doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Unveiled! Finished Photo Mannlicher Gunbroker

It has been slow around here lately and I just picked up this [possibly] Pre-War Mannlicher Mauser, Gunbroker Item #299970794. http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=299970794 If someone would be very kind and publish the photos here, I thought if anyone was interested I would throw the discussion wide open as to a possible maker [stock cheekpiece/checkering pattern and style looks familiar to me], possible broken screw removal solutions, and since the seller thinks it is a 30/06 is there a safe way to check this out, other than a chamber cast? Thanks in Advance Jerry

Suggestions in order of DEcreasing desirability:

A)Mill it out on a large rigid end mill, may need a carbide end mill cutter.

B)Grind it out with a(your) dentist's carbide insert(s) held in your hand grinder, drill press or mill. He/she should be willing to give you plenty of old used ones or even sell you some new ones. They're cheap.

C)Use a center drill or small grinding point to form a center dimple and then use a left-hand bit or E-Z-E Out to back it out.

D)Use a center drill or small grinding point to form a center dimple and then use a right-hand bit (may need carbide) to drill all the way through the screw.

So, doyathink I've hadta remove a few screws? (grin)
Regards and good luck, Joe

Nice checkering. I think it is post-war, either a Bishop or Fajen stock. The bolt stop is from a Steyr,

make sure that it is a broken screw and not a broken tap.

As to checking out whether it is a 30-06, try chambering
an empty cartridge. If it chambers, good, then put some
inletting black on the shoulder of the chamber, try feeding
the empty cartridge from the magazine into the chamber, close
the bolt and then open the bolt and eject the cartridge. Look
and see if the inletting black has been transferred to the shoulder of the cartridge. Check to see how far a 30-06 bullet
goes into the muzzle.

I was once thinking about how to go about removing a broken screw like that. Then I looked at the underside and there was enough screw exposed to grab and turn out with a needle nose.

This has worked for me several times. I used a pair of vicegrips, locked down on the broken screw shaft and turned the screw out. What say you?

That should work for a screw, but if it is broken tap, you are likely to shatter the tap. Except for the part that is stuck in the hole.

If you can chamber a 30-06 case in it,,load one up w/ 3 or 4 gr or Bullseye. Stuff the rest of the case with cereal or a wad of TP. Fire form it in the chamber and see what it measures out at.
This still won't indicate any excess chambering length, but a misplaced shoulder on the fireformed case will point you in that direction. Then it's time for a chamber cast.

Try gripping & turning the long screw out. Perhaps the sheared off one can be gotten to turn with some careful chisel work.
If they're both 6-48's,,personally I'd just clear them and re-tap to 8-40 if you're going to re-scope the rifle.
If one is a broken tap, heat it with a tiny O tip flame to anneal it first. Isn't going to hurt anything on the rear deck where it is.

Plug all the holes to hide them if going for classic iron sights, then you can reshape the wood to elliminate the MC.

Everybody gave good advice,especially Joe Steele and Alvin Linden. If it does happen to be a tap and you are not able to "worry" it out with a punch "un-screwing"it, then drill it out. This takes a solid carbide #31 drill
,set precisely over the broken tap in a drill jig. The broken tap has to be chipped off so that it is flat, to keep the drill from"walking"(this is also why the jig is necessary). Set the belts on the drill press,or turn the variable speed so the drill turns just as fast as you can turn it. Feed the drill very slowly, until it is cutting cleanly and not trying to walk any more. This will work with "high speed" taps that you may not be able punch out.
Mike

Thanks guys! Thought with all this great help and advice I've received I would give you all, a WELL DESERVED update! I spoke with the seller today and confirmed definitely...
1. It -is- a broken screw [not a tap!!!!!] from a Redfield one piece scope base, which he is including with the rifle [so I am short the rear screw that is broken off]
2. The seller said a 30/06 cartridge fed and chambered easily from the magazine and the projectile fit(?)the muzzle end of the bore tight. I ROUGHLY FIGURE BY PROCESS OF ELIMINATION,that eliminates the following cartridges:
6.5 ARISAKA/6.5 CARCANO/6.5x55mm/7x57mm/7.65 ARG/8x57mm/9x57mm/ and 303 BRITISH. However the 25/06/.270/.280/30/06 ACKLEY IMP.FAMILY OF CARTRIDGES IS A SLIGHT POSIBILITY AND WORRISOME. I believe Der Ami's fire forming method might be a GOOD quick initial check, to start with.
3. As to the gun, it was built by an unknown gunsmith[for now] for a gent in the Tyler Texas Area in 1941 out of a stick of wood. The stock is not a Fajen or Bishop, if you look under magnification at the front of the cheekpiece you can see a downward curl on the FRONT bottom line of it, while the comb above is very open. I now realize I had a gun with a cheekpiece identical to this, a 1903 Springfield made by Bill Sukalle when he was in Phoenix Arizona during the war. the front fitting is ebony as is the gripcap, so was my 03. The seller said no screws are buggered and the only stock problems are a little finish scratches on the cheekpiece, in the finish. The seller knows the owners family and was told a Niedner Buttplate with widow's peak was replaced with a recoil pad in the late 50's [Curses!!!!] THE RECEIVER RING HAS NO ARMORY MARKINGS [smooth], SO IT MAY BE A COMMERCIAL MAUSER ACTION [perhaps Steyr?] He said the trigger was excellent and the checkering quality excellent, as is the wood to metal fit. The bottom of the bolt is checkered with a swiss file. Bore... hardly shot! SELLER HAS NOT HAD ACTION OUT OF STOCK SO THERE MAY BE A CALIBER MARKING UNDER WOOD! That's all for now,I'll report more later or when I get it!!! THANKS TO ALL Jerry

JERRY

FWIW, not all Mausers w/o "armory markings" are commercial. Many were ground to remove the markings, for various reasons.
Mike