Ive been kicking around some ideas for a good lightweight woods gun. Heres what I thought I may like to build.

Mauser action, possibly a yugo cleaned up since they are so available in good condition. hinged floorplate, necg dual set triggers, ghost ring sights, Old classic style stock with straight comb thin cheekpiece and swept grip, 22" Lothar Walthar bbl chambered in 358 win. Id also kind of like to have just one Mauser with the original three position saftey still in place.

What would yall do different or add to something like that?

Okay, I'll bite. It's already built and I've started hunting with it this fall. Model 99F Savage in .35/.284; 22" Douglas; MPI fiberglas lightweight stock (w/Schnabel and Decelerator); Leupold 2.5 Compact; weighs 7.5 lbs loaded. All metal is powdercoated. It pushes 250's at 2,400 fps (I took it up to 2,450 but extraction wasn't reliable at that pressure).
Jerry/AK

Had the same idea years ago. Buy a 9,3 x 62 mm better ammo and uses the length of the mauser action nicely

Aleko

A Yugo would be perfect for a 35 WSM.
My dream woods gun is a 358-248 Imp lever.

I've had trouble getting 8x57 milsurp Mausers to feed in 308, and I'd expect the same in 358. But that's no reason to call it off, just budget to tweak the feed rails.

Aleko had a good idea in the 9.3x62. I've taken five feral cattle from 450-700 lbs at ranges from 30-120m with mine--one solid hit and they die on their way to the ground.

On the other hand, you could leave it in 8x57. The domestic load should be fine at woods ranges and it will feed like a dream.

Okie John

Wstrnhuntr, If I had a few extra bucks kicking around I'd make a .35 Whelen AI on a 7600 with 20" barrel, synthetic stock and Pachmayr Declerator pad and topped with a matte finish 2X7 Burris Compact. And I would load it with 225 gr. A-Frames.

I'm having my 9.3x64 Brenneke delivered soon.
It's a custom rifle from A to Z, but is built to be used. If I were to choose caliber over again today, I'd probably choose the 9.3x62.
I have built "mine" with a quarter rib and detatchable "swing type" mounts for a Leupold Scout scope. For iron sights i have a rear "ghostring/hunting diopter". This rifle is made in xxxx grade Turkish walnut in classic english style with ebony fore-end and a little more "fatter" cheekpiece to allow me to get "contact" with the stock on seeing the reticle, it also has a slight cast-off. The buttpad is a Packmayr Deaccelerator of a shootin clays style, - it has a "non slip" piece of "plastic" where the butt may hang on your clothing. It's made on a Oberndorf Mauser action and I've kept the original safety and has also had made clips to "fast-feed" cartridges (for 9,3x62 you may use original clips).
In short, - this plus much more is done to get a fast mounting gun for practical hunting.

Good luck and have fun

This is my woods rifle......well more scruby bush and paperbark swamp rifle Its a Verguiero in 8x57.I love this calibre, hard hitting yet mild to shoot. Will kill any pig in Australia so should do alright on deer.

Bakes

For woods rifles I prefer a light barrel and if it's short so much the better. I understand the 9.3X62 is a cool cartridge but if one ended up with a stout barrel the rifle itself would not come up well nor would it follow fast moving game.

A friend was trimming a very large battery of guns and I came up to look at two custom .358 Wins that he wanted to move along. One has a Sako action which is a good start but the barrels on each were way too heavy and this ment a wide barrel channel in the nice wood stocks. He had quite a bit into each of them as nice wood costs $$$. I never made an offer.

You've come close to describing a project I've been contemplating for a while. The only difference is that I would shorten the barrel to 20", make the stock a full Mannlicher-style and top it with a 1.5-5 Leupold VXIII with heavy duplex, something I can put on target faster than any peep or open sight.

[ 09-12-2003, 16:37: Message edited by: whiteeagle ]

My idea is an 8x57 built on a VZ 24 action. 23 inch barrel, ramp front/peep rear. Action drilled and tapped for scope (in case I ever want it). Classic European style stock, might go the hinged floorplate route, might skip it and remachine the original down to trim it up. Probably see if I can't have an extra shroud set up with a scope-compatible safety. Make a custom case that'll house all the components.
But by then, I'll also have won the lottery, bought a sports team, and taken the shuttle to the moon also.

