Mauser I think

[Delkal]

Please don't think I am being a wise ass but I'll ask again how you loaded the rifle. Many Mauser extractors have had the claw broken off buy people dropping a cartridge into the chamber and then trying to force the bolt closed. Like I said before not all Mauser extractors will just jump over the rim of the cartridge. The extractor was made to feed from the magazine. The reason I ask again is if the bolt is push shut on a chambered cartridge and the extractor will not jump over the cartridge rim then the bolt will not close.

I have a feeling this is the answer.

[joeyj]

I will try to post pictures, please bear with me, I'm not too computer savvy.

[joeyj]

What is a " front receive ring "

[Delkal]

What is a " front receive ring "

A receiver / action is the part of a rifle that has the bolt in it. The front receiver ring is the larger forward portion of the receiver where the barrel screws into it (where the bullet goes). On a Mauser there are usually markings or a crest and the serial number there. The other manufacturers markings are usually on the thinner left side of the receiver.

[joeyj]

I put a cartridge in the magazine box, but when I closed the bolt it still wouldn't load. I didn't want to fool with it too much In the house just in case it went off.

[Delkal]

I put a cartridge in the magazine box, but when I closed the bolt it still wouldn't load. I didn't want to fool with it too much In the house just in case it went off.

Make sure the barrel is 8mm. Stick the bullet into the muzzle and see how far it goes in. For a fresh barrel the bullet should stop with ~3/8 inch of space between the muzzle and case neck. Well worn military barrels will be less all the way to being able to stick the bullet in and the neck will touch the muzzle (usually means shot out). If the bullet stops halfway up the taper your barrel is probably a .30 cal. If you have a 30 cal cartridge redo the test and let us know what you find.

[SteveWag]

Going back to the very first post, lets assume the gunsmith in question was competent and the headspace IS correct. Next is the fact that the bullet remained in the rifle, captured by the rifling. If indeed the ammunition was 8x56, then the bore would be LESS than 8mm. Could it be a 7x56? The post(s) referring to the extractor are indeed correct, but that does not have anything to explain the stuck bullet. OR, is he calling a cartridge a "bullet", lots of people do. If so, it could be a 8x56 but with a rusted chamber. Yes, it is a Mauser, but no one is asking the correct questions.
Steve

[Emptymag]

When I was a kid, I hunted with a 7mm Mauser.

All those years I assumed that was what all Mausers were chambered in.

[Fortytwo]

Going back to the very first post, lets assume the gunsmith in question was competent and the headspace IS correct. Next is the fact that the bullet remained in the rifle, captured by the rifling. If indeed the ammunition was 8x56, then the bore would be LESS than 8mm. Could it be a 7x56? The post(s) referring to the extractor are indeed correct, but that does not have anything to explain the stuck bullet. OR, is he calling a cartridge a "bullet", lots of people do. If so, it could be a 8x56 but with a rusted chamber. Yes, it is a Mauser, but no one is asking the correct questions.
Steve

It is a Kar98k made during the later part of WWII... Being a 7mm Mauser chambering seems a very unlikely scenario. Far more likely would be that it was re-chambered in .30-06 or 7.62mm NATO sometime after the War.

[Gunplummer]

I have to agree with gunkrank. If the OP is referring to "Bullet" as the complete cartridge, why is the extractor not pulling it out? If it is only the bullet getting stuck and the case is extracted, something else is going on. Maybe the wrong bolt?