Scope Clearance with Bolt Handle

[Exodus11]

Mods: I dont know if this belongs here or in the "Optics" thread, if its in the wrong place, please move it. Thanks


I have a Mauser Mod. 98 with turned down bolt and a Nikon scope. The problem I have is I just had to replace the bolt due to the old one snapping off @ the bolt handle. The new bolt / bolt handle assembly I have, in the "open" position (able to cycle the round), it will not clear the scope. I have attached a really crude "microsoft paint" image of what i'm talking about.

My question is, what size scope rings (risers?) do I need to make the bolt handle clear the scope?

[okie john]

My question is, what size scope rings (risers?) do I need to make the bolt handle clear the scope?

Safety Note: You checked the new bolt's headspace, right? Mauser bolts don't drop in, and you can hurt yourself badly if things go bad.

To answer your question, rings high enough to clear a scope put the scope so high that shooting well gets much harder. It also seems to make recoil worse. Check out scoped pre-war Mausers and you'll see what I mean.

Instead, have your smith weld a new bolt handle to the old bolt. Brownell's has them for under $20. Any scoped custom Mauser has had this done unless the build started with a commerical action. The handle and the work will cost slightly more than the new rings you'll need, but you end up with a much nicer-looking rifle that'e easier to shoot well, you increase the value of the rifle somewhat, and you save the cost of headspacing the new bolt.


Okie John

[Exodus11]

Hey John,

Thanks for the reply! actually i came to the same conclusion and i am sending the bolt off to the "bolt man" to set it up in a true sporter config so i wont have any of the problems you mentioned!

Thanks!
Ex

[okie john]

Keep us posted.


Okie John

[Bobert0989]

Instead, have your smith weld a new bolt handle to the old bolt.

Okie John

+1 here, had to do the same with my 7x57 Mauser (1895 Chilean action, out of Berlin). It's worth it...

That's good info on the head-spacing though, I was unaware of them NOT being drop-in replacements... I've never had to replace a bolt though, either.

[okie john]

That's good info on the head-spacing though, I was unaware of them NOT being drop-in replacements... I've never had to replace a bolt though, either.

It's rare, but some people do it to get different-shaped handles. That's why having parts with matching serial numbers is so important on Mausers.

Most folks also don't know that Mauser magazine boxes and feed rails are set up for one cartridge and no other. When you try to make them feed another cartridge, that legendary Mauser smoothness and reliability can go right out the window. And there aren't many people around who still know how to tweak the rails and get them right. It's worst when you go to the belted magnums.


Okie John

[Exodus11]

i picked this up from my grandpa who'm brought it back with him from Germany in WW2. He went ahead and sporterized it so i dont feel bad about tweakin with it. i snapped the original (sporter) bolt handle off and is why i was trying to figure out what to do with this one.


i picked up some Winchester 8mm Mauser ammo from sportsman's and it shot FANTASTIC!!!

then, i found some old surplus 8mm ammo and said 'hey, cool, good price" the following day is when the original bolt handle broke off. this was before i knew brass had an elastisity[sp] life span and upon shooting it, it was swelling up to the size of a small elephant and then reducing to about the size of a hippo (still much too large for the bolt to swing around and expel the round) thus snapping the (in my opinion, extremely thin) original bolt handle.

oh well, live and learn! i wont be shooting ammo from circa 1953 ever again...

thanks for the reply's guys! i will get back with pictures once i get the bolt back (10-12 weeks out).

[JStor]

You might want to scrub the bore really good as that surplus ammo may have used the corrosive primers.

[Exodus11]

thanks JStor!

It is corrosive (the store associate informed me of this when i bought it) so i did clean the rifle VERY well as soon as i got home from the range!