Turkish Mauser Restoration/Rework

[Jimbob2.0]

Photos: Turkish Mauser Clean-up

I posted this briefly in another thread, but want some specific advice. Over the next couple weeks I am going to dive into a Turkish Mauser I have had sitting in grease since the 90s. Bought it for about $35 with bayo off Century at Harrisburg, if i remember correctly I really just wanted the bayo being an impressionable young man.

So what we have

1943 Turk long
Turkish made
In the white/ 0% bluing
All matching numbers from the outside including minor parts such as the site.
Stock seems to have a few minor repairs but in pretty good shape but dingy.

Trying to decide how far I want to take this, I had initially thought that I would just clean it up for a mantle/conversation piece in my office being a relatively low value gun. But after looking at the bore I am thinking more shooter, I dont see any pitting (noting there is still some cosmo) and it has strong rifling. Probably has some fairly heavy frost.

So from you guys who have restored these what have you done and how far have you gone in cleaning them up. Just a decosmo and getting some of the old linseed oil off, a full strip, or a sand?

The animal:

Thick in cosmo

 

[engineerbrian]

Bought it for about $35

And you only bought 1?

 

[clandestine]

Many of these have bad headspace. Have you checked it?

 

[Jimbob2.0]

I probably will, I bought this gun back in 1990 when things were cheaper.

At the time I also got a French MAS 49 straight out of the rearsenal for around $100 and a Mosin M44 in mummy wrap for under $50. If I hadnt been a poor college student at the time I would have bought many more.

Once I get it cleaned out I need to find someone who has a go/no go gauge.

The bigger question is how far do I want to go in restoring it, I am inclined to degrease it, remove the build-up on the stock, maybe steam a few dents give it a quick surface sand and a new coat of linseed oil.

 

[8milimeter]

Turk

If you are ever in Frederick stop by and I will check the headspace.

Richard

 

[Rangeman]

Take it apart, and the next 90 degree day wrap the stock and place it in your car. Let the heat bleed the cosmo out of your stock, wiping off in intervals. You won't need any harsh chemicals, just some BLO you can put on with a sanding sponge (fine) after the de-cosmo. Easier to get the cosmo off the parts if they're warm too.

 

[StraightArrow88]

If it were my rifle, first what I would do is take the action out of the stock and let the stock sit out in the sun to melt the cosmoline out. You can clean the metal parts with mineral spirits, it works pretty well. You can also take some gun oil and 0000 steel wool to get off some tarnish on the reciever. For the stock, you can take some mineral spirits and wipe it down really good, this will get some of the dirt and grime off. Lastly you can rub in a few coats of boiled linseed oil to make have a low sheen, which would look nice. This is just what I would do though. The rifle looks nice and I like the dark stock.

 

[TripleChris]

Take it apart, and the next 90 degree day wrap the stock and place it in your car. Let the heat bleed the cosmo out of your stock, wiping off in intervals. You won't need any harsh chemicals, just some BLO you can put on with a sanding sponge (fine) after the de-cosmo. Easier to get the cosmo off the parts if they're warm too.

For my M24/47 I did this. Took only the stock (handguard was a replacement and not gunked up) and put in in a makeshift canoe shaped aluminum foil receptacle. Put it on the dash of my car, parked it facing the sun at about 11AM, and left it there on a 95+ degree day for about and hour. Wiped, repeated for several hours. The amount of cosmo that leached out of the wood was astonishing. Maybe 12 ounces of the stuff. Seemed like it anyway.

Anyway, +1 to this, this method works, good for lazy fellas like me.

 

[Jimbob2.0]

For my M24/47 I did this. Took only the stock (handguard was a replacement and not gunked up) and put in in a makeshift canoe shaped aluminum foil receptacle. Put it on the dash of my car, parked it facing the sun at about 11AM, and left it there on a 95+ degree day for about and hour. Wiped, repeated for several hours. The amount of cosmo that leached out of the wood was astonishing. Maybe 12 ounces of the stuff. Seemed like it anyway.

Anyway, +1 to this, this method works, good for lazy fellas like me.

Ya I did a similar job on a German K98. I think I am going to start with a light clean, since you can always sand later if the results do not come out good and go from there. This thing has some major accumulation on it.

 

[Jimbob2.0]

Ok this is going to be a little harder than I thought.

1. Where can I get parts for thsi thing, it is missing a rear action screw under the bolt handle.

2. I suspect when I get the barrel band retainer screw off it will be quite stripped as it is extremely soft metal and not budging. There is no traditional Mauser clamp, just a tiny screw.

This could be an interesting restoration by the time I am done! May end up being a wall hanger yet.

 

[metalman3006]

Numrich is your best bet but you can try here:

http://www.buymilsurp.com/rifle-parts-accessories-mauser-rifles-other-c-3548_95.html?page=3&sort=20a

 

[Jimbob2.0]

Numrich is your best bet but you can try here:

http://www.buymilsurp.com/rifle-parts-accessories-mauser-rifles-other-c-3548_95.html?page=3&sort=20a

Thanks I know I can probably fake the front screw at a hardware store. Hopefully I can get it out without drilling, have a little oil working in now. The rear screw looks like it should be standard Mauser.

I can tell this is going to be more challenging than my last project, which isnt bad its a cheap gun to experiment on restoration strategies.

 

[Jimbob2.0]

This is actually fun, not a screw (sort of), its starting to come out, turkish engineering looks like a machine screw stuck on the end of a pin. Pin is pushing out.

Brass screws on the buttplate are a pain, not sure I want to gouge them up trying to get the last one out. Given they are brass and the but plate is rough may just work it as.

I swear this thing must have been rearsenalled a gazillion times.

 

[Rickhead]

I like the long barreled Mausers so I picked up a few of the Turk rifles. There were a lot of really beat Turks but some were pretty nice. I bought a couple from Shooters Discount that had matching numbers. NE Gun had them also for $35-40ish and when I saw one with matching numbers I bought it. Mine are reasonably accurate and the long barrel and extra weight, compared to a k98, makes recoil mild. They're easy to clean so shooting cheap corrosive 8mm is no problem.

 

[Redd Byrd]

Don't sand the stock!

After getting as much oil - grease out of it as possible, "whisker" it with steel wool. Then a good rub down with BLO or tung oil

 

[Storm40]

I have absolutely no woodworking, gunsmithing or restoration knowledge, so I must ask - Why not sand the stock?

BTW, This thread has inspired me to work on my turkish mauser, so, thanks for the motivation!

 

[Redd Byrd]

I have absolutely no woodworking, gunsmithing or restoration knowledge, so I must ask - Why not sand the stock?

I'm a military weapons freak, that being said, "sanding" destroys all of the weapons character that it has developed in it's life time.

 

[Storm40]

Ok. I can see what you're saying there. Thanks!

 

[Jimbob2.0]

I'm a military weapons freak, that being said, "sanding" destroys all of the weapons character that it has developed in it's life time.

I am not leaning towards sanding it, well see what comes out. This is a little bit of an expiriment. Still trying to pound out the front pin so I can get the stock off.

 

[Rangeman]

Don't sand the stock!

After getting as much oil - grease out of it as possible, "whisker" it with steel wool. Then a good rub down with BLO or tung oil

I agree, just enough to get the grease and dirt off so the BLO can get in! Can't wait to see after pics. I'm partial to darker stocks