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I put together a Milsurp Mauser 98 a while back for Mrs Blacktailer in 257R. Got a standard contour barrel from Green Mountain (Adams and Bennet) and used a Boyds laminated stock. It weighs about 9 1/2 lbs with scope and I would like to trim some weight. I would like to stay with wood and am thinking about either hogging out some material from the laminate stock or getting a wood stock from Brownells or Midway and shaving it down. Maybe have the barrel turned down also? What's a ballpark price to turn down a barrel? Do you think I'm on the right track? I would like to get it down to around 8 lbs. Less would be better. This project is not quite done but here is the results so far. The laminate stock is fairly heavy but surprisingly only out weighed my M70FWT stock by half a pound. The barrel channel came milled out quite a bit and since the barrel was going to be turned down I decided the butt needed some lightening. I drilled 2 1 inch diameter holes about 5 inches deep in the butt. Was afraid to go too much deeper because I didn't have a way to do this other than free hand and didn't want to ruin the stock.  Our own dpcd offered to turn the barrel down at what I thought was a reasonable price so the barreled action went off to him to shed some metal.  While it was there Tom offered to drill the bolt handle and shave a little metal off of the action. Every little bit helps...   The only thing I'm waiting on now is the PAWS aluminum bottom metal which is backordered on Brownell's. That should get it down another 4-5 oz and hit close to 8 1/2lb.  I'm sure the weight could get down below 8lb with a composite stock and cutting the barrel down to 21 inches or so but this works for now. Have gun- Will travel The value of a trophy is computed directly in terms of personal investment in its acquisition. Robert Ruark | ||
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Most of the weight is - - - - - - - - in everything you bought. 98 Mausers are heavy actions and a few ounces can be trimmed from it. The barrel and the stock are the real killers. I would start with a number 1 Shilen or a Douglass Featherweight contour in 19 or 20 inch. Laminate stocks are the heaviest of all because of all the glue. Start with plain wood and trim it down to a gremlin configuration for a woman. Short LOP, slim wrist and fore end. Stick with a 1 inch Decelorator pad as it's going to hurt. When I was a kid. I had the stick. I had the rock. And I had the mud puddle. I am as adept with them today, as I was back then. Lets see today's kids say that about their IPods, IPads and XBoxes in 45 years! Rod Henrickson | |||
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Building a LW Mauser is a very ambitious undertaking. The std 98 action alone weighs about 48 ounces. A LIGHT wood stock can be as little as 2 lbs and a light 22" barrel another 2 lbs. That puts you at 7 lbs sans scope. Your barrel probably runs 3 lbs as-is and the stock as well. Do you have the 21" barrel or the 24"? You can probably have that stock reworked and shave a good amount of weight but in the end, it is still a laminate and they tend to weigh more than a comparable unlaminated stock. What to do with the barrel depends on which contour you currently have.  Aut vincere aut mori | |||
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Why not Shane 5 down the boyds stock? You can probably take quite a bit of wood off, hog out the barrel channel and butt. If you think every possible niche has been filled already, thank a wildcatter! | |||
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Go to the classifieds and see my Earl of Marlborough barrels; that contour is very light and historic. Yes, Mausers are heavy. Use an aluminum mag box. Light barrel. Light walnut stock, or hogged out laminate. Light scope. | |||
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The only way to really cut the weight is a dif barrel and a blind mag fiberglass stock . I've built many carry guns and can usually get down to 7 lb with scope and a 24" tube . Wood and barrel choice are killing you . | |||
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So again, what's a ballpark on turning down a barrel? It currently shoots sub MOA, would turning it down to a featherweight contour affect the accuracy? Or is buying another barrel cheaper? Have gun- Will travel The value of a trophy is computed directly in terms of personal investment in its acquisition. Robert Ruark | |||
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Turning a barrel can be done; will it affect accuracy? Good question. Usually not. Cheaper than a new barrel. | |||
