hello guys,

was wondering what base (Zastava fn mauser) i need as a start to get a 8x68s ?

all the best.

Easier, and smarter to start with a 300 H&H/375 H&H starting point.

You still have to open up a bolt face. A 30-06 bolt face combined with a long enough magnum box would be ideal.

The nominal COL is 3.425", right in the middle. Easier to load your bullets longer than to grind out an action and rebuild the magazine box.

You will want to (of course) make a switch barrel rig with the 6,5x68. Then you can load those wonderful long bullets full length.

Slam dunk dude.

Between 30-06 and 300 Win Mag, it is a toss up. The bolt face on the 30-06 will need to be opened up. That is easier than trying to make a bolt face smaller.

The head size on the 8x68 is closer to the 300 Win Mag than the 30-06; that has no bearing on anything, really.

If the magazine box is long (e.g. close to 3.450, you are in good shape). If it is closer to 3.340, you have some filing and grinding work in front of you.

This might be your golden opportunity to learn about making and installing recoil shoulders to keep from battering your bullet noses.

I am looking at the same issue sooner or later. Hopefully, one of Duane's standard magnum magazine boxes will be a tech on the long side.

Open up the 30-06 boltface.

Mine were built on standard length VZ24 actions. Blackburn bottom metal solved the length issue and coincidentally had geometry almost perfect for proper stacking.

Any GOOD 98 action or commercial '06 based action would be a good platform to build on.

From memory, I believe the case head diameter for the 8x68S is 0.512 inches.

Therefore, it would be easier to open up the bolt face of a standard .30-06 type cartridge bolt, which is 0.473 inches.

IIRC, the 8x68S was designed to be longest cartridge that would work properly in a standard Mauser 98 length action (same nominal length as theose chambered for .30-06 cartridges etc)

Factory Sauer 202 8x68 rifles share the bolt of the H&H magnum based rifles.

I'd just buy a 300.