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Firearms Legal Protection

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  1. #1
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    Czech Kar98k headspace problems... maybe?

    I just aquired a Czech (captured?) Kar98k at an auction sale and I'm having trouble chambering a round. I'm certain it's still in 8mm Mauser, the numbers match on all parts, and the bore is pristine. But when I try chambering a round from the magazine, the bullet gets stuck so that about the back 1/3 of the round is still visible before I can't go any further, so then I could drop a round straight down the chamber and it'll appear to have gone all the way in, but when I try closing on it, the bolt only turns about 40° or so before it stops, but I assume it's the extractor not getting around the lip.

    Is this a head space issue or is there maybe a piece of an old case stuck inside the chamber? I tried taking a flash light and looking but I can't see inside of it that well. When I do try chambering a round though it gets stuck hard enough to where I need to drop an aluminum cleaning rod down the bore with a little force to make it pop out.

    Hopefully you guys know more about the Czech Kar98k's than I do.

  2. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by That one dude View Post
    I just aquired a Czech (captured?) Kar98k at an auction sale and I'm having trouble chambering a round. I'm certain it's still in 8mm Mauser, the numbers match on all parts, and the bore is pristine. But when I try chambering a round from the magazine, the bullet gets stuck so that about the back 1/3 of the round is still visible before I can't go any further, so then I could drop a round straight down the chamber and it'll appear to have gone all the way in, but when I try closing on it, the bolt only turns about 40° or so before it stops, but I assume it's the extractor not getting around the lip.

    Is this a head space issue or is there maybe a piece of an old case stuck inside the chamber? I tried taking a flash light and looking but I can't see inside of it that well. When I do try chambering a round though it gets stuck hard enough to where I need to drop an aluminum cleaning rod down the bore with a little force to make it pop out.

    Hopefully you guys know more about the Czech Kar98k's than I do.
    1. Are you certain the barrel is original? Good chance of it being re-barreled in 30-06.

    2. Also, are you clambering Yugo ammo? It is longer.

    3. Have you disassembled and cleaned all the cosmoline out of it?
    Last edited by oldmann1967; 10-09-2019 at 07:11 PM.

  3. #3
    MGO Member Roundballer's Avatar
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    The Czech Mauser that my Dad used to have was a 7mm. That would make the difference that you are describing.


    Life Member, NRA, Lapeer County Sportsmen's Club Disclaimer: I Am Not A Lawyer. Opinions expressed are not representative of any organization to which I may belong, and are solely mine. Any natural person or legal entity reading this post accepts all responsibility for any actions undertaken by that person or entity, based upon what they perceived was contained in this post, and shall hold harmless this poster, his antecedents, and descendants, in perpetuity.

  4. #4
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    1. I've done the muzzle test with an 8mm round and a 30-06. It completely eats the 30-06, and the 8mm still sticks out a little. I'll play around with it a little more though (safely)

    2. I'm using Romanian (green steel case, right?)

    3. I haven't bothered to clean it yet because the gun overall is pretty much clean of grease or cosmoline from what I can see, but since you mention it there might still be some left in the chamber I just can't see, so I'll try cleaning it.

    Thanks for the reply

  5. #5
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    I've tried the muzzle test with a 30-06 and it completely eats the bullet, and I think .30 cal is bigger than 7mm, and like I said the bore is pristine so it can't be 7mm. I'll try playing with it some more and see if I can figure it out

  6. #6
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    UPDATE: I messed around with the gun a little more and I did get an 8mm round to completely chamber, although half the time the round doesn't slid right in, instead it gets stuck to where about 1/3 of the shell is still showing, like I said it was doing before. But all I gotta do is pull back out and try again then it'll slide right in with hardly any resistance. On the last 45° or so the bolt is just a little stiff when closing, so I'm guessing it's just incredibly tight headspace?

  7. #7
    Well that is interesting. Inspect the brass case. Any scratches or galling? Could be a bur on the edge of the chamber. I really dont think headspace would hinder it as much as you are describing. Are you using a bullet larger than like 140gr.?

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by oldmann1967 View Post
    Well that is interesting. Inspect the brass case. Any scratches or galling? Could be a bur on the edge of the chamber. I really dont think headspace would hinder it as much as you are describing. Are you using a bullet larger than like 140gr.?
    There is a little scratching on the casings when I extract, so you could be right. I'll have to get a bore camera or something so I can really look down in there. And yeah, the lightest 8mm ammo I have is 170 grain.

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