Side project...well, another

[Darren Wright]

Like I need another, but this one is kind of fun for me.

A few weeks back my BIL called and said he had come into about 5,000 rounds of 6.5 x 55 Swede ammo, and wanted to know if I had a rifle for it? My reply was "No, but maybe I could"

Anyway I got to looking around and found most older Mausers or anything shooting 6.5 x 55 was going for $800 - $1500 , not really in the budget for something I really don't need anyway.

I did however acquire a couple of older Spanish 1916 small ring Mausers in 7mm for parts a few years ago.


Both have excessive rust pitting where the wood covered the barrels. One had a casing still lodged in it that had corroded to the chamber walls and had to be peeled out.


On Ebay I found a Carl Gustaf g33/50 carbine barrel in 6.5 x 55 that was in new condition. Same threads, same thread length, and it's looking like the bolt faces I have may work with the 6.5 case heads, but will have to measure that yet.


I’ve been able to get one of the old barrels off, the other needs to soak with some penetrating fluid a few more days to see if it will break free.


I'll throw the receiver and some other parts in some boiling water to clean them up and convert the rust tonight.

 

[Darren Wright]

BTW, the Carl Gustaf Mauser was also small ring. Pressures for both 7mm x 57 and 6.5 x 55 SE are 51,000psi (46,000 cup). The casings head size on the 6.5 a few thousands larger in diameter, but my initial measurement of the bolt face was a hundredth or two over that, tolerances weren't all that tight on the bolt face. I've got some head space gauges on order now for 6.5 x 55 Swede

 

[David Johnson]

You certainly plow up some interesting snallygosters. Should keep you busy for a minute or so.
David

 

[Darren Wright]

Well, My wife cleaned out the kitchen a while back and all the old pots are gone to boil parts in, not going to use the good ones. Guess I need to stop and buy a cheap one tonight.

I did get the other barrel off, but took a couple of 4' cheater bars and pipe wrench on the barrel, which was scrap anyway. It did pop loose without damaging the receiver, just some rust on front of the receiver between it and the barrels shoulder. There is some small pitting on the sides of that receiver, but nothing that will affect its function. I don't have a barrel for it at this time anyway, but will clean it up and service it anyway to have it ready for a future project, or parts.

 

[Jonathan Shively]

Darren, would have to check tonight and see what my Mausers shoot. If it will work, I could loan it to you, for the shipping price. If you fall in love with it, maybe could talk a deal. Great groundhog gun, my shoulder incisions won't allow it right handed anymore.

 

[Darren Wright]

Thanks Jon, That is very generous, but let me think about it. This project was to try and use the actions I have doing a barrel swap, and I also haven't bought the ammo yet.

My BIL has had shoulder issues/surgery as well. He's been using my Lead Sled on the last couple of visits with his 308 and some of my larger caliber guns. If you don't have one, you certainly should consider it. Even my youngest nephew was shooting the 308 with little to no recoil on him.

Caldwell Lead Sled Solo Rifle Shooting Rest

The Caldwell Lead Sled Solo Rifle Shooting Rest is the newest addition to Caldwell's line of recoil reducing rests. A smooth pivoting elevation system...

www.midwayusa.com

 

[Don Baer]

If you don't have one, you certainly should consider it.

or a muzzle brake

 

[Darren Wright]

or a muzzle brake

A muzzle brake might help, but knowing Jonathan, he'd go into debt having to buy one for all his rifles. Since the stock gets cradled in the sled, almost all recoil goes into the sled rather than your shoulder. My dad couldn't shoot a rifle without a sled, due to shoulder pains, but it let him keep doing it.

 

[Darren Wright]

I got a first boil in on all the parts, and some rust was thick enough it's needing another boil to convert it, perhaps a third. I did find a few parts needed to be further taken apart, so I pretty much have all of it disassembled now and will do another boil this weekend. I'm waiting on some new brass brushes to get in some tight spots too. Since I'm sporterizing this, I'll probably go ahead and bead blast all of the parts and re-blue to get a consistent finish, probably have some light filing and polishing to do before that though.

I was looking up some of the info on my three Spanish 1916's. One is in good condition and shoots 7mm, it's the newest, made in 1926. The one I'm using for this project was made in 1916 or 1917, and the other in 1920, based on their serial numbers.

Spanmauhome

The newest one does have a hinged floor plate with a lever in the trigger guard, the other two do not. Nice to know they made one, but not sure I'll replace it with one at this point.

 

[Darren Wright]

So I got the GO, NO-GO, FIELD gauges. With the barrel hand tightened, the bolt is closing on the NO-GO gauge, but not on the FIELD gauge. I added a couple layers of masking tape to the end of the bolt, which measures at .006" thick and it wouldn't close on the NO-Go gauge.

I don't think just tightening the barrel the rest of the way will get me the final .006", but either facing the back of the barrels shoulder or the front of the receiver will and an easy enough task.

Ether way the serial numbers on the barrel aren't going to line up where they should (about 1/2 turn out), but probably will get covered by the stock anyway.


The parts are all cleaning up well, but I will be bead blasting them in the near future and file/polish the parts. I'll re-check headspace again at that point to see where it is. I still need to boil and clean up the second receiver