Have a lovely VZ.24 action that will eventually be built into a practical rifle for my youngest son. He is an adult.

Wondering what the alternatives are for a no magazine/ramp modification build.

Looking at the fella, it appears that .308 Win length is actually pretty short in the magazine. 9,3x62 (3.271") appears to be perfect. Haven't tried it yet, but by eye-ball it appears that 30-06 might be just a hair long.

Will 30-06 length (3.340") go without modifications, or does the cartridge need to be shorter to make it?

Any of the 30-06 based cartridges will slither thru tha VZ-24 plus (with a bit of rail work and bolt face alteration) any of the 2.5" magnums will as well and the new to come 375 Ruger.

I have one in 280 Remington and another in 6.5-06 and I'm building one in 338-06. They are very fine actions!

A 9.3 X 62 is also a good candidate for this action.

quote:

Originally posted by mstarling:
Have a lovely VZ.24 action that will eventually be built into a practical rifle for my youngest son. He is an adult.

Wondering what the alternatives are for a no magazine/ramp modification build.

Looking at the fella, it appears that .308 Win length is actually pretty short in the magazine. 9,3x62 (3.271") appears to be perfect. Haven't tried it yet, but by eye-ball it appears that 30-06 might be just a hair long.

Will 30-06 length (3.340") go without modifications, or does the cartridge need to be shorter to make it?

Nice lightweight 7X57!

nothing wrong with a 8x57

Vapodog: I have heard that the VZ 24 is a harder action than other military mausers. I don't if that is true. In any event, I have one that I am making into a 9.3 x 62 and intend to have it heat treated. Just curious, did you have yours heat treated?

quote:

Originally posted by mstarling:
Have a lovely VZ.24 action that will eventually be built into a practical rifle for my youngest son. He is an adult.

Wondering what the alternatives are for a no magazine/ramp modification build.

Looking at the fella, it appears that .308 Win length is actually pretty short in the magazine. 9,3x62 (3.271") appears to be perfect. Haven't tried it yet, but by eye-ball it appears that 30-06 might be just a hair long.

Will 30-06 length (3.340") go without modifications, or does the cartridge need to be shorter to make it?

If you are absolute about a no mag or ramp modifications build then I'd say the 8x57. The 7x57 will usually work just fine but it does have a slightly different case profile and once in a while requires attention.

Factory .30-06 will almost always work through the unaltered magazine. However, you really ought to lengthen it to accept a 3.340" length cartridge. Then too you may require some work to make it feed.

The .308 can be a bit finicky to feed but I have done them and they can be slick, very slick.

Essentially, any of the cartridges mentioned up til now can be made to work well in the action but I would not count on any requiring no mods. You should be prepared to invest a little time & effort to ensure effortless feeding regardless of which round you choose.

I have a .308 on a vz 24. It is a Scout rifle, with a 19 inch barrel.

No mods to the mag or feed rails. Feeds slick as glass, I should put a spacer in the box as you do have to be careful to push the cartridges to the back of the box when loading.

I have never had the cartridges ride foward under recoil even under rapid fire (feeding with strippers and working the bolt as fast as possible).

Will probably modify to 30:06 improved in order to utilize the full length of the action and get maximum performance with heavier bullets (220 grains and up).

quote:

Originally posted by Schrodinger's Cat:
Vapodog: I have heard that the VZ 24 is a harder action than other military mausers. I don't if that is true. In any event, I have one that I am making into a 9.3 x 62 and intend to have it heat treated. Just curious, did you have yours heat treated?

No, I have not heat treated any of my Mausers, and so far I've had no trouble...let me find some wood to knock on!

My VZ-24 has been reamed out to an 8mm-06 because of a bad throat. Saved the barrel and was the cheapest way to go. I've had good luck with the 175 grain reloads as far as grouping goes. I haven't hunted anything with it yet to tell you how it performs on game. Down side is that I have to reload all my ammo but I do that anyway.

What will your son be hunting or using the rifle for? I would stay with a standard 06 or similar case. I think the action could make a very nice .270, .280, or .30-06 for game up to elk. .30-06 up to 35 Whelen for game larger than elk or stuff that bites back. 6mm-06 thru .280 for anything deer sized and smaller.

Good luck with whatever you decide. I'm sure your son will appreciate and enjoy the rifle. Post pictures when you get it built.