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In my shop, buying a new barrel is cheaper. Turning down a barrel is a real PIA unless you have a lathe set up with proper follower. Barrel companies are petty accommodating on contours. ANY change you make to a barrel can possibly affect accuracy. | |||
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If I had a rifle shooting Sub MOA I don't know if I would turn it. I had a factory M77 338Wmag I had turned to featherweight as I remember the groups opened a little. But boy did it get HOT quick. I would stick that heavy laminate on something else. Look into one of the 1# synthetics. As others said easy is the stock or the barrel. The rest not worth fooling with. Optics Maybe??? As usual just my $.02 Paul K | |||
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If it were mine I would first get rid of that boyds laminate stock. Laminate s are heavy. I would get a carbon fiber stock and that would save a lot of weight. Then the barrel would be no larger than a #3 contour 22" long with the chamber brake 1" long. That's just me. What do I know? Only been doing this 47 years.  Doug Humbarger NRA Life member Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club 72'73. Yankee Station Try to look unimportant. Your enemy might be low on ammo. | |||
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If your Adams& Bennet barrel is shooting that good I would take it off and save . It's a $100 barrel that you'll spend $100- $150 on to recontour and you may not have the accuracy you had . Buy another ERShaw barrel in a #1 contour . ERShaw was one of the suppliers to midway and was sold under Adams & Bennet . Shaw barrels are good and not very expensive , plus the 1 contour will help you keep the weight down . Save the other barrel for another project . | |||
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#1 barrel, myrtle stock, short forearm, hollow out under the recoil pad, alum bottom metal, alum scope bases... lighter scope MIGHT save 1.5# opinions vary band of bubbas and STC hunting Club Information on Ammoguide about the416AR, 458AR, 470AR, 500AR What is an AR round? Case Drawings 416-458-470AR and 500AR. 476AR, http://www.weaponsmith.com | |||
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I know it's not what you want to hear... but after all the time and effort it will take...including shipping and fees...sell of the mauser and... just by the lovely Mrs. Blacktailer a kimber in 257 roberts or a tikka in 260 remington Mike Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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I have a FN mauser with a pretty light 23" barrel (.540 muzzle), in a laminated stock. It weighs about 73/4 pounds, all up. I could lose about three or four ounces with aluminum bottom metal but I don't see any way to get it down to less than 7 1/2 pounds without going to a lighter stock. The reality is that anything under eight pounds, ready to hunt, isn't bad. I find, if I carry my old model 70 for a day, everything else feels pretty light. Regards, Bill | |||
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Well she already has a Kimber Super America and the wood is a lot prettier than what they are using today. I am working up a load for her with 130TTSX for that. Also the Mauser action is from a rifle that my dad liberated while serving under Patton so it has some sentimental value. I'll reprofile the barrel and put together a walnut stock this winter and get an aluminum mag box. That should get us around 8lbs which will carry decent and hopefully still shoot good and look pretty.  Have gun- Will travel The value of a trophy is computed directly in terms of personal investment in its acquisition. Robert Ruark | |||
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Book Barnes (last version) max H4350 with crimp into the front groove. Shoots litte groups. Good luck. | |||
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I'm with a couple of the others here... if you have a milsurp with an inexpensive A&B barrel shooting sub moa I wouldn't touch a thing. Pick another rifle for the missus or shave what weight you can from the stock alone. And I would leave the barrel on that action. It isn't a magic barrel, it is the combination of components working in harmony that is producing that accuracy. | |||
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Can you shave a couple ounces off the scope and/or scope mounts? Talley makes a large ring M98 set in aluminum. Brownell's Part#874-000-037AH. The bases and bottom of the ring are integrated.
