The throat is all shot out on my Importer sporterized '91 and I'm thinking of retubing to 7X57 but there's a snag!

There's a pin in the receiver that fits right up against the breach end of the barrel. It doesn't hold the barrel in place, there's no notch or groove that I can see. There's no notch in the bolt for it to fit into. What the heck does this pin do? Did they just have a bunch of pins laying around and said "In a hundred years, folks are gonna wonder what these pins are for, HAHAHA" and just stuck the things in to drive us all crazy???

What would happen if the pin got broken off?

Anybody got any ideas? I appreciate any information concerning that silly pin!!

FL

The throat is all shot out on my Importer sporterized '91 and I'm thinking of re tubing to 7X57 but there's a snag!

There's a pin in the receiver that fits right up against the breach end of the barrel. It doesn't hold the barrel in place, there's no notch or groove that I can see. There's no notch in the bolt for it to fit into. What the heck does this pin do? Did they just have a bunch of pins laying around and said "In a hundred years, folks are gonna wonder what these pins are for, HAHAHA" and just stuck the things in to drive us all crazy???

What would happen if the pin got broken off?

Anybody got any ideas? I appreciate any information concerning that silly pin!!

FL

A competent gunsmith should be able to examine your rifle and offer some valid opinions and options. I have several Argentine Model 1891s and have not noticed the pin you refer to. No matter, I am confident that your rifle can be rebarreled to a 7X57 Mauser. All the best...
Gil

The throat is all shot out on my Importer sporterized '91 and I'm thinking of retubing to 7X57 but there's a snag!

There's a pin in the receiver that fits right up against the breach end of the barrel. It doesn't hold the barrel in place, there's no notch or groove that I can see. There's no notch in the bolt for it to fit into. What the heck does this pin do? Did they just have a bunch of pins laying around and said "In a hundred years, folks are gonna wonder what these pins are for, HAHAHA" and just stuck the things in to drive us all crazy???

What would happen if the pin got broken off?

Anybody got any ideas? I appreciate any information concerning that silly pin!!

FL

Welcome to the forum fc. Rules are simple, be nice and join in.

I'm not familiar with 91 Mauser's so can't help you there. I've no doubt as was said it can be rebarreled. The last 91 Mauser I had in my gunshop was a wall hanger that I had bent the barrel around so it pointed at the shooter. It was labeled polish deer rifle. (No offense meant to our fine polish readers) That was when I was much younger and not near as smart.

The schematic I have for the '91 Argentine shows no such pin. You've got some kind of modification. If the pin is at twelve o'clock, it could be that some numbskull tried to drill and tap for scope rings and drilled right through and decided he'd better plug it. I would get a small piece of mirror and look in there to make sure that the chamber is not compromised—that you don't see the other end of the pin inside the chamber. It has been done before. It could also be harmless. It could be someone started scope holes and gave up.

You'd be surprised at how many home grown gunsmiths have drilled all the way thru into a chamber trying to drill and tap for a scope mount. That 91 I had as a wall hanger was one of those a customer brought into the shop one day. When I explained to him that I couldn't fix it by welding up the hole and filing the inside of the chamber he just tossed it in my garbage can in disgust and left.

I never did see him again, but often wonder if he didn't go home and beat his head against his drill press.

You'd be surprised at how many home grown gunsmiths have drilled all the way thru into a chamber trying to drill and tap for a scope mount. That 91 I had as a wall hanger was one of those a customer brought into the shop one day. When I explained to him that I couldn't fix it by welding up the hole and filing the inside of the chamber he just tossed it in my garbage can in disgust and left.

I never did see him again, but often wonder if he didn't go home and beat his head against his drill press.

I am amazed at some of the results of woodshed mechanics and shadetree gunsmiths. In the case of the rifle mentioned above, could it have been rebarreled and returned to service? Just curious. Take care...
Oberndorf

Yup it certainly could have, but this was in the mid 70's and the 91's with there pressure limitations and the availability of 98 actions for very little relegated these guns basically to the scrap barrel. Add in a stock that someone had hacked up pretty badly and it made something that just wasn't worth fiddling with at the time other than what I did with it.

It's a shame, but that was the times.

I've seen some alleged gunsmiths do some dandy work too.

Install F/O sights on a Smith 29 - customer wasn't happy finding the "professional gunsmith" simply glued little pieces of the F/O material to the top of the existing sights.

Rem 700 brought in for a replacement .270 bbl, customer returned it a few minutes later after he saw the stamp on the bbl indicating it was chambered in .308win

Customer came in asking if his scope install was done. Gunsmith said, "yep, boresighted too." That's when the customer asked, "does it make the boresighting easier working off the chamber side?" Gunsmith snapped back, "I don't know what you're talking about, the bore sight tool goes in the muzzle!" Customer, "Well then could you please explain to me how you boresighted this rifle when the scope is installed backwards?"

Yup Mark, I've seen several cases like that. Makes checking out a smith you haven't used with some of his customers pretty much mandatory. Most smiths will be happy to give you a list of some of his customers to check with. If he won't don't walk, run away.

Lots of guys go into the business with a little knowledge, a bunch of tools and us to practice on. Every once in a while though they turn into great smiths.