Coot
"A mans gotta have dreams, Bagel. Otherwise all yah got is nightmares."
(Mickey Rourke in the movie "Diner")

Wstrnhntr,

try to get an old Husqvarna 146 in 9.3x57 (9.3 mm Mauser), which is somewhat quite ideail for that purpose. Norma still loads the ammo for it.



Read more at http://hem.bredband.net/b102212/m46.html

Best regards,

Fritz

I was meaning to write "easy slip" plastic on top of the Pachmayr ...

The cartridge 8x57 was mentioned ...
I agree that this is a very fine cartridge for woodland hunting.
Also concider the .35 Whelen.

In my 9.3x64 I have a 26" barrel (Lothar Walther) of a sleek classic contour. I want the extra length since it gives better balance to the rifle (you'll mount a well balanced rifle faster) and it also gives better feel and a steadier follow when shooting at a moving animal.
I figure that I would not shoot anyway if the brush was so thick that I needed a shorter barrel to move the rifle unhindered.

I have several guns that would fill the bill for a "woods rifle" (in many cases it could also be a "bushveld rifle"): a Mex Mauser "Scout" in .358 Win; a Win M88 in .358 Win; a .376 Steyr Scout; a Merkel 140-1 in 9.3x74R; a Ruger 77/44 in .44 RM; and a Win M94 Trapper in .45 Colt.

I would opt for a 9.3 x 62 rifle and it would be a cz at that, I have a lux cz with 23" barrel and it points very well, They also make a Full stock vesion with 20" barrel hold five in the mag to.

i have a similar beast... 358 win, 22" #3 barrel, rem takeoff sights, but it's in a synth stock (17 bucks for a stock, what can you do) on a mexican mauser.

i think if you copied a german stalking rifle, in 358, it would be just about perfect....

I also think that a 358x57AI would be AWESOME. Notice I did not say 9x57, as that's a 356 bore diameter. If you used a 358 bore, you would keyhole (probably) with original ammo.. but that all low low pressure stuff anyway.

I too kept one rifle with the original mauser safety... 458 winnie, for cast loads, on a mexian.. .trigger sucks...

in fact, i believe that the set trigger, while it looks great, will be the hardest part ofyour project
jeffe

Contender Carbine with 18 inch bull barrel chambered in 358 Bellm with a choate folding stock. Lots of hitting power in a very small, light easy to carry package. If'n it needs to be a repeater, I use my Enfield No 5 Mk 1 jungle carbine, 10 shots of 303 is enough for anything I care to shoot.

regards,
Graycg

Wstrnhuntr

I will agree with my fellow Swedish Fritz kraut. 9,3x57 is a sweet thumper. You can make cases from 8X57 IS if you don't have the real stuff. I think middsouth shooter supply has cases.

the recoil is nothing to worry about

/ JOHAN

Wstrnhuntr, you've already got it all worked out nicely. Either your .358 or .35 Whelen sound like very practical, cost-effective choices.

You might also consider a cartridge like the 7x57 or the 8x57, as others have suggested. They have harvested game all over the world for over 100 years and haven't slowed down yet.

The .308 is also hard to beat.

Then, finally, there's one obscure cartridge that nobody thinks about for woods shooting anymore. It is called the .30 Caliber United States of 1906. It fits perfectly in a Mauser action and is more versatile than any of the other cartridges mentioned, though it is not as much of a "thumper" as your .35 and 9.3mm choices.

This

minus the bipod and Aimpoint.

Or this

Buy a MRC 1999 Short Action while you still can for $350 and put a .358 Win barrel on it. That's what I'm doing.

Winchester Model 71

Guess I will have to chime in.In real woods hunting you sometimes need a second shot quick. So it has to be a quick firer, like a 7600, or lever or even, a semi ,yes I said semi but I don't have time to give the reasons now. Presently I hunt with a BLR 81 in .358 win. It really thumps game from mice to moose and so far a second shot hasn't been necessary but it's nice to have a quick one in the chamber just in case or when the foirst shot hits a tree as the deer is running. If you really wring out a .358 You would be amazed at the thump you get out of one.

I must be the only one, who translates a Woods Rifle as one that is going to have the crap beat out of it, in thick brush.