Life itself is a gift. Live it up if you can. | |||
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It has a Leupold 3-9 Ultralight on it in Weaver Aluminum rings. Sent it off today to get some metal work done. I'll post the results when I get it done. Have gun- Will travel The value of a trophy is computed directly in terms of personal investment in its acquisition. Robert Ruark | |||
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Looking forward to the new weight. Life itself is a gift. Live it up if you can. | |||
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I recently put together a 30-06 on a G.33/40 M98 action with a very trim english walnut stock and barrel, with an overall weight of 5 pounds 4 ounces, including the scope. I used it last week to kill a nice British Columbia Moose. So it can be done. Mine holds 3 cartridges in the modified 09 Argentine magazine/TG. The 21.5" barrel tapers to .500" at the muzzle. | |||
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Id try for 8.5 lbs. with a smaller scope..There is a ton of wood to remove from most laminate stocks, but the barrel is another problem in that the stock is fitted to it and turning the barrel will leave a big ugly gap in the barrel channel..These kinds of jobs are butcher jobs for the most part..Id sell it and buy what I wanted if that's an option. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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Me too ! Heck I'd just want to copy it ! I've been doing this for way too many years and have ALOT of trouble breaking the 6 lb without scope or rings . | |||
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Hi thirdbite, PM me you email address and I'll send you a photo of the rifle on a digital scale, which you are welcome to post here if you like. | |||
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Red oak , I'd like a pic please . My email is. Ggmac5@aol.com Thanks , Gary | |||
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Gary, My lightweight M98 photos sent. You are welcome to post them here if you like. | |||
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Was hoping you would chime in, I have a link to your thread but the photos are no longer visible thanks to photobucket. Could you send photos of the rifle to me as well? I will post them here as well. Thanks. ______________________ Ken A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. --- Greek Proverb | |||
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Smallcal, You have a PM. | |||
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Redoaks rifle is a work of art and very lite . I don't know how to post pics but he wrote an article in Gun Digest in 2000 Excellent read ! | |||
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Redoak, I'm thoroughly intrigued by your rifle. Could you please post or PM details of your build to achieve what you did. All We Know Is All We Are | |||
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Tree'Em I sent you 3 emails. | |||
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From Redoak8: Here are a couple of photos, the 30-06 on the G.33/40 action is leaning on my moose antlers, my 7 x 57 is on my Stone sheep, and my .250 Sav. (4# 12 oz) is on the old wool coat. And the 30-06 on a scale.     Very Cruel sir, a wonderfully designed rifles, with two of my bucket list trophies! ______________________ Ken A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. --- Greek Proverb | |||
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I remember that article now; I also remember that it makes me retch to look at that stock. | |||
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thirdbite, Component weights: G.33/40 Receiver (modified) w/bolt stop - 14.1 ounces 30-06 barrel, 21.5" w/ banded sling eye - 21.5 ounces. FOR FACTORY LOADS ONLY! Stock, English Walnut, w/thin pad & 1 sling eye - 15.3 ounces Bolt, complete, w/Dakota 3 pos. safe - 14.6 oz 1909 TG/Floorplate (modified) w/spring & alum. follower - 7.4 oz Action screws (2), shortened - 0.4 oz Scope bases (Weaver) and Rings (Warne Maxima Alum.) w/ 8 x 40 base screws - 3.0 oz Leupold FX-II Ultralight 2.5 x 20 mm scope - 6.5 oz Timney Sportsman trigger (modified) - 1.0 oz Total Rifle Weight: 5 pounds 3.8 ounces | |||
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Love it for its uniqueness. Refreshing to see something different done with a 98 other than the mandatory, pre-war British stalking rifle. Nice work! | |||
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Gary, Smallcal, Bitterroot and Thirdbite, Thank you all for your kind comments. To those of you who do not care for my rifles, and I am sure that there are a number of you, thank you for having enough class not to say so. There is no real need for rifles of this type when stand hunting for Whitetails. They were built for climbing for mountain game, where an 8 pound rifle feels like 20 pounds when you get to the top. | |||
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Redoak8, I've tried to slenderize a 98 magazine box by 0.200" and ran into issues with Timney and other trigger boxes extending into the trigger loop opening. The Jard required the least amount of modification. You wrote you used Timney. I'm curious about the mods you made to make it work. Thanks | |||
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Troutcheeks, Yep, that is a bit of a problem... On this 30-06 I cut off the bottom of the aluminum housing including the sear engagement adjustment screw, made a new low profile trigger finger piece out of cold rolled stock (using a drill press, band saw, bench grinder, files and emery cloth), installed a set screw in the forward portion of the trigger to adjust sear engagement, then hardened the top portion of the new trigger. On my .250 Savage, which has considerably less room for the trigger mechanism, I cut off the housing above the trigger pivot pin hole, made a new trigger, re-drilled the pivot pin hole higher up, and in addition to the sear engagement adjustment set screw, I installed a set screw in the guard just forward of the trigger to limit over-travel. A lot of time & work, next time I will check out the Jard, thanks for the tip! | |||
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Redoak, very cool unique approach on your rifle. Thanks for sharing All We Know Is All We Are | |||
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