Sporterizing Belgian 98 action

[raindeer]

I am in the process of sporterizing an 98K, in 30-06 which I have done
a few times before and now I am facing some questions.

I used to use Mauser 98 K actions, stamped pre-war or no later than
1942. These are more and more difficult to get, at least in a decent
condition.

FN Belgium produced short barreled 98 rifles for law enforcement after
the war. They are military style and most of them are in mint, sometimes
arsenal condition and can be had for as little as Euro 100,--

I got one of these, took it apart and had a close look at it. It struck
me that these receivers don't have the common internal C-ring like the
German Mausers, but there are two opposite cuts to the left and right.
As for the rest they are identical to the German masers.
I did the usual work: lapping the lugs, lapping the inside ring, squaring
the boldface and squaring the receiverhead. I only had to take away a thin
sharp brim, caused by fitting the original barrel by FN, because I found
the receiver square as it was.

I ordered a chambered and threaded stainless barrel from Lothar
Walter in Germany and when it arrived I screwed it in to see how it
looks. I didn't tighten it because I want to apply a baked on PTFE
coating on the action, whereas the barrel will be pearl beaded.

I used some lamp black soot to see if the barrel meets the internal ring
square and it did, but there is a slight gap visible between the receiverhead and the
shoulder of the barrel. It measures about 0.05 mm. It may become less
when I tighten the barrel, but it looks as if a slight gap will remain here.

I know that some riflemakers allow such a gap on purpose because they
claim it benefits accuracy. Steyr in Austria does it this way with their
heavy barreled match and varmint rifles.

My questions are:

Has anyone ever worked with these FN actions or similar ones without a
closed C-ring and do you consider them as strong and safe as the ones with a
closed C-ring?

Do you think that a slight gap between receiver head and barrel
shoulder would be allowable or would this be detrimental on the strenght
and safety of the barreled action?

Does it help to glue the treads with Loctite before tightening the barrel
to the receiver?

Of course I will measure headspace before firing the first shot, but
since I reload my own ammo and keep ammo for different rifles in the
same caliber apart, I'd rather choose to fireform my cases for this chamber
and leave the gap as it is, that is when headspace is within acceptable
tolerances.

I would be very grateful for any comment from experience on this and for any other other good info.
[/b]

[gunnut69]

The lack of the 'C'ring was a cost cutting measure.  It does damage the gas handling capabilities of the action to a degree but the strength of the action should not be compromised.  The barrel you received was meant to be faced of in a lathe until the end on the barrel extension and the shoulder contact the receiver at the same time.  I would not leave a gap between the barrel shoulder and the receiver ring.  Always set the headspace to within cartridge specs,.....  always..  To do otherwise can create a situation that may get some hurt at a later date..  I know of no reason that leaving the gap you spoke of would enhance accuracy.  It does decrease production costs...perhaps the reason it is done??  In any case remove the amount from the extension equal to the gap plus a couple thousandths, then fit the barrel and finish the headspace with a finish reamer and an extension handle. Never use any thread locking material on a barrel.  In fact I use a high pressure anti-sieze compound to avoid the threads galling under the load of tightening.