somebody was asking about them here somewhere. The last Boise Gun Show there was a gunsmith named Bruce Preheim from Eastern Idaho with a table. He build very high quality custom Mauser hunting rifles.

He offers the side lever floor plate releases for about $300 installed, iirc.

Phone #: 208-346-0748

I have heard of underlever floorplate releases, but never of a sidelever floorplate release.

The underlevers are actually very easy to build. I used to put them on rifles as standard. Only difficulty is tempering the lever. I did it with a torch in the old days. I put them on military 98's and the floorplate was not hinged.The last ones I made were just the lever and a screw thru the floorplate. The lever was welded to the latch,on the first ones I attached it with a screw and the latch had a square end to fit in the lever. I certainly didn't get $300 for them. But those were other times.

A friend of mine makes them. I used to but no time. He still sells them on eBay. I doubly he is getting three bills or I would fire the machine back up.
Don

Don: asking price, fitted.

Duane: 98's generally have a small recessed button in front of the trigger guard that you push with the nose of a round to open the floor plate and empty the magazine. This is a little lever that you push to one side to accomplish the same thing. That is why I said "side lever", you push them to one side. I think they are a fantastic custom touch to a bespoke bolt action rifle. I just wish someone with Duane's ability would make a run. I'd like to have about three for my Mauser custom rifles if the price were reasonable.

Rich

Are you talking about these?
Don

Rich,

There is one on Ebay right now. Just the lever kit, not fitted to a floor plate yet.

Current bid $11.50.

Don,

Nice rifle! One of your creations, I presume?

I looked at the one on ebay but for the life I can't figure out exactly how it functions. Appears nicely made though.

quote:

I looked at the one on ebay but for the life I can't figure out exactly how it functions

It looks as though you have to machine a slot into the bottom metal and then machine two flats on the round part of the release. As you push the lever, the flats will align and allow the floorplate to drop.

Mr. Wiebe look at the floorplate from the bottom and you will observe the lever moves left to right. It is an arc but still right to left or vice versa. It was an original Mauser part and I always thought a nice extra on a military floorplate.

The one on eBay. After you fit it to the floor plate you drill and tap for a set screw and then file the flats. If you did the flats first there would be no way to adjust the tension. Every footplate is a little different. It is an improved copy of the old Meier ones. He includes fitting instruction. I sent him a copy to distribute. He would probably fit them if someone asked. He is a full time gunsmith for a high end manufacture.
Don

quote:

Originally posted by Redoak8:
Rich,

There is one on Ebay right now. Just the lever kit, not fitted to a floor plate yet.

Current bid $11.50.

Don,

Nice rifle! One of your creations, I presume?

No Owen I believe. I just made a new floor plate and latch. Maybe a few other minor things. It belongs to a friend of mine.
Don

I really would like a couple depending on price...

Rich

quote:

Originally posted by Duane Wiebe (CG&R):
Rich: Is it underlevers you mean? Personally, I don't like them. If you carry rifle in crook of your forearm..really uncomfortable.

+1

Looks like an answer in search of a problem to me

but to each his own

quote:

Originally posted by Don Markey:
Are you talking about these?
Don

That one is nicely done Don. I like it a lot. I just aquired a G33/40 action and will be using one for it. One of those. a shotgun trigger guard and a double set trigger.

Thanks. If you need set triggers let me know. I know where a big box of them are.
Don

quote:

Originally posted by Don Markey:
Thanks. If you need set triggers let me know. I know where a big box of them are.
Don

PM coming!

It's a reasonably easy thing if they are going on a hinged floorplate. The latch is simple,but if going on a military the latch has to cam the floorplate rearward as it unlocks which means an all together different shape to the latch portion. The square generally has to go on the floorplate end with a cooresponding square in the lever. It is then drilled and tapped and assembled with a screw. They were a more or less standard on some of the original Mausers and I think they still spiff up a military action. When I started building rifles in 1952 military actions and their conversion was the standard. I'm really speaking of 98 GERMAN militaries. You barely saw an export military like a 1909 but G33/40's weren't that unusual. I well remember the first FN I ever saw. It was a whole $60 and for that I could build a whole rifle with a military including new barrel and stock. You also had NO bottom metal. I have modified many Enfield bottoms by straightening and welding up the 'bird bath' with a plug then cutting off ears and reshaping rear bridge. Took a lot of handwork in those days but certainly was cheap. Whole different world out there today.