The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - turning a turkish mauser into a woods rifle.

PetahW · March 16, 2009, 09:00 AM

I cut my own barrels short with a hacksaw, after first marking it all-around with a machinist's square for the cut.

I cut the barrel a tad longer than the scribed mark, then file it down to the mark from all sides.
I break/chamfer the outer edge slightly, then decide what type of crown I want - flat, rounded, or recessed - and dress it off accordingly.

I do the actual crowning with coarse, then fine, automotive valve-grinding compound and various sized round-head brass wood screws, chucked in a hand drill and worked around in all directions.
I start with the largest head, which barely edges the rifling, and progress through grits, then reducing head sizes until I get to a screwhead the goes into the bore. - then clean/flush from the chamber end.

I also change my own bolt handles, by hacksawing the old ones off near the root, and welding another in place after deep chamfering of both parts along all four edges.
Commercial bolt handles are available from Brownell's and many others - but I happen to be partial to the Rem 700 handle, since it has the checkering already cast in, and can be readily had from the Rem Parts Dept. YMMV.

CAVEAT ! The bolt cocking cam's hardening can be altered/damaged, causing galling and/or hard cocking some time down the road, if the bolt body is allowed to overheat !
I use a large heatsink, screwed into the rear of the empty bolt body, and wrap the locking lugs tightly with soft lead.

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March 16, 2009, 09:00 AM	#4
PetahW Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2008 Posts: 4,678	I cut my own barrels short with a hacksaw, after first marking it all-around with a machinist's square for the cut. I cut the barrel a tad longer than the scribed mark, then file it down to the mark from all sides. I break/chamfer the outer edge slightly, then decide what type of crown I want - flat, rounded, or recessed - and dress it off accordingly. I do the actual crowning with coarse, then fine, automotive valve-grinding compound and various sized round-head brass wood screws, chucked in a hand drill and worked around in all directions. I start with the largest head, which barely edges the rifling, and progress through grits, then reducing head sizes until I get to a screwhead the goes into the bore. - then clean/flush from the chamber end. I also change my own bolt handles, by hacksawing the old ones off near the root, and welding another in place after deep chamfering of both parts along all four edges. Commercial bolt handles are available from Brownell's and many others - but I happen to be partial to the Rem 700 handle, since it has the checkering already cast in, and can be readily had from the Rem Parts Dept. YMMV. CAVEAT ! The bolt cocking cam's hardening can be altered/damaged, causing galling and/or hard cocking some time down the road, if the bolt body is allowed to overheat ! I use a large heatsink, screwed into the rear of the empty bolt body, and wrap the locking lugs tightly with soft lead. .