Thread: Mauser M96 safety mod

Mounting a scope with low rings on my Mauser meant that I could no longer apply the safety, as the safety lever is blocked by the scope. Solution was to buy one of these Timney low profile safeties. https://www.brownells.com/rifle-part...prod13149.aspx

When compared to the original, I noticed some dimensional differences. Enough that the new part doesn't fit.

The safety sits a few thou back from the bolt head, whereas the original sits flush. I have traced this to the point where the head of the safety meets the safety shaft. The original is machined square, while the new one has a small radius. I can think of two possible solutions.

Option 1. Put the new safety in the lathe and get rid of the small radius, allowing the safety to sit flush and be assembled completely.
Option 2. Countersink the hole in the bolt head where the shaft of the safety goes, making room for the small radius.

How hard are these metals and what issues am I likely to have with each option?

Option 1 leaves the original bolt head as is, but has me machining a smaller thinner part, and potentially breaking it.

Option 2 has more room for error, but messes with 100-year-old steel. Not concerned about keeping things original - it's a non-matching sporterised Mauser.

Is there an option 3?







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Countersunk. That has accommodated the radius and closed the gap, but there is still the overlap in the first image above. More work required.

I see they say for 96s grinding of the cocking piece may be required are the dimensions of both the same in all other aspects and how big is the gap.

I see the safety wing on the Beuhler is screwed onto the shaft- could you cut the safety wing off the original shaft in a way that allows you to install the new one on?

@gundoc I'd be weary of grinding these as you may affect the hardness

Originally Posted by Sideshow

@gundoc I'd be weary of grinding these as you may affect the hardness

It may do, but could you explain why that would matter on this part?

Not the expert that's why I stuck gundocs name on it.
Can you mill the new safety and leave the bolt alone?

I have an m 98 and I can't lock the bolt and trigger on it. But it goes up enough to lock the trigger and keep the bolt free to move which annoys the crap out of me. Lost a round that way.

Does yours still work on the second stage or are they different.?

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Countersinking is the correct method for getting the safety head flush. All other fitting adjustments to get the safety to work properly should be on the safety, not the bolt components. Mark binding areas with engineers blue (or felt pen) and gently remove metal until you get the desired result. Fit frequently to avoid removing too much metal in one go. The safety works by camming the striker back slightly away from the sear, and the shaft also locks the bolt closed.

Thanks everyone. I’ll dig out the dremel later and massage the safety lever into place.

Originally Posted by Russian 22.

I have an m 98 and I can't lock the bolt and trigger on it. But it goes up enough to lock the trigger and keep the bolt free to move which annoys the crap out of me. Lost a round that way.

Does yours still work on the second stage or are they different.?

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Mine still works on both stages. Have you figured out what is wrong with yours?

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

I see they say for 96s grinding of the cocking piece may be required are the dimensions of both the same in all other aspects and how big is the gap.

It’s about 10 thou. I think the cocking piece is going to need to be ground so that it doesn’t hit he head of the screw on the new safety when uncocked, and upon firing.

Option 3.I cut the original leaver lower,to clear the scope.fiddly,most times cause it's cock on close I just used halfbolt al la 303.

Originally Posted by stretch

Mine still works on both stages. Have you figured out what is wrong with yours?

Scope is in the way lol. If I changed the scope base then I can use it on the 3rd stage. But it's been drilled and tapped with not much room left for any adjustments.

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Originally Posted by Russian 22.

Scope is in the way lol. If I changed the scope base then I can use it on the 3rd stage. But it's been drilled and tapped with not much room left for any adjustments.

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yours is a one piece redfield base good quality base ..... the bolt on yours is the same as mine (typical miitary m98) i put a low swing safety on mine which you can buy from outdoor supplies to fix your issue can be done without the aid of a gunsmith they are different to the m96. you just have to make sure you get your head around stripping the bolt correctly . you will have to remove the scope to do it as you need the safety on (upright ) and its good to know how to strip the bolt for cleaning anyway.