Bolt Forging Blocks

MAUSER BOLT FORGING BLOCKS Brownells Bolt Forging Blocks give the gunsmith an alternative to welding new handles on Mauser rifle bolts when sporterizing them. For the gunsmith without advanced welding skills, but who has access to oxy-acetylene welding equipment, this is a relatively simple process. Forging or bending bolt handles on sporterized military rifles involves two concepts; utility and esthetics. The bolt handle must be bent at the proper point and be shaped appropriately to clear the eyepiece end of a rifle scope. At the same time it should be shaped and polished to look good. This is one area where there are no absolute rules regarding handle shape and finish- ing. The gunsmith’s sense of proportion and taste will come into play. Since the job involves mastering several skills, we strongly recommend that you obtain a few surplus Mauser bolts as practice pieces. Bolt bending is best done on straight handled bolts with full round knobs. Military turned down bolts with flattened knobs should have new handles welded on. m WARNING m BROWNELLS GUNSMITHS DATA RING BINDER GUNSMITHS DATA BROWNELLS Never attempt to disassemble or reassemble a firearm unless you are READ & FOLLOW THESE absolutely certain that it is empty and unloaded. Visually inspect the chamber, the magazine and firing mechanism to be absolutely certain INSTRUCTIONS that no ammunition remains in the firearm. Disassembly and reas- sembly should follow the manufacturer’s instructions. If such instructions are not immediately available, contact the manufacturer to see if they are available. If they are not available at all, then you should consult other reference sources such as reference books or persons with sufficient knowledge. If such alternative sources are not available and you have a need to disassemble or reassemble the firearm, you should proceed basing your procedures on common sense and experience with similarly constructed firearms. With regard to the use of these tools, the advice of Brownells Incor- porated is general. If there is any question as to a specific application it would be best to seek out specific advice from other sources and not solely rely on the general advice and warnings given. red “forging” heat. Make absolutely certain that all flammable materials Inspection: are removed from the work area, and that appropriate safety equipment Strip the bolt completely. Clean the bolt and the action thoroughly. Exam- is readily available, including safety/welding goggles for gas welding, heat ine the bolt and the action for cracks or other problems, such as an oversize or resistant gloves, and a good fire extinguisher. The actual bending of the bolt damaged firing pin hole or bolt face. If the barrel is not going to be replaced handle should be done very quickly once the handle is at a forging heat, so it or the caliber changed at this time, check the headspace. If there are any may be helpful to have the assistance of another person to hold the lighted problems with the bolt or the headspace, replace the bolt and/or correct the torch while you do the forging work. headspace before any further work is done. It’s much better to scrap out a Mauser bolt handles are essentially square where the handle joins the bolt bolt or an action at this point than to discover a potential safety problem body. To properly bend the bolt handle, the underside of the square root has after extensive work has been done. to be rounded. For Model If the bolt face needs to be opened for use with magnum cartridges, the 98 Mausers, measure SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS IN YOUR IN THESE INSTRUCTIONS SAVE work should be done now. Also, make any necessary action modifications to out from the bolt body facilitate feeding the new cartridge.This would also be an appropriate time on the bolt handle root to drill and tap the receiver for scope mounts and temporarily attach them about .180", and round and the scope to the action. the root from that point towards the knob, blend- ing in the radius with HOW TO USE the bolt handle shank. Preparation and Safety: Small Ring Mausers Since bending bolt (Models 93, 95, 96, etc.) handles involves heat- which cock on closing, ing the bolt handle to have a smaller diam- a bright red heat and eter bolt body where the use of a punch and Initial bolt forging with a ballpeen hammer. bolt handle is attached. hammer to change the Measure out about .230" shape of the handle, from the bolt body and round over the handle root from that point. you will need a large, Install a Brownells Bolt Heat Sink into the bolt body and use Brownells heavy bench vise, prop- Heat Stop Paste liberally on the bolt’s cocking cam notch to protect the bolt erly mounted to a heavy from overheating. Some gunsmiths also will pack extra Heat Stop Paste work bench. You will inside the bolt body and around the bolt forward of the blocks to help prevent need an oxy-acetylene overheating. torch with a fairly large Place the bolt body in the Forging Blocks with the square root of the bolt tip to quickly heat the handle engaged in the notch in the blocks. Center the bolt handle in the bolt handle to a bright Applying heat to the standard bolt handle. 076-200-544 0216r © 2016 BROWNELLS, INC. MADE IN U.S.A. round groove in the right hand block. Clamp the Bolt Forging Blocks tightly partially filled with dry sand or kitty litter as you open the vise jaws. Be care- in a heavy duty bench ful: the forging blocks are vise. The lips of the hot! Do not let the heated Bolt Forging Blocks blocks hit the floor. This should be resting will cause serious dam- firmly against the tops age. of the vise jaws. Have Slowly and carefully, a bucket or large cof- put the bolt into the fee can of water at water, locking lugs first, the workbench to cool with the bolt body held down the bolt after the at an angle, until you can handle is forged.We immerse the triangular strongly recommend cocking cam cut in the heavy duty, heat re- bolt body while keeping sistant gloves be worn Front view of finished M-98 bolt knob. the bolt handle itself in and large slip jaw pli- Top: Bolt handle modified with forging punch. the open air. DO NOT ers be used when re- Bottom: Bolt handle modified with ballpeen drop the bolt into your bucket of water! Important: allow the bolt handle moving the bolt from hammer face. to cool slowly in the open air! Cooling it rapidly in the water will harden the Blocks and for it, making the cleanup cooling down the bolt in the water. from forging very dif- ficult. Forging the Bolt: Before proceeding Important: Before heating and forging the bolt, do a “dry run”, manipulat- to the next step, check ing the bolt from the Blocks to the water bucket, with gloves and pliers, just the bolt in the action to as though you had forged the bolt, so that you will not over-cool the newly see that it will clear the forged handle and will be able to properly cool the cocking cam area of the scope when it is in the bolt body. “up” or open position. Set up your oxy-acetylene torch with a large tip and a hard, “neutral” You may want to pad the flame; you must heat the bolt handle quickly and work rapidly to minimize exterior of the scope’s heat transfer to the bolt’s cocking cam surfaces and bolt body. Additionally, eyepiece with mask- you must work while the steel is at a bright red heat. If it cools to a dark or ing or Bedding Tape to black red, the steel is too cold to forge properly and you may crack or break prevent any chance of Rear view of finished M-98 bolt knob. the bolt handle when you hit it. scratching the scope. Do You must work fast enough that the bolt’s cocking cam surfaces do not not try to close the bolt in the action at this time! change color past a light “straw”, or you may have softened the cocking cam Cleaning up the Handle: to where the nose of the cocking piece may gall it. If this happens, you may Use files, a Dremel or Foredom hand grinder with sanding drums or want to send the bolt to a reputable heat treating firm with experience in mounted stones, a 1" x 42" belt sander, and hand and machine polishing as gun work to be re-heat treated. necessary to clean up scale, roughness and inconsistencies from the forg- SAFETY NOTE: Un- ing process. The handle less you have a secure shank should be no holder rigged for your wider than the square lit welding torch, do root where it joins the this job with another bolt body. The forging person to hold the torch process will have spread while you are handling the handle shank wider the Forging Punch and than the root, so it will hammer! need to be trimmed in Heat the bolt handle width to a pleasing con- shank from the top tour. The area at the down, keeping the inside of the handle ra- flame off of the handle dius should remain flat, ball to prevent scaling Sweeping the bolt handle Cutout at rear of Small Ring and not be rounded over it.

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