Brownells Gunsmith Tech Corner - July 2011

By Mark Hudson

Question: I have three bolt action rifles: a Mauser 98, a Sako L61-R, and a Ruger 77. Is (or are) there proper tools for disassembly of the bolt for inspection and cleaning? Do I need more than one tool for each specific action? Can you provide me with your catalog numbers if that is the case?

Answer: I'm afraid there are no tools for those bolts. Most gunsmiths use a vise to draw back the cocking piece and then unscrew the bolt shroud assembly. In the case of the Mauser, all you need do is cock the gun, put the safety in the upright position, remove the bolt from the gun and then unscrew the bolt shroud and firing pin assembly. You might want to get Frank DeHaas' book on bolt action rifles. It explains much of what you need to know about these rifles.

Solution: Purchase Bolt Action Rifles by Frank DeHaas (#251-903-601).
Purchase a Brownells Multi-Vise (#080-000-019).


Question: I’d like to know if there is a tritium bead sight available for the Maverick 88 Security shotgun. One that won't require major fitting to the barrel and will be about the same in height as the brass bead that is on it. While I'm on that subject, can a tritium bead sight alone, for low light situations, be used without a ghost ring rear sight?

Answer: The 88 should use the same bead as a Mossberg which is 5-40. Any tritium bead will require some fitting to align it in the barrel. That will be simply taking a little off the bottom of the sight so it will turn and be parallel to the bore. On my own shotgun I have a Marbles front tritium sight without a rear sight and it works great in the dark, so no, you don’t need a ghost ring for the front sight to work.

Solution: Purchase a Marbles 5-40 Tritium Shotgun Sight (#579-000-080).

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