Re: 7x57 cock on close mauser
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: n64atlas</div><div class="ubbcode-body">They are safe when you chamber for the correct preasure cartridge. Germany went to the 98 action for a reason. One thing not brought up is the bolt helping deflect gasses after a cartridge does fail. The 98 will deflect the gas away frome the shooter beter than the 93/95 style action. The addition of the third lug will stop it from coming back at you, if the lugs fail. As long as you stay in the proper CPU scale, it is a safe action. Most gunsmith builders know this. People who have not read Hatcher's book or have been schooled in gunsmithing can end up with a time bomb on their sholder. I like the Roberts in these actions. They are a pleasure to shoot and with a good quality barrel, very accurate.
Excuse the spelling, I had a stroke two years ago, and can no longer spell worth a dang. Spelling is getting better, the more I type. It's like going to Grade school, all over again.</div></div>
Sorry to hear about your condition. It's tough coming back from a stroke. So, spelling isn't a problem. I am glad you choose to continue to shoot!
But, I will say Old Mausers are a lot stronger than people give them credit for. The cock on open does give some 'leverage' for extracting a case that was loaded too hot. As far as the gas sheild it wasn't really a model 98 thing as it was just re-designing the shroud. That said, you are right, 98's come with shrouds that act as better gas sheilds than previous models that don't. Back to the strength thing again, I've 7.65x63's (original barrel, 30-06 case) based on the Argentino 1891. And they were loaded up to the full power of a 30-06. On many of the pre-98 Mausers the bolt knob resting behind a stub is the extra safety. The only one I've ever personally known to come apart was a Spanish 1916 that started life as a '93 and got refurbed twice after that, the second time into .308. A very hot overload cracked the forward ring open and spit the barrel forward. Somebody between 1916 and about 1960 improperly re-heat treated the receiver was the best I could figure. I knew it wasn't a plugged barrel as there was no splitting of the barrel.
Anyhow, I started out not trusting old Mausers at all. My Dad didn't know $#! from shineola about them, but he always talked like the Germans didn't know how to make good steel. I was supposed to stick to buying new Remington 700's as they were 'the best'. Or a Winchester if I could afford one. Years after I left home I got a much better education on Mauser rifles and just how good 99% of them really are. So, I bought up all the cheap (but good) one's I could and here they sit in my collection waiting their turn to get finished up.
BTW, today I was shooting my 1909 Argentino in .257 Roberts. I was shooting 115 RBBT's in front of 46 gr. of H4831sc. It took 10 MOA to get to 500 yds. and 17 MOA to get them to 700 yds. I like the cartridge a lot also.
