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MG08/15 Headspacing


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Purchased a register dewat 08/15 and need to headspace a new barrel and lock but I am not sure what the proper method for doing so. Can someone advise me on what part needs to be altered?
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Hi,

 

I'm sure folks that really know will join in shortly like the gentleman from VT.

 

IIRC, the headspace on the 08/15 is not adjustable. Precision German workmanship was the answer and matched locks,recoil plates & barrels. Bob Naess would perform magic with Russian 1910 Maxim parts to produce internals for the 08 and 08/15 with adjustable headspace but I don't know the details.

 

Nothing like working on a 100 year old MG.

 

Welcome to the boards,

 

Grasshopper

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Was the lock also damaged by the DEWATing enough to render it unuseable?
generally the feedblock belt shuttl drive arm is broken off along with welding the breech closed and welding the barrel extension to the inside of the sideplates. Those outfits doing the DEWATing tended to allow the bolts/locks etc to function in the actions with a minimum of damage because it was more realistic" and buyers liked that.
Best to determine what replacement parts you will need when, aside from barrel, you have the gun in your possession. This incudes the drive arm, too, which can be purchased as repros.
If a replacement lock is also needed with the replacement barrel fitted to the gun for reactivation, it would be wise to wait until the reactivation is complete with the new parts and then test fire the gun for function. Of course, having a spare lock is great. Often locks can use a new firing pin spring for hard military primers, and even regular etc. The vintage 08 lock springs often are weakened.

There is no head spacing system built into the German Maxims as noted above.

Hope you find the fettling of your new 08/15 exciting and rewarding. There's lots to learn. FWIW

Edited by BRMCII
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There was no lock in the gun when I bought it. Barrel was barely tacked to the receiver. Took me about 5 minutes with a Dremel to free it. Purchased a lock in excellent condition from ebay and a used barrel from IMA. Gun will cycle and fire without a round in the chamber. But not with a round in it. Will occasionally fire if you draw theround out of the chamber halfway and release while hiding the trigger. Which indicates to me the headspace is only slightly off. My thoughts would be to take a few thousands of the slots on the breech face but I don't know for sure. Taken down the brass collar also seems like a possible way to get the barrel to move slight forward in the housing.
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Gun will cycle and fire without a round in the chamber. But not with a round in it. Will occasionally fire if you draw theround out of the chamber halfway and release while hiding the trigger. Which indicates to me the headspace is only slightly off. My thoughts would be to take a few thousands of the slots on the breech face but I don't know for sure. Taken down the brass collar also seems like a possible way to get the barrel to move slight forward in the housing.

 

The brass collar doesn't have anything to do with head space. If your lock wont close enough to trip the safety sear with a round in the chamber, your issue is more than "slightly off" head space. I'd like to help, but I dont understand what you mean when you say "Will occasionally fire if you draw the round out of the chamber halfway and release while hiding the trigger." It shouldn't fire if the toggle is not locked.

 

Or are you talking about the timing when the trigger bar trips the sear?

Edited by bigbore
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I am just using primed cases and dummy rounds to test but the sear will not trip with case in the chamber but if partially extract the it slam it back in the chamber sometimes if will fire. Edited by czerka
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I am just using primed cases and dummy rounds to test but the sear will not trip with case in the chamber but if partially extract the it slam it back in the chamber sometimes if will fire.

 

That's timing not head space. I'll bet when the gun actually fires the force of the action closing trips the sear every time.

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Put a piece of masking tape on the lock were I indicated in blue. See if it trips when you hand cycle. If not, add 2 pieces. That will identify the issue of timing - but I still bet it works fine when you shoot real ammo.

Screenshot_20210530-194222_Gallery.jpg

Edited by bigbore
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  • 2 weeks later...
Ok got a chance to test it out. With two pieces of tape it fired and ejected. Still about 20 miles of travel in the trigger. I put two nickles on in place of the tape and it only reduced the travel by half. These guns just have shitty triggers or is it something else?
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Ok got a chance to test it out. With two pieces of tape it fired and ejected. Still about 20 miles of travel in the trigger. I put two nickles on in place of the tape and it only reduced the travel by half. These guns just have shitty triggers or is it something else?

 

All MGs have shitty triggers, but again what you are saying makes no sense. We cant be talking about the same thing. You can't put 2 nickles where I told you to put a piece of tape.

If you see the blue arrow pointing to the safety sear that releases the firing pin, that is where I said to put the tape - under that tab sticking out on the top of the lock. That has nothing to do trigger travel. The pointy thing sticking out the bottom is basically the trigger. The tab on top releases the firing pin after the lock "locks" in full auto while the trigger bar holds back the piece on the bottom.

 

 

20210612_194523.jpg

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Yeah I stuck two nickels under the tab in the picture and dry fired it with a dummy round. Would you like a video of it? They will sit right there on the ledge. Prior to that I put 15 pieces of tape.The more tape I put under it the the less travel and pressure required to trip the sear. Edited by czerka
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Yeah I stuck two nickels under the tab in the picture and dry fired it with a dummy round. Would you like a video of it? They will sit right there on the ledge. Prior to that I put 15 pieces of tape.The more tape I put under it the the less travel and pressure required to trip the sear.

 

Doing that is releasing the firing pin too early and slamming it into the extractor. If you manipulate the lock outside the gun you'll see that toggle needs to go all the way up which lifts the extractor so the hole for the firing pin lines up. I'm curious to see what you are doing with a video, but it's going to break your firing pin.

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I was experimenting if that would improve the trigger. Without a round in it the trigger has a fairly normal travel and takes little pressure. With a round in it the travel and pressure required is ridiculous. Also how do I fix the timing permanently?

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I was experimenting to see if it would improve the trigger. Without a round in it the travel and pressure required is fairly normal. With a round the travel and pressure is ridiculous. Also how do I set the timing permanently?

post-261671-0-92332700-1623945135_thumb.jpg

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I was experimenting to see if it would improve the trigger. Without a round in it the travel and pressure required is fairly normal. With a round the travel and pressure is ridiculous. Also how do I set the timing permanently?

 

Sorry, I'm not sure what all your problems are without seeing the gun. What you are showing in that pic wont do anything other than break your firing pin.

 

Setting timing on one of those involves heating and bending that safety sear without breaking it. IMO, I'd rather just stick a piece of tape on the lock, and just replace as necessary while shooting the gun.

Edited by bigbore
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