Gents,

This is a somewhat naive question, so don't kill me, however, I was wondering about how well the standard un-altered 1909 Argentine bottom metal works with rounds based on the 30-06 case?

I know the Argentine round is very close to the 30-06, but have no idea if it is close enough that the 30-06 round will feed very reliably out of an unaltered assembly. Are any modification required, or beneficial, to ensure flawless performance in this case?

I am wanting to upgrade the factory "push-button" bottom metal on my FN Mauser to nice hinged version, and while I love the Blackburn stuff, a more economical alternative in this case would be very welcomed.

Also, what would you guys expect to pay for a complete 1909 Triggerguard these days?

TIA !!!

Bob

The argentine round is no where near close to the .30-06. It is more like the .308. The Argentine case is 53.5mm long while the -06 is 63mm. That said, the box is fairly generous as-is and most commercial .30-06 loads fit as-is. Still, it is a ver easy task to open up the magazine box to proper -06 length.

Argie guards seem to fetch $100 or more depending on how shrewd, lucky, or desperate you are.

I just re-read your post. Be advised that one cannot simply switch bottom metal and expect them to interchange. It may require substantial alteration to your stock and even then may leave unsightly gaps. Or it could be relatively simple. Perhaps a better idea would be to commission one of the many talented smiths on this board to alter yours to a hinged style.

Thanks for the input Z1R!!

I guess my mis-conception regarding case similarity was that I had read were many 1909 were rechambered to 30-06 in manty arsenals, so I (incorrectly) assumed the case was farily similar.

So it sounds like some mods are required and relatively easily done, which is good. I suppose I could simply use my OEM follower after the magazine was opened up, right?

Regarding the differences in fit, this is going to be re-stocked, so that is not an issue.

I will look into altering the existing set-up to a hinged style. I thought that work might be cost-prohibitive, but will look into it.

Regards,

Bob

If you are going to restock then the simplest way is to just change to the Argentine bottom metal.

If you locate 09 bottom metal Jim Wisner's straddle floorplate will really improve the appearance. It's about $65 from www.wisnersinc.com

I own one of those 1909 Artentines that somebody (perhaps the importer) rechambered to 30-06. It shoots reasonably well with iron sights but I think that all in all it was a waste of time doing it.

Anyway, the 30-06 factory cartridges that I used in that rifle did go through the argentine bottom metal and actually fed pretty well in to the chamber. However, there wasn't a whole lot of room to spare and the Argentine bottom metal does not have the shoulder guards (or whatever you want to call them) in place inside the magazine box which prevents the cartridge from moving forward on recoil so when you don't have a whole lot of room to spare I would suppose (I haven't studied it) that you would run the risk of having the tip of your bullets flattened a bit if they were soft lead.

The front end of the magazine box is thick enough that you can file about half of it to make the box just slightly longer. Otherwise, to make it quite a bit longer the best thing to do is weld a piece of mild steel to the front of the box and then mill out the old front portion.

By the way, I have quite a few 1909 Argentine triggerguard/boxes for sale. They are new condition and come with an unfitted Wisner straddle floorplate. Also, you would need to make a new button release for the triggerguard.

22wrf,

what are you asking for the Argentine triggerguards?

Thanks,
HOOT

22WRF,

Yep. What's the price? Do you mean the
"button" is missing from the release lever, or is the whole lever missing?

Regards,

Don

three have just been sold. three left. they are each $105 shipped without the floorplate (you can order from wisner) and you need to make a new release with a button on it.