M48 Mauser bolt wont close in The Yugoslavian Mauser Forum Forum

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M48 Mauser bolt wont close

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Oktoberfest124	M48 Mauser bolt wont close	Lead	[-]
Posts: 2 Jul 19 11 3:11 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Tags : mauser, bolt, m48, help, trouble, wont close I just went shooting yesterday with a friend and took out my M48 Mauser. It wasn't firing any of the round i put in it. then i realized the bolt wouldn't fully close just by a fraction of an inch. If you pushed it down all the way it would just pop back up a fraction of an inch when you let go. So i decided to hold the bolt down all the way and fire it. well it worked but, i had to really pull on the bolt to pull out the shell. when i went to close the bolt it would no go all the way in when it was empty. the bolt goes almost all the way forward until there is about 1/4 of an inch left until you can rotate the bolt down. it is stuck and will not go any further. any help? i do have pictures.
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WVchuck		#1	[-]
Posts: 14443 Jul 19 11 4:04 PM Forum Co-Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Welcome! IMO, don't shoot that one anymore, until you get a solid answer. No bolt should be popping up on it's own as you have described. There's a lot of pressure in there to be holding it down with your hand when that trigger is pulled. Do the numbers stamped on the bolt match the numbers on the side of the receiver? What ammunition are you using? Have you checked the headspace? Is the barrel original to the rifle or has someone replaced it? There are several things that could be wrong.
Oktoberfest124		#2	[-]
Posts: 2 Jul 20 11 12:17 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	well the entire bolt matches, barrel is original and matches. i have not checked headspace and actually it only took a little force to hold it down. none the less, i was shooting 8mm yugo surplus. i was informed it could be a mix of the gunk, dirt and grime from surplus ammo mixed with a tight headspace. yesterday i spent almost the whole day cleaning it with some hoppes no.9 elite, remington bore cleaner, outers gun oil, ect. i have made a very very slight progress.
nothernug		#3	[-]
Posts: 13336 Jul 20 11 1:24 PM Forum Site Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Howdy and welcome to Parallax Bill's Yugoslav Mauser forum! Chuck is right. You sure don't want to be shooting that until the solution is found. You may think it's no problem holding that bolt down, but if it should go to blowing open, well... don't for a moment imagine you'll be able to hold that down! One thing to consider, they used to really fill these with cosmolene. Have you fully disassembled to do your cleaning, especially the bolt? You might consider trying boiling water. You can pour it down the bore from the receiver and it won't hurt a thing. You can buy a field gage for less, generally, than it will cost to have a gunsmith check the head spacing. Head space is rarely a problem with Yugoslav Mausers but you can't just dismiss it out of hand. Get it cleaned real good, double check your ammo, (what kind are you using?) and let us know how it works. As noted, the bolt should close down fully without a fight! Once again, welcome to our forum. If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen. Sam Adams
millwright39		#4	[-]
Posts: 361 Jul 28 11 7:12 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I agree with all metioned above, Here is a copy and paste from Forster page. 8X57 Mauser (8mm Mauser) Chamber Headspace Variation and Measurement Background SAAMI’s current Chamber and Cartridge drawing (ANSI standard) shows a 19° shoulder angle in the chamber. The earliest revision of this print showing 19° is dated April 21, 1980. The shoulder angle in the 8 x 57 Mauser, however, hasn’t always been 19°. A SAAMI/Winchester Repeating Arms print, New Haven, CT, dated November 12, 1938, shows a 20° 48’ shoulder angle. The last revision made on this 20° 48’ angle print is dated July 9, 1947. It appears that the transition from the older 20° 48’ shoulder angle to the current 19° shoulder angle did not happen suddenly. Discussions with gunsmiths and collectors indicate that there may have been a 15 to 30 year period during which firearm chambers were manufactured to both shoulder angles. Measurement and Gaging Implications Headspace gages that are made to the current 19° shoulder angle will not properly check older 20° 48’ shoulder angle firearms. Because of the shoulder angle difference, a 19° gage does not match to the datum measurement point of firearms that are chambered to 20° 48’. A 19° headspace gage will appear as if it were longer because the 19° shoulder angle will contact the bore of the chamber before it contacts the chamber’s datum point. Recommendation Determine whether the chamber of a particular firearm is made to the current 19° shoulder angle or to the older 20° 48’ shoulder angle. This may be done by making a chamber casting using CERROSAFE® or a similar material. Once the shoulder angle is confirmed, then obtain the correct headspace gages. Forster manufactures distinct gages for both the current standard 19° shoulder angle and for the older 20° 48’ shoulder angle chambers. Order numbers for the older 20° 48’ gages are: GO Gage: HG8mmoldG NO-GO: HG8mmoldN FIELD: HG8mmoldF And Here being put into use.
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NC Cruffler		#5	[-]
Posts: 672 Jul 28 11 4:11 PM active member Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Could be initially a piece of a case neck broke off in the chamber preventing a new round from seating fully. After forcing the bolt down and firing with an obstruction in the chamber excessive pressure built up and forced the bolt lugs against the receiver notches and bent them so the bolt will no longer close on an empty chamber. Just my 2 cents worth. Dave Green, NRA Benefactor Member
nothernug		#6	[-]
Posts: 13336 Jul 30 11 9:10 AM Forum Site Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	We have a whole long discussion on the shoulder angle topic in a sticky on this forum. Here's a link to it... http://parallaxscurioandrelicfirearmsforums.yuku.com/topic/10023/Yugo-quot-8mm-quot-shoulder-angles-from-Branko If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen. Sam Adams
eagle7		#7	[-]
Posts: 4619 Jul 30 11 9:54 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	When you reassembled the bolt, did you screw the sear/gas shield/firing pin/FP spring assembly all the way into the bolt body?? A shooting buddy of mine brought his Swedish Mauser to the range and had the same problem. We pulled the bolt out of the gun to disassemble it to inspect it for damage, and I realized the guts of the bolt needed to be screwed one full turn into the bolt body. That solved the mystery of the bolt that wouldn't close but sprang back back when we tried to chamber a round. edit. I checked a M24/47 and a Turk Mauser M1903 (both intermediate length '98 Mauser receivers like your M48) and I couldn't replicate the same problem you have. In both rifles the bolt would close, but the FP fall wouldn't reach the cartridge's primer. I guess a partially unscrewed bolt assembly will fail to close in only pre-1898 Mausers. Last Edited By: eagle7 Jul 30 11 11:16 AM. Edited 1 times.
Nose Dive		#8	[-]
Posts: 232 Aug 21 11 12:04 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Boys are right on here. If the bolt don't close..don't shoot it. I think ole 'eagle7' probably has the next step after a good cleaning. Nose Dive. Good, Fast, Cheap. Kindly pick two.
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