My dad has 2 98 mauser actions in original condition that have never been used and I was thinking of using one to have a rifle made. If it was your choice what caliber would you get a custom rifle made in on this aciton? I've got more rifles than I need but have just been giving this some thought lately.
One of my vz 24's became a 416 Taylor the other is becoming a 458x2 american. I think the 416 is my favorite so far and soon I will be having another made with some serious custom accessories since I put the first together very simply to see how I liked the cartridge.
Posts: 6935 | Location: hydesville, ca. , USA | Registered: 17 March 2001
It may depend on a caliber you don't have and would like to have. Where and how and on what game would it be used? I'm a firm believer in stainless-synthetic with CRF-action and couldn't find that combination in a 7x57. So, I took a standard lenglth Ruger MKII SS and had an SS Lilja barrel(7x57) and McMillan stock(Sako classic) put with it and topped it off with that chunky LPS 1.5x6x42 Leupold. I dearly love it! What caliber would you get alot of use out of it?
9.3X62 or 64. The 9.3X64 fits a standard Mauser action with very little effort and has the performance of a 375 H&H with 300 gr bullets. With 250 gr bullets you can approach the velocities of a 340WBY/338 RUM. You can use standard M98 stocks, triggers,barrel from Pac-Nor etc. I recently built one ( see big bore post) and was dutifully impressed with many 1 hole groups . Cases can be a problem, however, if that bothers you the 9.3X62 would be perfectly acceptable.-Rob
Posts: 6314 | Location: Las Vegas,NV | Registered: 10 January 2001
Mausers will always work better in the caliber that they originally were as each model is designed around that caliber. It is the only action that can make that claim.
By that standard an 8mm like yours would make a very nice 7x57 and you can extend that standard to any 30-06 size round...
Now, thats not to say and expert smith cannot convert to any caliber up to a 375 or 404 Jefferys, but he had better be truly an expert on Mauser actions.
I've had a VZ-24 action that's been re-worked and slicked up just sitting around for a couple years now while I've mulled the very same question-what to do with it. This year if things go as planned, it will be fitted with a Douglas barrel chambered for .35 Whelen. I've already seen the stock I want on it-it was originally done up for a fellow who wanted a .416 on his Mauser action, but ran out of steam part way thru the job. My smith showed me the stock and it is NICE!!!!, now if I can get him to re-work it for me and come to some sort of price deal it will be a go. My only concern, and I haven't discussed this with the smith, is that the barrel channel being made for the .416 will be a bit large, so the .35Whelen barrel will be of a slightly different contour and probably end up a bit heavier than I would opt for, but it may turn out better for it.
Rockhead and I are building 9.3x62s on a VZ24 and a German M98.
quote:Originally posted by wolf6151: My dad has 2 98 mauser actions in original condition that have never been used and I was thinking of using one to have a rifle made. If it was your choice what caliber would you get a custom rifle made in on this aciton? I've got more rifles than I need but have just been giving this some thought lately.
Posts: 207 | Location: Nicolet National Forest, WI, USA | Registered: 21 January 2002
quote:Originally posted by Atkinson: By that standard an 8mm like yours would make a very nice 7x57 and you can extend that standard to any 30-06 size round...
Good point with the caveat that unless you modify the magazine a military action designed for 7x57 or 8x57 won't take full-length .270/.30-06 cartridges.
For instance I have a VZ-24 rebarreled in .270. Kuhnhausen's shop manual lists magazine length as 3.315" -- unfortunately I found that out the hard way before I bought the manual, by loading a bunch of max-length (3.34") rounds and then having to use a bent paper clip to get them out of the magazine.
John
Posts: 1246 | Location: Northern Virginia, USA | Registered: 02 June 2001
Modifying the magazine to take 3.34" rounds is pretty easy though -- just take a flat file and file the back wall of the magazine, until you start to get into the release button recess.
Todd
Posts: 1248 | Location: North Carolina | Registered: 14 April 2001
John, That is correct sorry if I wasn't clear on that, but the conversion is very simple as stated by Todd...I do it with a 3 corner file in about 20 minutes.
I even do that with the standard 7 and 8mm rounds so that I can seat the bullets out to the lands as most Mausers have such long throats..It, in effect, improves them about the same as blowing out the shoulder, such as on an Ackley improved.
quote:Originally posted by wolf6151: My dad has 2 98 mauser actions in original condition that have never been used and I was thinking of using one to have a rifle made. If it was your choice what caliber would you get a custom rifle made in on this aciton? I've got more rifles than I need but have just been giving this some thought lately.
What about the .338-06 Ackley Improved? This is one of my all time favourites, just a tick less than a .338 Win. mag. with a lot less powder and attending recoil, huge bullet selection, cases easy to make, and enough power fopr anything short of DG.
