GEW 98 stock fitting

[gsg1981]

Hello,
I have both a sporterised GEW 98 and a pile of parts necessary to restore it to service condition.
The stock is a beautiful piece of beechwood that needs a substantial amount of work before the action will fit correctly.
I have never undertaken such a task and have been searching the web for direction to no avail.
I'm good with my hands and confident I can do a good job, but I would love to find a resource, be it a book or online source, that gives direction to restocking Mauser rifles.
Can any of you please provide such s resource?
Eagerly anticipating your replies,

Information

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[Patrick Chadwick]

If you just search for "pillar bedding Mauser" you will be astonished at the number of entries. Basically, the Mauser receivers should fit the cut-out as neatly as possible - which, if you are using a replacement stock, means bedding. The barrel channel should be clear right up to the front band. Clear means that you should be able to pass a piece of postcard between the barrel and the wood from front right back to the knoxform (i.e. where the barrel widens out to match the receiver). In the front band section, the channel wood can be left a smidgeon (or gnat's whisker, depending on which system of units you are using) higher to provide some front bearing. Opinions differ on this. Some leave the wood a bit higher, some insert a piece of cork, and other clear it out for a totally free-floating barrel. I suspect that in the end the differences are also dependent on the ammo which is used, as the vivacity of the charge also influences the barrel vibrations. And any stock bearing is going to alter as that new stock ages. BTW, somewhere in a book I have the original setup instructions for a K98k, and there it is clear that the front end was free - only a fraction of a mm, but nevertheless free.

If you are (as it seems) effectively assembling a Gew98 from parts, then I recommend that you purchase "The Mauser Bolt Actions" by Jerry Kuhnhausen. And read it before doing any mechanical operations on the stock. An old mechanical engineering truth is that it's' easy to file it off, but annoying if you have to file it back on again!

[gsg1981]

I will order that book promptly. Thank you.