(first time poster/new member)
I would greatly appreciate any help that can be given.  I recently purchased a 1942 turkish mauser in rather fair condition. i am in the process of disassembly and plan to restore the wood and metal (barrel and reciever in good condition) but am having trouble getting the front screw out of the trigger base.  I would post a picture, but haven't yet figured out how to do that.  the screw appears to be quite tight as I can't even make out where the screw head ends and the bottom plate it is attached to begins.  the tarnish almost makes it look like the screw is molded to the plate.  there are two dimples that look like someone did with a punch on the srew where the head meets the plate. each punch is 180 degrees away from one another. Is this normal? I can't seem to remove the screw, I don't know if it is just seized or if someone locked it in there.  I haven't used a bunch of muscle on it because i don't want to strip the damn thing out. I am referencing the dissassembly instructions on surplusrifle.com and they don't seem to be as easy as it looks.  the mag release pin doesnt seem to allow the mag to come out either but I am not so concerned with that right now.  if y'all need pictures of this I will gladly provide them if i can figure out how to attach a file on a forum post......

refer to photo instructions on the mexican mauser thread it will tell you how to upload pictures.

Also welcome aboard this is my favorite site great information and everyone is friendly.

thanks buddy, i appreciate the timely reply!  

the dimples mean it's ''staked'' so it won't back out, kinda like poor mans locktite. i worked for a farmer who would stratigically bugger threads on bolts to keep them from comming loose in the field. crude but very effective

It's been a while since I did this...

If we are talking about the same screw it's been converted to a PIN.  Seems like there is some caution to removing it also.

I'd ask about it on the parallax turk mauser forum before I messed up.<G>

Dennis Jenkins

Quoted: (first time poster/new member) I would greatly appreciate any help that can be given.  I recently purchased a 1942 turkish mauser in rather fair condition. i am in the process of disassembly and plan to restore the wood and metal (barrel and reciever in good condition) but am having trouble getting the front screw out of the trigger base.  I would post a picture, but haven't yet figured out how to do that.  the screw appears to be quite tight as I can't even make out where the screw head ends and the bottom plate it is attached to begins.  the tarnish almost makes it look like the screw is molded to the plate.  there are two dimples that look like someone did with a punch on the srew where the head meets the plate. each punch is 180 degrees away from one another. Is this normal? I can't seem to remove the screw, I don't know if it is just seized or if someone locked it in there.  I haven't used a bunch of muscle on it because i don't want to strip the damn thing out. I am referencing the dissassembly instructions on surplusrifle.com and they don't seem to be as easy as it looks.  the mag release pin doesnt seem to allow the mag to come out either but I am not so concerned with that right now.  if y'all need pictures of this I will gladly provide them if i can figure out how to attach a file on a forum post......

I got it apart with a little bit of tool fabrcation. sure enough, someone had staked the bolt to keep it from coming out but all it took was a sharpened screwdriver bit and a vise & she came out without ruining the screw.  Thanks for the help, I do appreciate it.  Looks to be good candidate for a resto job.........any helpful tips on cleaning the wood and getting all the years of hand oil/cosmo out of the stock?  should I just use linseed oil for a finish?  what grit sandpaper is best to remove any old finish that may be there and smoothen that wood out a bit?  any useful tips on restoring the wood and getting that beautiful light walnut grain to come out would be much appreciated.  (you guys have given good advice so far...)

Glad to hear you removed the screw best advice for removing cosmo is low and constant heat. I doubt you have a oven big enough, but if you set the thing for 150-175 degreas and place the stock in it that will melt out much of the cosmo. allso check out surplusrifle.com great info on cosmo removal. I persaonaly have had great luck with boiled linseed oil on walnut as well,  the finish just depends on waht you want. Old walnut can have some great figure in it. i have a 150year old British double shoutgun that has really nice walnut that came back from the dead after lenseed oil.

I bet you have a scratch on your stock from the burr that pounding out that pin leaves.  No big deal.  I did a couple also.<G>

Dennis Jenkins

Quoted: I got it apart with a little bit of tool fabrcation. sure enough, someone had staked the bolt to keep it from coming out but all it took was a sharpened screwdriver bit and a vise & she came out without ruining the screw.  Thanks for the help, I do appreciate it.  Looks to be good candidate for a resto job.........any helpful tips on cleaning the wood and getting all the years of hand oil/cosmo out of the stock?  should I just use linseed oil for a finish?  what grit sandpaper is best to remove any old finish that may be there and smoothen that wood out a bit?  any useful tips on restoring the wood and getting that beautiful light walnut grain to come out would be much appreciated.  (you guys have given good advice so far...)

May I suggest that you replace the firing pin spring with a 22 pound one from Wolff springs.  I diid this on both my Turks and it ended a lot of frustrations when shooting them.  May work just fine, but these springs are over 60 years old and milsurp primers for 8mm ammo are harder than the primers on sporting rounds.  Since doing this I have virtually eliminated hang fires of failures to fire.  

hmm..  thanks for the tip.  That old turk ammo from the 40's does not like cold weather.. i probably had 3 rounds that wouldn't fire the first pull.  I want to get a new bolt with a turned down handle because I eventually plan scope it (an entirely different project within itself that I have never done before ) are there any bolts like that may already have the wolf spring, or will have to find a custom one / just do it myself?  ever scoped one of these things before? Is it worth my while or should I just leave it alone?  If I should leave it alone, what cheap milsurp rifle is good for scoping? I only have a pristine k-31, a remington .22, and this old turk right now.  I don't want to scope the k-31 and the .22 is well....a .22 and not that much fun to shoot.  I got the turk from a buddy and as rough but good to shoot as it is, I don't mind making it my "guinea pig". i do however, want to make it my long range and tannerite shooter. The rear sight looks misaligned but it was surprisingly accurate.  Just a bit high ( i have heard normal for all mausers? ) but other than that pretty good from what i can tell. still haven't had it at the range yet but it did good at the pit.