well I can't get it out of my head, so I might as well put the plans together for one of these beast.

What action? CZ? Ruger 416 or a Ruger #1? Enfield?

Thanks.

Hey ,you shoud get Magnum Mauser, brevex( expensive but very good), or granite mountain action whch is probably the same and contact Prairie gun works, they have huge actions for half the prize of those actions i just mentioned. And i don't know what is best, but CZ works well, so ask Nickudu( but this one lacks "meat"). I think this is the option since it won't be too hard for the smith to handle, Ask robgunbuilder,,,he's the expert !
You could try the enfields P-17, or P-14, but these requires very much work ( to sporterize them, but then again you get quality and a well working action if your patient with your smith,, again i've heard that this process is complicated, and a 'little' bit expensive. A-square takes 3 of the enourmous .577 T-rex and feeds flawlessly,,well that was all i had tonight !

Recently, I had the chance to hold in my hands a custom .505 built in California on a magnum action manufactured by Hartman & Weiss. It was a lovely rifle. However, the action cost the owner about $5K and the wood another $3K. He had $15K in the rifle, total. Too rich for my blood, I'm afraid.

For 1/5 the price, I had my custom .505 built on the CZ-550 action. With the boltface recessed .010-.012" prior to indexing the barrel, there is sufficient material remaining to handle the .505 casing. Increasing the depth of the magazine box .200" holds 3 in the magazine with enough remaining compression for a top-fed 4th.

[ 09-18-2002, 04:24: Message edited by: Nickudu ]

I second Nickudu's reccomendation. The CZ 550 is definately the way to go. My 505 is built on a vector action with a Searcy integral second lug and quarter rib barrel. The 505 Gibbs is a neat cartridge but suitable for only a handfull of actions.-Rob

Al,
Not sure of how much you are looking to spend, but Granite mountain arms sells .505 Gibbs barreled actions for about $3,500. I like these not only because they are a Mauser design but also because they have a .750" bolt, an integral barrel, and Blackburn bottom metal that is correct for the .505. You could put one in a fiberglass stock at first and put a nice wood stock on at a later date. Rifle No. 192 has a article and pictures of one of these. Good luck!

I had exactly the same procedure done to my 602 action (same as cz 550) as Rob & Nic described for my .585 Nyati !! No problems to date.

Ok, where do we find a 602 or a CZ action? Or do we just get a CZ in 416 and go from there. Is there enough meat in the 416 barrel to be rebored to .500?

Also, can someone give me a link or addy for Granite Mtn?

Thanks.

Todd, yep, just one of those can't live without things. No use for such a beast in our great state as you know, other than haveing the biggest on the block.

I just have a facination with big bores and love to shoot them,especially the old cartridges like the 577 Nitro. Maybe someday a trip to the dark continent to fill a dream for buffolo.

If you're going for a re-bore, the Ruger M77 magnum has enough meat, especially the first version with the heavier barrel, and since it already has the 1/4 rib, barrel band swivel and front sight, you're dollars ahead for the overall package.

If you're just looking for a big shooter, then start with the CZ-550 and have a Pac-Nor tube screwed on.

I guess I can understand that Al, I'm getting set up for a 500 Jeffery on a P-14 action -- even though Robgunbuilder has done his best to warn me off (I do appreciate that Rob, just wish I was smart enough to listen).

Good luck on your project. From my own checking about, Pac-nor is one of the few places you'll find a barrel for it, and by far the most reasonable prices too.

And BTW, I have every intention of hunting deer with my 500 Jeffery when it's done.

Todd

Todd,

They use the 500s to belt roos and pigs out here.

I think Geoff McDonald (Woodleigh) uses his 440 grain black powder express bullets for this purpose.

Mike

Todd- Didn't want to scare you off, just pass on that hard won knowledge. A well converted 1917 enfield is a piece of beauty in my eyes and I admire anyone who builds a big bore out of one. I'm happy to pass on any tips you might need.
I'm sure the garbage man will appreciate all that steel wool you will be making when you start cutting the 1917 action. I know mine does, he's taken pounds and pounds of it away for me.-Rob

Robgunbuilder,

Love to talk to you more about this conversion -- I will probably e-mail you in the near future. My smith and I have worked out a plan to keep prices reasonable -- he will do the rough removal of material from the receiver for feeding, and I will fine tune it at home; this has worked well on several mausers.

I'm planning on him shaping the rear bridge to an FN profile when he fills the hole (ERA action). That and the bolt handle rewelding will be the most expensive part.

I can't wait to get this going, I'm actually hoping to have it at the range next spring.

Todd

Al
I am looking at having a Olympia Ultra mag action done in 510/505. The only thing about the action I have heard is that they need some polishing. A barreled action for $950.00 sounds like a good way to go to me. My gun smith is used to working on these actions and will polish it up for me. RNS

You can buy a plain CZ action from Brownell's and there are some really big ones currently being made in Eastern Europe that are quiet reasonable. Who the importer is, I'm not sure, but they will be worth the look. The finish is better than CZ and some of them are even in SS, should you want to wop a walrus some day. The only caution I would have with the CZ is that a body of opinion exists, mostly in Europe where you are supposed to travel with the bolt out of the action, that the CZ as it currently exists has too slender a bolt body for the .505. If you just open up the face, it is claimed, the rim holding the cartridge rim is too thin and might bend if it gets dropped. The solution proposed is to bore out the action to .750" and machine a new bolt. As you might imagine, this gets expensive. Is this really a concern for an American? I don't think so. We travel with unloaded guns with the bolt inside where it is well protected. The same is true in Africa. For Australian rules you will have to contact mike375 or Fergus. Before you start, I'd contact a 'smith who went to the '02 S.H.O.T. Show were the alternate actions were displayed. Maybe he got the literature. What I especially liked was that the new actions are Mauser copies with M70 safeties. For the scoped rifles, I consider these a must. BTW, the CZ uses an accursedandbedamned trigger block safety so you will have to change that . . . another serious expense!

I built all of mine on Enfield actions and they are beatifull..but today I would go with one of the big Mauser actions being made by Granite Arms, New England or whoever...

If I had a budget to watch then I would use the CZ and have it surface ground, cut off all that ugly writting and slick it up a bit....get a Blackburn drop box and trigger.