Mauser: Metal work

It is time to post some more work on the Mauser project. The original M48A model that I started with comes equipped with stamped bottom metal pieces to save money during manufacturing. Unfortunately, these parts can not be customized and I sourced some parts from the M48 model. These were all old military surplus items and needs to be cleaned for use on this rifle. I started by getting rid of the stampings and dents in the magazine floorplate.

Starting

Done

The next part that needed attention was the bottom metal itself. Again, I needed to get down to clean metal. This is done by drawfiling the metal. It gives a very smooth finish and it is easy to keep the surfaces that is filed flat.

Bottom metal start

Finished

On the other side of the bottom metal I tackled the trigger guard. First I removed a hump at the front of the guard. The next step was to remove all the dents and scratches in the trigger guard itself.

Trigger guard

Getting closer

The next step for the trigger guard was to give it a more appealing shape. On military rifles, the looks are not important. On a custom hunting rifle, looks go a long way.

Trigger guard

Taking shape

Trigger guard shaped

At this time, I will most likely not touch these parts until I start doing the polishing work needed when the rifle is blued in our last semester. In the next post I will show some more of the work I did on the bolt.

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