Need help with bedding FN Mauser

[soonershooter]

I recently purchased a heavy barreled FN Mauser at an estate sale that had been bedded to an older Fajen stock.  The stock is heavy with a rollover comb and beavertail forend.  I would classify it as either a varmint or target stock.  My problem is that the stock appears to be too deep through the action.  Whoever inletted it had to inlet the floorplate so deeply that it is recessed approximately 1/8"-3/16".  I have inletted Mausers before and know that it is important that both the front and rear of the floorplate have metal to metal contact with the bottom of the receiver.  That's why the Germans used the spacer between the rear tang and rear of the floorplate.  The  front of the floorplate and bottom of the recoil lug are designed to fit together.
I intend to glass bed the action and first two inches of the barrel, but have never encountered this bedding depth problem.  To get the proper bedding contact and accomodate the fact that the bolts aren't long enough to fit with the floorplate flush with the bottom of the stock, it appears I have three choices:  1. I could clean up the poor bedding and glass bed with metal to metal contact and live with the floorplate sucked up inside the stock.  2. Glass bed with the bolts backed off as far as reasonably possible and leave the floorplate only slightly inside the stock, but lose the metal to metal contact between floorplate and receiver.  3. Glass bed with proper contact between receiver and floorplate and rasp, sand, and refinish the stock so the floorplate is flush, not a happpy prospect.  Your thoughts and  recommendations are greatly appreciated

[John Traveler]

Sooner,

I've installed several heavy varmit M98 mauser barreled actions in Canadian C3 sniper rifle stocks (designed for the Parker-Hale M98 mauser type action), and they ALL had the deep-seated trigger guard/magazine well problem you described.

When I asked my Canadian Forces armorer friend about this, he stated that the C3 sniper stock was intended for heavy field use, and had plenty of stock for sanding and refinishing.

The top of the magazine box on a correctly inletted M98 stock should NOT have hard contact the receiver.  If it does, the wood will shrink, and looseness of the magazine box/trigger guard to the receiver will destroy accuracy.

The real purpose of the metal bushing around the rear tang guard screw is to prevent overtightening the rear tang screw which bends the receiver and changes the bedding.

I would inlet the stock to seat the top of the magazine boxl to correct depth but NOT in solid contact with the receiver, and reshape the bottom of the stock to correct the cosmetics.

HTH
John

[DonT]

soonershooter,

Tough choices.  Since it sounds like you really don't want to reshape and refinish the stock although that is probably the best solution, so here are a couple of options that you might want to consider:

Find a machine shop or gunsmith in your area and have them make you up longer screws (might even be able to get them from Brownells) that will allow you position the floor plate properly in the stock.  Keep in mind doing this may mean you need to "stretch" the mag spring slightly.  Then make up a couple of "bedding blocks" which can be steel or aluminum rod drilled large enough for the screws to go thru and long enough to but against the action and then the floor plate, this give you metal to metal.

Just another option which might be a little less work and give you a nice fit.

Good luck..
DonT

[gunnut69]

I have to go with bedding the rifle correctly and adjusting the outside of the stock to the metal.  Be certain the action and barrel are bedded deep enough into the stock and then set the front of the trigger guard assembly into the front action bolt lug.  Bed with the front of the action hard into the front tang of the trigger guard and the rear so that when it's tight the mag box is damm near tight(just a bit shy).  This is the height of the action and the rear spacer performs the exact same function as a pillar does, it hold the rear tangs apart.  Supporting the tension of the screw so that that tension won't crush the stock over time.  Then of course the choice is yours but I'd remove that step down onto the guard assembly and just reconture the stock.  A refinish would probably be nice anyway...  Good luck from the gunnut69

By the way the M98 Mauser is one action that I had heard was designed to transfer recoil thru the mag box as well as the recoil lug.  This would mean the box should be bedded hard on it's rear side..  I've read and studied and cannot find a good argument against that.  The rifle don't seem to mind accuracy wise and with that completed I don't see the stock ever splitting.

[soonershooter]

Thanks for the advice.  Seems the consensus is to do it right by seating as intended with metal to metal and then recountour and refinish the stock after I glassbed the action.  I appreciate the other advice about the magazine box fitting.  The action is at proper depth now, so the wood recountour will be on the bottom.  Thanks