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I cannot get that long skinny piece off the bolt of my Mauser. I tried forcing it with my thumb, it slipped off my hand and took out a chunk of my thumb. I didn't want to force it with a screwdriver and damage the bolt. What should I do? I need to disassemble it for cleaning and lubrication. Thanks.

That's the claw extractor. You should be using proper tools to disassemble the bolt.......it will make the job a LOT easier.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Tools-f ... -the-bolt/

http://www.lawranceordnance.com/informa ... 8_bolt.php

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=2o-xJcBfr9I[/youtube]

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=2A_-FnDhmAc[/youtube]

Thanks again. Now I know that I don't have to remove the extractor claw when field stripping and cleaning per the videos you posted. I saw another video where the person easily popped off with his thumb the extractor claw for cleaning. Somehow, it didn't pop off so easily for me.

Man, that Mauser is HEAVY compared to a modern AR-15 !!! Now, I understand why the AR-15 is so popular with the ladies. The female shooters I know use the .223/5.56 AR-15 to shoot just about anything from deer to hog to 2 legged varmints.

I've removed extractor claws on old Mausers before, but it was only to clean cosmoline out. I've never removed them for a basic field strip, and I don't remember ever doing it for a detail cleaning, either, not once the cosmoline was gone. For that matter, I rarely disassemble the bolt, either, except to get that packing grease out.

Clean it to get rid of cosmoline, and clean it if you shoot corrosive ammo, but honestly speaking, it's a bolt gun, and doesn't really need cleaned if you're using modern ammo. It's not like it's gonna jam from crud buildup the way a semi-auto can.

If it doesn't move and should...use WD40.

If it moves, and shouldn't...use Duct Tape.

The only time that I have removed the extractor is if I had to replace one, it was not hard to do, simply turn it until it pops out of the groove and then slide it off toward the front of the bolt, and it will pop off.