I just noticed these on their website, and did a bit of a double take. I've e-mailed Woody about it and eagerly await his reply.

My question to the AR gunsmiths: I'm assuming that since this barrel is in their production line of pre-threaded and chambered Mauser barrels, somebody must be buying them. What is the feasibility of a single shot 500 Nitro on a Mauser? I'm also wondering if you could whack a couple inches from the chamber end, and re-thread / re-chamber to 500 Jeffery.

Your thoughts please.

Todd

If I remember correctly, Heym offered a bolt-action in chamberings like .500 A-Square, .500 Jeffery, .505 Gibbs, .577 N.E., and .600 N.E. on what I believe was a Mauser-style action, so it is possible.

George

I have a M98 proof gun, that works as a single shot. Bolt face is opened way up, current configuration is for a 0.620 rim. I have several bolts that I can open up for different rim sizes. It is sort of a switch barrel, I use it for pressure testing with the Oehler M43. The receiver is mounted on a return to battery 80 pound base. So, yes, if the case rim will fit the bolt face when opened up, and the extracor can be modified, yes, to your question. I have some 500 Nitro cases and will do a little measuring.

WELL, after some measuring: 500 Nitro rim diameter is 0.650". So, it is possible to open up the M98 bolt face to this, but little of the case supporting bolt rim will be left. But, in a pushfeed single shot, still would work. My M98 proof gun has a 50 cal barrel on it now, for a 50 cal made from a stretched and opened up 348 Win case. The 500 Nitro can be placed "up the spout" and on the follower and will enter the chamber until the excess length (3.960" for a 535 gr PP Woodleigh seated at the cannulure) prevents full chambering.

So, it is possible to make a single shot M98 500 Nitro. Practical? Not in my opinion. The near 4 inch length (more, depending on bullet type) prohibits a M98 repeater, and the horrors of making a rimmed case feed out of the magazine, and ease of loading the magazine, are beyond my adventuresome abilities.

A practical choice, with the proper magazine and receiver modifications: 500 Jeffery.

Todd-

Please let us know Woody's reply. I also did the doubletake when I saw it listed; I thought it might be the Jeffery.

Thanks, Bob

Woody just confirmed that yes indeed, they offer a Mauser 98 barrel, chambered in 500 nitro. No further information on who uses them and how.

The LW barrel I'm measuring right now has a 1.75" straight chamber section ahead of the threads. I don't know if the length of the chamber section is the same on all their barrels, but would guess so.

500 Jeffery:
Case length: 2.74
Rim Diameter: 0.578
Neck Diameter: 0.535
Shoulder Diameter: 0.615
Base Diameter: 0.62

500 Nitro
Case Length: 3.01
Rim Diameter: 0.66
Neck Diameter: 0.535
Shoulder Diameter: straight taper
Base Diameter: 0.580

So to me it looks like you'd have to set the barrel back about .250" to clean the chamber up to a 500 Jeffery.

Interesting.

Todd

LW sure does make life more interesting, BUT the Mauser 98 threading system uses a engaugement of five full threads. There is an .125 long undercut ( relief cut ) = to the minor thread diameter at the end of the threads. If you cut the .250 off the breech end ( which would need to be done to rechamber to 500 J ) you will loose two threads; leaving only three. Not enough threads left.

No offense to Woody, but I suspect that the 500 Nitro Mauser 98 barrel is a typo and it is really a 500 Jeffery.

That would make a lot more sense than some weird single shot mauser 98 conversion with half the threads cut off.

The last I looked, LW listed 500 Jeff as an available chambering (using the Schuler designation).

Sam B.
http://www.fireflyarms.com

It is listed as .500 Ne but I hope you are right about it being .500 Jef.

If you look at the English version of the website (as opposed to the American version), it is listed correctly. I think someone "trimmed down" the American version to make it easier for us 'Muricans to read...

Sam B.
http://www.fireflyarms.com

The company Heym are producing bolt action rifles up to 600NE - so I presume a 500NE wouldn't be a big deal.