Don't know what you you hunt in your neck of the woods. but I have a VZ-24 sitting here waiting its turn. I have in my mind, gone through many rounds I might chamber it for.
7X57 ,30,06 , 300 win , but the one I keep comming back to is a .257 Roberts ackly improved.
If you hunt deer only I really like the 25s but there aint a cartridge mentioned on this thread I would turn my nose up to !
A 270 is one you might think of !
...tj3006

Mstarling,
A Kurz Mauser would be great starter for a 5,6X48, 6X51, 250 Savage, 8X51 7,62X61, 9,1X51 etc.

What animals shall be hunted? In a VZ-24 I would choose something between 6,5-8mm for "all-round" and 8-9,3mm for larger game.

Cheers
/JOHAN

.257 Roberts is what mine will be when it's done.

MH

The rule of thumb for I was given for a VZ-24 a long time ago is this action will take any cartridge you can fit through it. However, the further you get from the 8x57JS, the more money you'll pour into it before you're done.

That narrows things down doesn't it?

I'm in the process of puting one together in 6mm Rem.

I just got mine back from the smith, its about 75% done. still needs a lot of stock work and to be refinished. Basically a VZ-24, 22" shillen #4, mark II safety, timney trigger, hinged bottom metal, modified bolt handle and D&T'ed with bases and I'm just under $600. For a decent work rifle built by a decent smith, I cant complain.

oh yeah, 35 whelen is the caliber

Hey Joel, do I recognize that bottom metal?

Geronimo

geronimo, yup. thats the one I got from you. The same day it was delivered was when it was finished. now that its in the stock they need to test fire it and check it again.

Mine is in a 25-06. It's a really sweet shooter, but a little heavy for a walk in the woods. My next project will be a lightweight 257Rob.

i've got a vz24 in 550 express!!
let's see, some of the bubba guns on these
550 express
458 AR
458 WIN
376 Steyr
300 HH

jeffe

Well, for no ramp/rail mods, just stick with the x57 case. That ;eaves you with enjoying the 8mm, or going 6.5, 7, 308, 338, 358, 9.3, or 375. Every single one of those will do what you'd expect. Same-BC bullets will go slower as you go fatter, but same-weight bullets will go faster.
My vote would be 6.5, 7 or 8 (easiest!) or 358. The 358-57 would give you lots of fat pills in the 200-250 ragne for sub-250yd thumping power.

My vote is for the 9.3x62mm, that may be because my custom mauser is built on a VZ-24 action. Works great!!

LLS

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

I have one in 280 Remington and another in 6.5-06 and I'm building one in 338-06. They are very fine actions!

Excellent choices Vapo. Ive got an M-98 in 257 AI and a vz-24 35 Whelen and 280 rem in the works. Another often overlooked but outstanding round for a Mauser rework is the 6.5X55.

I also vote for the 9,3 X 62. I just had my 98 rebarreled in that caliber. That way your son will have a rifle for moose and bears in the US and for everything in Africa as well.

Guys,

9,3x62 will indeed fit into the existing magazine ... I checked.

I already have .308, .308 Norma Mag, 300 Win Mag, 8x57, .338 Win Mag, 9,3x62, 9,3x74R, .375 H&H, .416 Rigby, ,458 AR (in progress), and .470 NE rifles. Son is going to get them all anyhow.

The existing 9,3x62 is a CZ that has served me very well indeed. It does however have a wood stock and might not make the very best harsh weather rifle. The .308 and .338 were built for that.

However, the 338-06 has some attraction as I don't have one and it fits into the lower end of the caliber range I like.

How about a 416 Taylor? Now there's a good "one world, one rifle" combination.

I bulit a VZ-24 into a really nice 375 Whelen Improved which didn't require any feeding work but I did put a 30-06 length magazine on it.

hows about a 9.3x64 Brennecke or a 358 Ruger?

Rich

How big of a PIA would a 284 Winchester or variant be to make fedd in this action?

Be carefull building a mauser into a hunting rifle for your oldest son. It may not leave your own hands to get to him. My plans were to make one in 338 for when my oldest got old enough but now it is my goto rifle and he will have to wait for another.

I wanted a 338-06 for mine but when playing with dummy rounds I noticed they were a bit long so I used different dies to slightly shorten the case (move shoulder back) until it fed perfect with everything. I ended up with a round with the shoulder farther forward than a 338x57 but slightly under a 338-06, I called it the 340 Jaden (the son I built it for)

Mine is at the smith getting the Mannlicher stock profiled. It is a .257 Roberts. There is almost nothing in the world that can't be hunted with a cartridge built on the 8x57 case. Pick one and eliminate almost all potential feeding and bolt face problems.

Fast Ed

a classic stalking rifle in 6,5X57 or 7X57

Cheers
/JOHAN