I am thinking about buying a military surplus rifle for customization. Which rifle would you recommend for this purpose. I will eventually turn it into a .308 or something based on a 30-06 case. Thanks for your help.

98 Turkish mauser...right now the prices are right...and you get a mauser action.

swede

Yeah, only go to SamCo.com and buy a "barreled action" -- I think maybe Century offers these too.

Seems like every Bubba in here wants to grab some nice ol' military rifle and "Bubba" the thing into some sort of "custom" gun.

You realize that in order to mount a scope, you need to bend the bolt handle -- usually done in a press or by cutting and re-welding. Then you need to replace the safety tang in the bolt with what is evidently a drop-in system that mounts off the receiver like Rem. and/or Win.

May as well toss the rest of the rifle in the garbage. The old Mausers are nice rifles, very nice. It's a shame to see them systematically destroyed for parts.

Genghis,
I will be happy to forward any unused parts to you for your use.

Why not just an 03 springfield or maybe an M1? Already chambered, just a little light work and a scope?

The Turks are not the exactly thread the same barrel thread as other Mauseres in either large or small ring also the ring is shorter than standard on a large ring. This makes building a Turk more work. I like the VZ-24 action better, about 60 bucks wholesale.

The old military rifles are really kool. I have and have owned many (but not enough)

But, if you are serious about a custom rifle have you considered using a commercial action instead? Lots of advantages, higher grade steel, after market stocks, scope mounts, action is already drilled and tapped, bolt already bent. In either case you will be rebarreling the action, costs there will be the same.

A custom built on a current commercial action might make better sense and cost fewer cents. I also would suggest it would be worth more on resale in the event that your tastes change down the road.

Just a thought.

jeff

Jeff is right on the mark.

Some of the Turk actions are really varied as to how they're put together, the condition of the steel, how it was hardened. Other Mausers have some variation, but not like the Turk.

The VZ-24 seems to be the preferred action for building a custom gun. But for about the same amount of "work" -- working for cash instead of working on the action -- you can get a custom action that's custom configured for your custom ideas.

This Bubba reccomends getting a VZ24. They are much better than the Turks and priced at about $60 in my neck of the woods. Most on the market now are Ex-Romanian contract rifles and have had the crest scrubbed. There is no real collector value in these but the action still rocks.

I always hear get a Commercial Mauser, you'll be light years ahead. While this is a true statement, I've only seen one comercial mauser in my area and it was a piece of junk considering the premium price that was being asked. The way some people post this reply youd think commercial mausers grew on trees.

I'm not advocating cutting up a nice all matching anything. I actuall have a modest but nice Mauser collection myself. But I wouldn't hesitate to customize one of these Romanian VZ's.

-M

I had a custom built last year on a VZ24 and love it. I think with the machine work to take off the stripper clip hump, lapping the lugs, drilling and tapping and trueing the action it is still a little cheaper than buying one of the commercial actions (thinking they probably still need to be lapped and trued). My complete gun from the gunsmith I used was under $900 with a B&C stock, glass bedded action Douglas 24" barrel and Leupold mounts, he supplied the all the parts including the action.Having said that, if you could find a deal on a Sears, JC Penny etc. rifle fromt he 50's or 60's you could wind up with a perfectly usable FN commercial Mauser barreled action in 270 or '06 for around $250-300. Then just buy a stock and get it bedded for a total of around $600$650. If you want a standard caliber that is probably the cheapest way to go.

I would agree that you can do an ex-mil Mauser custom as cheap or cheaper than buying a new Mauser action (which may not be as good as the old milsurp), if:
-- you stick with a .473 case head
-- you shop around on the price of metalwork
-- you finish your own stock from Richards or Great American Gunstock (or use a synthetic).

All you really need to do is grind down the charger hump (even that's optional), have a new bolt handle welded on, and install a new trigger and safety (both within the ability of most gun tinkerers). Look at Lothar Walther for great, decent priced long-chambered, pre-threaded barrels. You don't have to spend a fortune, and as was said above, what collector value is there in a scrubbed, well-used, unmatching, and shot out rifle?