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G98/40 jhv 42 Bolt Problems - Need Help

44shipguy

Member
I have a G98/40 rifle, jhv 42 date. A very nice example in overall excellent original condition with original sight hood, cleaning rod, great Waffenamts, etc. and all matching numbers- except for the bolt and firing pin, which appear to have been force-matched. This is where my problems begin. When trying to cycle a round into the chamber (and I have tried various types of 7.92 x 57 ammo), invariably the round jams after entering about 2/3 of the way into the chamber. I finally noticed that the case head rim is jamming up against the firing pin tip as the cartridge follower pushes the round upwards. (See 1st photo). The only way I can get a round into the receiver chamber is to manually insert it - seems to drop in and fit fine, and the bolt will now close. But here another problem appears: The round now shows, after pulling it out, a small dimple on the primer surface, indicating the firing pin is too long, which also seems to be confirmed by the fact that the firing pin head/tip protrudes from the hole in the bolt head too far....and causing the cartridge jamming as I mentioned previously. Not good. To further check this out, I installed a .040" thick steel washer on the forward shank of the firing pin (see photo) and re-installed it. The firing pin head was drawn back into the bolt about .040", and when re-assembled and installed, the firing pin now barely protrudes from the bolt head hole, the bolt will now function properly, and the cartridges will cycle into the chamber properly. Of course this is not a really satisfactory fix, but it seems to confirm that the firing pin is too long and probably not correct. Overall length of the firing pin is approx. 7.420". Also there are other problems with this bolt, for one thing the cocking piece and safety lever/sleeve assembly rotate from side to side as the bolt is moved back and forth, resulting in the bolt assembly sometimes jamming as it is moved back and forth and into the receiver- this doesn't seem right, looks like there should be some kind of detent function in the bolt assembly to prevent this rotation. Also there are a couple of holes and cutaways in the rear of the bolt body that seem non-functional and don't make sense. (Again, see photos). In summary, in my opinion this bolt was cobbled together with mis-matched parts, some possibly from the Mannlicher M1935 (FEG 35M) rifle - but I don't have even close to expert knowledge on that gun, so that's just conjecture. Bottom line is that the bolt issue needs to be addressed, I suppose finding a good original & complete G98/40 bolt assembly would be in order. I'm going to guess that these are hard to find....anybody have one, or have an idea where I can find one? I've searched online to no avail. If anybody has good knowledge on these guns, and can give me some input, I would really appreciate it. I hate to give up on this nice rifle but in its present state it's not much better than a wall-hanger or parts gun.
Thanks,
Bill
 

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Pm me, I'll send you a link where there is a complete bolt for sale

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
 
When you reassemble the bolt, is the rear of the firing pin flush with the knurled firing pin nut? When assembling, push the safety forward as far as it will go and turn firing pin nut all the way until it stops then back off counterclockwise just until it aligns with the bolt in the bolt open position. This is easiest to accomplish with the bolt head removed and apply downward pressure on the firing pin on a wood block or sleeve. Hope this helps.
 

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