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Mauser M-96 American help needed... Bolt removal

Mike C.

Diamond
Joined
Nov 25, 2004
Location
Birmingham, AL
Hey guys, I am a regular in other areas of PM, but need some specialized help here.

One of the young guys at work has a Mauser M-96 American his dad bought around 2000. This guy is dangerously mechanically inclined (curious enough to dive into something, but not experienced enough to go about things logically) and also has much to learn about not forcing things apart (he's a big ape and his strength gets him in trouble alot).

Long story short, he decided to give the gun a good cleaning and has gotten in over his head... and mine, too! Not only that, he took it to a local gunsmith and he couldn't figure it out, either.

This is a straight pull bolt rifle. He somehow got the plastic back cap off the bolt and got the plastic sliding pin retainers out of the sides of the bolt without removing it from the action (as it is obvious it was supposed to be). I just need to know how to get that bolt out of the action and I think we'll be OK from there. Anybody here have any experience or advice on this gun?
 
Well, the bolt head does actually turn to lock through a cam action, but the bolt handle operates in a straight pull fashion. It's almost like a manually operated M-1 action.

What is the Midway library?
 
The rifle in question is actually a straight pull action manufactured in 1996, not 1896. It was made for only a few years and not widely sold. You might email this address ([email protected]) and see if you can get an exploded diagram or disassembly instructions.
 
Thank you George, that is indeed the 1996 model. If it was an 1896, I could have probably figured it out. This is a nice gun, but an unneccessarily complicated design, in my opinion. I have never seen a rifle that couldn't instantly have the bolt removed for cleaning. I'll try the email and see if I can find anything.
 
No response to the email, George. Maybe we can just get a manual on it. There is absolutely nothing out there on this rifle. Thanks anyway, guys.
 
Good news and bad news...

The removal of the little plug in the bolt, and subseqent removal of the bolt handle indeed allowed the bolt to be removed. That done, the bolt was disassembled and after about seven tries to get all the parts in the right order, it was put back together and put back in the reciever.

Bad news is that it is still not right. The bolt will not unlock and lock up properly and is now stuck in the action. This is just a stupidly complicated design. Nothing is obvious or logical. Many plastic parts, too many tiny parts, and no easy way to do anything. If you have a chance to buy one of these rifles, run away as fast as possible. It is a very nice gun, but basically unservicable and information on it is non-existant.

Give me a 98 Mauser or 03 Springfield any day of the week instead of this thing. It's like a combination between a swiss watch, a safe combination lock, a Briggs and Stratton recoil starter and a jack-in-the-box, all wrapped up on one.

We are just going to have to order a manual to figure this out.
 
Update on this...

I finally just googled Mauser and found the Mauser email address. Within 12hrs, I had a response, including a pdf manual with breakdown and parts list, free of charge. Hard to beat service like that.

Anyhow, the first thing they say in the manual about cleaning is, do not remove the bolt unless necessary. Next thing they say, after telling you how to remove the bolt, is DO NOT disassemble the bolt, lol.

This rifle was only made for two years, and didn't sell very well at all, thus its rarity. Explains the total lack of info on it.

Thanks again to all who offered help. I'll post more when/if we get it back functioning properly.
 








 
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