel is pointing up rather than to the side or down when screwed into the action.

Not sure of what you call my reamer holder design, but I saw it on Youtube and it made sense to me. It is totally floating as the reamer holder has a square end and the tailstock insert has a ball end which allows the reamer to follow the bore. I also have a electronic scale set up on the tailstock so I can precisely control the depth of the reamer cut.

I finished up with closing on the go gauge, but firm resistance when I put 0.002" of paper on the go gauge. The 0.004" feeler gauge prevented the action from closing.

Hopefully I can finish the job by cutting the extractor grooves tomorrow. No feed issues to sort on this rifle.

 

[BlueFlyer]

Found time to cut the extractor features on the barrel today. The horizontal cut was easily done with a 2mm slitting saw on the vertical mill. For the vertical cuts I cannot stand the barrel up in the mill, but I have a vertical slide that I can mount to the cross slide of the lathe.

I used a 3mm slot drill to make the cut. I did not hava a collet small enough so mounted it in. I used an old cordless drill keyless chuck that I held in my collet chuck, not optimal but it worked.

The 577/450 extractor is way too wide for the 348Win case. To get it narrow enough I used a toolmakers clamp to squeeze it in and then heated with a propane torch to set the new width.

All went together and now the block closes and the case ejects.

The next step is to make a hanger to maintain connection for the forend stock. From experience with my 45/70 Martini it needs a recoil slot cut into the barrel to cope with the recoil loads. Silver soldered luggs are not sufficient. I am also working on a nice piece of walnut for it.

 

[BlueFlyer]

When they said a Siamese Mauser is the same as a short K98, but different they a were 100% correct.
The K98 bolt shield screws and indexes prefectly in the SM bolt. BUT the firing pin slot is clocked 90degs so the SM cocking piece will not assemble. Not sure if I had a K98 cocking piece it would then assemble and line up with the triger sear? Just thought I would check before I invested in a K98 3 positions safety. I don't like the timney triger safetry option. I dont like the timney low swing safety either. Might have to go with the WW2 sniper safety option in the short term.

The firing pins are also different. The final diameter tip is longer on the SM so the K98 tip cannot protrude out of the bolt.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Interesting. One wonders why Mauser would have done that. I guess so parts aren't mixed up? Prevents anyone from using too short K98 firing pin in Siamese Mauser. You will for sure need to change bolt shroud if you want 3-position Model 70 safety (which I also prefer). The issue would be lengthening the firing pin. You seem to have the machinery and expertise to build another one. Similarly, I desire one of those safeties for my Springfield 03A3. An actual Winchester Model 70 bolt shroud will thread on the Springfield bolt but then requires fabricating a new firing pin/striker. Guys have done it, usually using tungsten stock. But I don't have that kind of equipment.

I wouldn't worry too much about Timney trigger not matching up. You clearly have the expertise needed to modify cocking piece to make it work.

I would be surprised if others haven't resolved the firing pin issue. There is a forum dedicated to Mauser enthusiasts. Might want to check there. I have heard about it but never visited.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

There is another possible option for side safety. Chapman sold a kit for changing to 2-position safety on 98 Mauser military bolt shroud. Similar to Model 70 style but no position 2. I have one of those kits but it required some machining I was not quite sure about so I ordered a new 3-position with bolt shroud. You could certainly handle it. Wisner in Washington also sells the kits.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Interesting. One wonders why Mauser would have done that. I guess so parts aren't mixed up? Prevents anyone from using too short K98 firing pin in Siamese Mauser. You will for sure need to change bolt shroud if you want 3-position Model 70 safety (which I also prefer). The issue would be lengthening the firing pin. You seem to have the machinery and expertise to build another one. Similarly, I desire one of those safeties for my Springfield 03A3. An actual Winchester Model 70 bolt shroud will thread on the Springfield bolt but then requires fabricating a new firing pin/striker. Guys have done it, usually using tungsten stock. But I don't have that kind of equipment.

I wouldn't worry too much about Timney trigger not matching up. You clearly have the expertise needed to modify cocking piece to make it work.

I would be surprised if others haven't resolved the firing pin issue. There is a forum dedicated to Mauser enthusiasts. Might want to check there. I have heard about it but never visited.

Correction. They used titanium stock to fabricate Springfield firing pins, not tungsten.

 

[BlueFlyer]

Wisner in Washington also sells the kits.

Yes I have looked at that option, but they will not export!!!
I was planning to make one up from scratch. That is why I got he K98 shroud as I don't want to risk stuffing it up and not have a functioning bolt.
If you want to sell your kit I would be happy to talk about it.

 

[BlueFlyer]

Not much shed time this weekend. The stock for the Mauser has arrived. In preparation for inletting the barreled action into the stock I needed to remove the rebated face of the front action ring.

Ideally this should have been removed before the barrel was fitted. But as I am not a licensed gunsmith the police would not release the action to me, and this issue was overlooked when the barrel was fitted.
I chucked it up in the 3 jaw and then used the carbide parting tool to remove the lip. The main issue was to not touch the barrel.

To inlet the barreled action into the stock I am going to make up longer studs to align it in the stock. The threads for the action screws measure up to be 1/4"X22tpi, although it would not surprise me if it was a metric pitch. I had read they were meant to be 20TPI but 22TPI was a much better fit with my thread gauges.

 

[BlueFlyer]

Our first Spring type weather this weekend, about 20C.
The inletting to get the barreled action into the stock has been this weekends task. As it is now, it weighs 6.8lbs. The balance is good, being right at mid magazine, but I am seriously thinking I am going to have to stow some weight in the stock. With the steel picatinny rail and scope it is just under 8lbs.
The sights are not on, I just sat them on the barrel with bluetac to get an idea how it would go together.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Looks good. Yes, more weight might be good. Possibly a fore end tip of ebony or rosewood?

 

[BlueFlyer]

Possibly a fore end tip of ebony or rosewood?

I have a brown/red Pachmayr Decelerator to go on the butt so I was thinking a local timber, fiddle back red gum tip, if I go that way.
I could not resist and I mounted the picatinny rail. I went with the rail as it allows me to fit a red dot if I want. I have a leupold mount as an alternative, but thought it was more restrictive to other sight options.
With the current bolt handle I needed to scollop out a bit more of the shank with the tool and cutter grinder to clear the scope on medium height rings. If I want to go lower, it will be a cut and shut with a new handle welded lower on the bolt shank.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Thursday I noticed a mark on my 404's bolt handle and discovered it was rubbing the scope. Originally I set it up with a semi-pic rail (has a cutout for loading fixed magazine) and the old 1" 3x Weaver scope I'd retired from my Springfield. Plenty of clearance for bolt handle but it did not have enough eye relief so I bought a new Bushnell 1-4x 30mm. To accommodate this thicker scope I swapped out the p-rail for a discontinued Weaver 1-piece base that is significantly lower. With this setup the new scope acquires instantly but turns out it was TOO low. I used Dremel tool with sanding disks to reshape and polish the scallop in the bolt handle. Clearance is now a cigarette paper's thickness. The bolt handle was added before I bought the action. Not the best work unfortunately. But I made it work.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

My first stock for the 404 had a zebrawood fore end tip. Interesting contrast. Actually nice wood to work with. It was my first attempt at making a fore end tip. No ebony or rosewood available locally and I needed something fast as safari trip was looming. The fancy stock on the gun now is something that came up online later.