For me that means getting a Hogue Rubber Stock.
For reliability, it would have either a Mauser, Ruger or Winchester Model 70 64 style action, so it will still function reliably after being full of mud, from the swamp you just negotiated or the snow bank you just slipped down.

Scope would be a 1 x 4 power, preferably with a heavy cross hair, or a good size dot reticle. This almost exclusively says Leupold 1 x 4 or 1.5 x 5. However, if budget is a concern, a Bushnell 1.5 x 4 with a Circle X Reticle does well.

Barrel length would be 20 inches or so, since you are manuevering in tight quarters.

Caliber is the final choice, depending on your quarry. The bullet would definitely be a round nose, with High Sectional density, or Noslers Semi Spitzer partitions ( 160 gr 270, or 220 gr 30 caliber).

Candidates in my book are 25 caliber or up for most things. A 6.5 mm with a 160 RN, a 7mm with 154/160/175 grainers woud be another, 270 with 160 grain partition, 308 or 30/06 with 180 or 220 grain RNs, 338/06 with 250 RNs, 358 Win, 35 Rem, 35 Whelan,
8 mm Mauser with a 170 grain Hornady RN on a short action, then the Euro Stuff, 9.3 x 62 or 9 x 57.

That is how I would put together a Woods Rifle.

A 9 or a 9.3X57 would be fantastic but there arent many of them around here. In the states a 358 is more practical and brass is a walk in the park for very similar results. Probably eaysier to resale here too.

Ive already got an 8X57 which is scoped and will probably make either a 338-06 or a Whelen out of a 1903 which is also scoped. But I am still real keen on the idea of a light handy 358 that resembles an Oberndorf sporter.

After my first post it occured to me that it might be tough to get an aftermarket hinged floorplate on a yugo, maybe a VZ24 would be better. ?? Ive never installed a double set trigger, is it pretty involved?

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

The double set trigger is a bit involved. The trigger slot has to be milled out and the new unit fitted in. The guard will have to be either worked over or replaced. After the kicker is fitted to the sear, it has to be case-hardened.

You are better off finding an action that already has a DST, such as one of the older Brno sporters. There is one on GB that has already been bored out to .35 Whelen, if that cartridge is of interest. Sometimes you can find beat-up rifles for half that price, as well.

I have it already. Mexican Mauser action, 20" Remington take-off Barrel, Synthetic stock, Bold trigger, Pentax 1.5 - 5 in Weaver Mounts. It shoots good and is a straight forward meat gun. I have lots of other rifles but this is the one I always seem to grab when I want to make sure I get the job done.
Oh yeah, the caliber - 350 Remington Magnum
350mag

Gee when I think woods rifle I guess I'm the odd man out, for me its a lever action.Mines an old 86 lite weight take down that was rebbl'ed to the original caliber 33win, it already had a peep installed, and as it was rebbl'ed I had a scout scope mount installed and mounted a bushie holo 2nd gen sight, its damn quick in the swamps and potent to boot

All the above ideas are good, depending on what you mean by "woods rifle." If the game is no larger than deer, then I feel that the .358 is over-doing it. Francis Sell, years ago, in his book The Deer Hunters Guide did an experiment that, to his satisfaction, demonstrated that for a woods rifle that has to penetrate brush, the ideal caliber is . . . 6.5x54! This makes sense from an engineering standpoint. A long-for-caliber bullet has greater gyroscopic stability than a short fat one, even at moderate velocity. So if we're talking deer hunting here, than let's look at the .264-.275 calibers because their sectional density is among the best in the world. .358 bullets, on the other hand, tend to be stubby by comparison, though they do give extra frontal area and that is a good thing when the game gets bigger than lil' ol' deers. So many factors to obsess over!

First off, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the 8X57 Mauser for a woods rifle! If you use the origenal cartridge you can use the extra money for real good Iron sights, and a proper stock! That is, if the biggest thing you will be hunting is Moose, and limiting the bear to the black veriety!

For my part, I would go a little bigger in performance, so I could use the rifle for tight bush hunting for anything up to, and including Brown bear, and Eland! I would open the bolt face, re-barrel with a 22" barrel of medium weight, install Good Iron sights, place the action in a good synthetic stock, and install quality QD rings and bases, with a Luepold 1.5-5X20 scope. Then I'd chamber for 338 Win Mag, and use it anyplace in the world, for every thing, including African Lion, up to Cape Buffalo! The big draw for the 9.3X62, though is it is legal for Cape Buffalo in many countries, and the 338 isn't legal for them any place!
$.02

Western, I think your initial idea is sound as hell. Go for it!

