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Re-Barreling an M1896 Mauser
Some years back, I bought a book by George Nonte called Pistolsmithing. It is a compilation of many of his articles from various magazines. One comment was of particular interest, and concerned the M1896 Mauser.
http://forum.lugerforum.com/attachme...7&d=1410209953 I was intrigued by this, and decided to do a re-barrel of my own, on a shot-out C96 'Broomhandle' Mauser. I obtained a spare barrel extension from Gunbroker.com, and a 30 caliber rifled blank, and set out on my quest! :thumbup: Re-barreling an M1896 Mauser (Part One) OK, this is a quick & dirty pictorial on re-barreling a C96. Not every step is shown; not every step makes sense. It's actually drawn from several re-barreling projects, including one long-barrel .256 caliber wildcat. First I saw off the barrel. I part the receiver at the point where the M30 'Broomhandle' barrel has its 'step'. I've read that this was a popular way to re-barrel C96's 'back in the day', and this was where the old-time gunsmiths cut the barrel off. http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3.../xtension1.jpg Now I face off the stub. Here I'm using a live center in the existing bore as my center, and a custom made receiver mandrel to center the rear of the receiver. http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3.../xtension2.jpg Custom turned mandrel in lathe chuck, mounted extension on angle block, leveled and squared to chuck... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3.../xtension3.jpg Drilling out the extension stub... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3.../xtension4.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3.../xtension5.jpg Tapping the stub. I turn the tap by hand; the chuck is just to steady the tap and keep it on center... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3.../xtension6.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3.../xtension7.jpg Receiver/extension stub tapped and ready for barrel... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3.../xtension8.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...xtension8a.jpg Now we go to the barrel blank... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...1896/bbl_0.jpg Sawed to length and turned to approximate diameter... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...1896/bbl_1.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...1896/bbl_2.jpg Chamber end threaded; snug fit on receiver. Front sight end left unfinished... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...1896/bbl_3.jpg Barrel and receiver... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...1896/bbl_4.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...1896/bbl_5.jpg Front sight end being worked... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...1896/bbl_6.jpg Barrel mounted and torqued; now being tapered. Jacobs chuck inadvertedly left in mill quill [D'OH!!!}... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...1896/bbl_7.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...1896/bbl_8.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...1896/bbl_9.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...896/bbl_10.jpg Getting there... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...896/bbl_11.jpg Rough milling the sides & bottom of front sight. 4x4 & 2x4 blocks used as shims to steady unsupported receiver; otherwise, it would vibrate.... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...896/bbl_12.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...896/bbl_13.jpg Barrel in rotary indexing head; cutting front sight blade. Threaded sleeve used to protect barrel threads. http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...896/bbl_14.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...896/bbl_15.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...896/bbl_16.jpg Cutting the barrel/front sight sides & bottom; 4º at a time... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...896/bbl_17.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...896/bbl_18.jpg Nearly finished barrel & receiver/extension... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...896/bbl_19.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...896/bbl_20.jpg I'll ream the chamber in Part Two... |
Re-Barreling an M1896 Mauser
Re-barreling an M1896 Mauser
(Part two) Reaming the C96 barrel for a .256 bottleneck cartridge (This part presupposes that you have already installed a .256 caliber barrel blank on your Broomhandle). I'll be forming a wildcat cartridge out of .223 Rem unprimed brass, using shortened RCBS .256 Win Mag dies to make a .256 caliber bottleneck cartridge with the same OAL as the 30 Mauser cartridge.. First, we have to make the cartridge. I used a set of .256 Win Mag dies, shortened .185". I used a carbide cutter, low speed, and low feed. Shown is a finished brass cartridge, the dies before shortening, and a loaded cartridge with 60 gr soft nose bullet. http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3.../256maus_1.jpg Cutting down the die; removing three threads as OEM RCBS die set... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3.../256maus_2.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3.../256maus_3.jpg Chamfering the base of the die with a 'fine' grit pyramid stone... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3.../256maus_4.jpg The finished shortened dies, and the shortening steps in the .223 Rem cartridges we're forming with them... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3.../256maus_5.jpg Now that I have a cartridge, I can ream out the barrel. I'm going to do it a bit backwards from my usual practice, with the reamer/extension/floating reamer holder held in the chuck and the barrel extension clamped to an angle plate. Plate is squared and extension leveled and centered to the reamer/chuck center. Reamer shown in position. Solid pilot Clymer .256 Win Mag straight flute chamber finishing reamer. http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...1896/ream1.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...1896/ream2.jpg Starting the cuts...1/32" at a time, using high-Sulphur content cutting oil; squirt oil in, back out, blow off chips, repeat... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...1896/ream3.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...1896/ream4.jpg Taking a rough measurement, using stripped bolt and finished/formed unprimed dud cartridge... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...1896/ream5.jpg Cutting some more... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...1896/ream6.jpg Now I'm down to .050" from zero headspace...Lots of oil and chips... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...1896/ream7.jpg Down to zero headspace. Now I run the reamer in an additional .004"... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...1896/ream8.jpg A box of headspace dots, punched out of plastic shim stock... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...1896/ream9.jpg The .004" dot on the bolt face. It's a blue dot; the flash makes it look white. I don't have any white dots... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...896/ream10.jpg And with the .004" dot in place, I have no movement. Reaming is done. Barrel is headspaced. Some pics of the finished chamber... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...896/ream11.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...896/ream12.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...896/ream13.jpg Overall view... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...896/ream14.jpg And a pic of the old/long .256 barrel stub, showing how much supported tube is threaded into the extension... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...896/ream15.jpg The new chamber still needs to have the extractor notch cut, and the feedramp cut & smoothed. I did a similar long-barrel/re-barrel in .256 caliber some years ago...I really liked it, but finding a shoulder stock the long-barreled Mauser will fit into has been unsuccessful... |
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Case forming steps -
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What a nice job , why are you in the USA and not near my house !!!