[ 09-13-2003, 22:01: Message edited by: Pecos45 ]

I guess I have to agree with Pecos45 and Western. It is a good plan and I would go with it too. In fact I have a spare Mauser and no plans for it and a 358 would be fun. Won't quite do what the 350 will, but then again the 350 won't do what a 358Norma will and there is nothing wrong with the 35Rem either. I guess I just like the 35s. Lots of bullets available for hunting and all those cast and ,pistol bullets to play with.
Go for it.
350mag

I did mine on a 98 action, classic stock, 20" barrel, chambered for Cooper's Fireplug (a 350 Rem Mag with the gun set up so that you can achieve a COL of 3.25"). 250 gr Speers @ 2615 fps. Best moose gun you ever saw in the woods. - Dan

"The Gunwriter's Nightmare"

Remington 7400 Carbine Synthetic in .30-06 (with 'J-Lock'!)
18.5" bbl.; open sights; Choate 870 pistolgrip buttstock filed slightly to fit the rifle action; Harris bipod adapter and bipod; Leupold Vari-X III 4.5-14x40 scope in Redfield JR base/rings; 10-rd. mag.
Too much of everything. Best part is when this rifle was in this config, it fired 1.5" or less groups with both 180's & 220's at 100-yds., with the 220's printing about 3" higher.
The RangeMaster was yakking about how these guns 'patterned' like a shotgun, until I showed him my target that day. He was pretty quiet after that!
It worked best with the factory 4-rd. mags and the bipod equipment removed, and that's the way I took it out hunting. I've since replaced the stock with the Bell&Carlson two piece standard style, and installed a Redfield 2-7 Widefield scope instead of the giant Leupold. Now, I'll take it out and sight it in with 150-gr. ammo and leave it that way. FUN GUN for the woods!
[img] http://photos.ar15.com/WS_Content/ImageGallery/IG_LoadImage.asp?iImageUnq=13347 [/img]

BusMaster,
I've dreamed considerably about doin' the same thing with a 7600. It would be just a quick on the second (third, fourth, you get the idea) shot and you can get 10 round mags from Cabelas. And it's legal in California, too, heh, heh!

[ 09-15-2003, 06:28: Message edited by: Oldsarge ]

The idea was good, but the 10-rd. mags are 'iffy'.
I found that the plastic 'clock spring' units from Millett or Eagle will not be 100% functional if left loaded for extended periods of time. I wanted to know and found out last time I shot the gun.
Next time I'll try the two metal 10-rd. mags I bought and see if they function or not.
The aftermarket mags do not have the follower rise up to work as the bolt hold-open device, however.
The factory 4-rd. units have been 100%. I trust them.

A great combination, though, would be your 7600 & and 870 set up with the Choate PG buttstocks.
The function would be nearly identical.
If you haven't seen the LE version of the 7600, go to the Remington site and look through to the LE section. It's a nice little .308 that would be a perfect match for the short bbl. 870.

Good luck.

After hunting season I may get back around to my Mauser "jungle carbine". I have a vz24 with the barrel cut down to 17" and a BAR magazine mated with the floorplate. The original design had about a 13" barrel and a M-14 flashider (mainly to have the front sight)and a williams peep in the back. The barrel had a weaver rail in place of the original rear for a Reflex sight. The military stock has been modified to look like an M1 Carbine stock complete with wooden handguard. Due to poor home gunsmithing the rear peep was installed "cattywhompus". Anyhow deer season was approaching and I got busy with othr projects so it now is wearing a 17" barrel and a Leupold one piece mount. When I get the patience to play with it again I will try to put it back together. With military ammunition it only looses 210 fps from the original 26" barrel.
I just bought a 7600 in 35 Whelen from Aleko at Heratige Arms so that will be my new woods gun, the Mauser will stay a silly concept gun.
Jason

I was all set to do just what you have described, when I ran onto a Ruger 77 Ultra Light .308 with 20" barrel. For what I do, it fit the bill so well I dropped all plans of building one. I was lucky and mine shoots very well indeed. It's the perfect weight, making for easy carry.