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I got a couple FEDORD rebuilds from the 80s.
They chopped off the old barrel and put on 9mms. There is a ring of brazing material showing at the joint. I wonder how much of a job they did. Yours looks really good. |
Extremely interesting. All totaled, how much time is invested from start to finish?
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A second 96 in my future!
Found the pieces of an old Mauser I've had for years, already threaded for a new barrel. And a pristine bore 9mm bbl in my 'junk box' Thanks for the pics!
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...ps16965d2b.jpg |
Wow, Bill. Wish we could all have 'junk' boxes filled with prizes like that!
Rich - Thanks for sharing and it's pretty amazing what you've posted recently! |
Beautiful work and a fascinating write up! Thanks!
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Impressive, as usual! :cheers:
You think it would it be safe to do a conversion 9mm? I have a sad looking Bolo that's begging for a project, so a new 9mm barrel might be the way to go. I have been eyeballing the chamber area, but there seems to be very little meat for drilling, threading and all that. I was planning to cut it further back, just in front of the chamber, and maybe sweat and pin it to leave as much steel as possible intact. Another idea I have been tinkering with is to convert it to .22 Mag. I think it could make a fun and accurate plinker, but it may be a bit sacrilegious. |
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I've done a couple 256 barrel conversions (256 WinMag bullet on a wildcat 30 Mauser case) and liked it. If you do a 9mm C96 and just bore & silver solder, I would think it would hold. I've never tried it. Still not displacing any metal that you're not replacing. :) |
example of threaded barrel
Hello Olle! Here's a pic of my 'basket case'. I haven't gotten around to measuring the threads, but you may see there's not much beef left! That's a 9mm cartridge stuck in there. I, too, think silver solder/braze would work.
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...ps5da2319a.jpg |
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That looks scary thin, I might have to give up on the 9mm idea. BTW, I sent you an e-mail a while back, think it's about time to get together and talk projects? I have been swamped with boring customer jobs, so there hasn't been much time to work on my own guns. It's about time to do something fun and creative. :) |
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Olle: sent you a PM. Bill
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You guys are an inspiration!
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Like Tennbill2 (and probably Olle) I also have a 'junk box'...Actually several boxes...And a cabinet...And about 12 plastic storage drawers full of unfinished projects...Some are waiting for special tooling, some waiting for expensive parts, and a few waiting for bluing...
Here's a 10 year old project...80% M1911A1 frames...left to right - 80% frame, machined finished frame, and finished assembled frame + Brazilian army surplus slide (and Sarco junk parts kit! :grr: ). Can't find a local bluer who will blue them without buffing the crap out of them. :soapbox: I explain...I like tool marks...I don't want a shiny mirror finish...I want a mild acid rinse & hot dip...To no avail...The stampings get buffed off and all edges get rounded or no deal... :( So they sit... :rolleyes: Shipping them to someone outside my immediate area is prohibitive...It would cost $120 minimum to have just one shipped out & back; and that's not including the cost of the 'hot dip'... Yes...Boo hoo to me... :crying: |
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Receiver mandrel..how to?
Sheepherder, I'm studying your info and have a problem with my conversion. The 'original' shotout re-barrel on mine appears to have been threaded slightly off. I threaded my 9mm blank to 1/2-18 which matches the old barrels threads.....I think a rather unusual thread. I've ordered a tap so as to re-thread the receiver straight. My question: Got a close-up pic of the rear receiver mandrel you made or, an explanation? The rear striker hole with the bolt inserted may, or may not, be a proper way to line it up. Any help appreciated! Bill
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How is your receiver thread not straight??? Off-center or angled??? Quote:
First way uses an internally-tapered aluminum vise insert (made especially for the barrel used), second uses a long drill to spot-mark the brass plug, take it out & center drill it, re-insert and drill it through, then reverse it & center drill the other end... FWIW, I used way #1. :) |
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