The Accurate Reloading Forums
Left handed Mauser 98 (with pictures very interesting)
26 November 2003, 08:07
Michael S.Parts
Any thought or comments??
Thanks Mike
26 November 2003, 08:54
SlowHandIsn't that unique? Since I'm left handed I look for left handed mausers. I've seen a few like that before, but have never had the chance to handle one. My question is how smooth(or rough) does that action cycle with the gearing system between the bolt and the handle? I've always wondered about that.
26 November 2003, 10:12
craigsterThats a pretty interesting piece of work. I,ve seen some left hand conversions on Muasers and Springfields before, but I have never seen one like that. Very ingenious to say the least. Is it as smooth as the standard versions?
26 November 2003, 10:34
GeorgeSIt's a conversion, not a true left-hand action.
Zastava produces LH Mausers that are affordable; the Senator holding up passage of the bill allowing trade normalization with Serbia has dropped his objections, and we should be seeing them 'soon'.
George
26 November 2003, 10:43
FjoldCharles Daly (KBI Inc) says that they will have left handed mausers and mini-mauser actions (and barreled actions) to their distributors after the first of the year.
26 November 2003, 12:26
vapodogA Mister Ronald Lampert of Minneapolis used to make anything out of mausers...yes left handed and rebarrel to .222 if you want!!!
He was a master with a tig torch and a milling machine. When he made a LH mauser it looked like it was made that way in the first place. It looked original.
He used to like to cut them in half and make "short actions" out of them.....I wish I had one of his guns....I couldn't afford them and I doubt seriously that he's alive today.
He became obsessed with mausers and forgot to take care of himself....he looked 80 when he was in his early 40's.
26 November 2003, 14:59
J WisnerIn my younger years I read almost every book about guns.
I remember some photo's and a mention of a gunsmith named Gradle who converted actions to left hand and used a gear system.
He would have done this type of work in the 40's to 60's.
You might contact Bob West in Eugene Or. Bob is one of the old timers who is still around and did left hand conversions
Jim Wisner
26 November 2003, 15:05
D HumbargerVery intriging.
26 November 2003, 15:20
redialWOW!
I got about 6 pictures down the page before it dawned on me how that works! I've never seen such a configuration.
I once owned a post-64 Model 70 match rifle that'd been swapped over but like every other example of that I've seen, it was a hack-job.
This one appears to be very well done.
Redial
26 November 2003, 15:59
rootbeerGeorgeS,
Which Senator was it who was having the objections to KBI importing Charles Daly firearms? One from your state, maybe?
27 November 2003, 02:59
jeffeossoDAMN clever...
thanks for sharing that one...
Did o'conner's wife shoot a left mod springfield or mauseR?
jeffe
27 November 2003, 03:05
Jim KobeAccording to Bob West, when he worked for him, P.O. Ackley, had some true left hand Mauser actions made up by some outfit in China (I think). I am not sure how many he had made, but there must be some of them out there somewhere. I had the occasion to see one at the ACGG show in Reno a few years ago and it was a true Mauser
27 November 2003, 03:52
<RussT>Fred Wells has been buiding left hand Mausers for many years. If you saw one at Reno It was probably in Mr Wells' booth. I think David Gentry has also turned out Mausers from time to time as well.
27 November 2003, 04:15
RSYAnyone know who did Craig Boddington's .375 conversion to LH? A Model 70, I think.
27 November 2003, 04:18
Chuck NelsonRSY, I may be way wrong here but I think it was Tom Burgess.
Chuck
27 November 2003, 04:50
GeorgeSquote:
Originally posted by rootbeer:
GeorgeS,
Which Senator was it who was having the objections to KBI importing Charles Daly firearms? One from your state, maybe?
Wow! That is SO original. ![[Roll Eyes]](images/icons/rolleyes.gif)
I seem to remember it was Gov. Wilder of VA who passed a one gun a month law in your state. NOBODY'S state is free of anti-gun politicians; some just seem to more effective than others.
In any case, I mis-spoke. ![[Embarrassed]](images/icons/blush.gif)
It was the State Dept. holding up NTR with Serbia & Montenegro, not some Senator. It was Sen. Daschle (D-SD) who was opposing S.659, which would protect gunmakers from frivolous lawsuits for selling legal products. He has dropped his objections.
I got the press releases from KBI mixed up.
George
27 November 2003, 05:29
jpbI have only seen one simlar attempt to use the "gear" approach. It was at a gunshow in (I think) Pennsylvania.
The work on the gun was purported to have been done in Germany before 1965 when the rifle was imported.
The rather complicated approach surely reminds me of a lot of German engineering! (no offense intended).
jpb
27 November 2003, 07:41
RNSI cycled the action at Mikes shop and it is smoother that a regular bolt action. RNS
27 November 2003, 07:50
tiggertateThe comment about it being German influence is interesting.. the only other gear driven bolt I've seen is that double bareled bolt gun on Guns America or Gunbroker, again from that culture. Both are pretty cool.
27 November 2003, 08:40
Dago Redthat is really cool. I would love to work the bolt on it a few times. Seems like more work than it would really be worth, but when such rifles (left hand) were real difficult to find I guess there weren't many options.
Red
27 November 2003, 11:32
Jim KobeRuss T:
That was not a Fred Wells action. The one I saw was imoorted by PO Ackley and was a Mauser. I have seen Well's actions and this one was different than his.
27 November 2003, 12:12
systeme98L.H. Mausers, P.O Ackley told me it was Howa in Japan that made up his L.H. Mausers.The parts were not interchangeable with regular mausers. He mentioned needing a book containing cuss words that he was not familiar with because these came through customs in pieces and the individual parts were not interchangeable amongst themselves.
The gear transmission was Roy Gradles' idea. The pictures look like his work when he was fully tooled for the conversion. There were knock -offs of this, too, mostly sorry misbegotten messes.
Boddington's 375 is one that I did, but not for him. Someone managed to read most of the serial number and asked me about it- long after I decided that it was best to be a purist and simply make the necessary parts. He wanted to verify that it was mine because he wanted one like it. By that time Mathiue (spl?)Had made true L.H. Actions on the Springfield pattern- Lots of form cutters had been for sale from Govt Surplus-,This was part of the problem- tooling !! He modified the design and then folded up the biz. Just too much tooling needed and not enough time to make it and still turn out a product. Mathieu had done some customizing changes which made the action attractive and it used a lot of surplus parts then available which were- ambidextrous.
The Ackley apparently was done by one of the model shops that the big Japanese concerns used to work production bugs out prior to the big tooling and they were" associated" with Howa. What was interesting about the one I had to work over was the lug height. Same as the Arisaka . Receiver was also slotted through the extractor side removing the threads and then some. I assume that some of that old military tooling was still floating around. An Arisaka ".31" cal extractor went through the extractor slot just fine. This slot also was not radiused to conform to a diameter. It was straight sided.
27 November 2003, 16:42
EterryWow, thats the most interesting bolt gun i have seen. I also am a leftie, and pay atention to left bolt guns, but that is a new one for me.
Good luck and good shooting,
Eterry
27 November 2003, 16:57
RSYWhy would someone go to all that trouble, only to leave it in a right-handed stock?
![[Confused]](images/icons/confused.gif)
27 November 2003, 17:02
Chuck NelsonRSY, I don't know what pictures you are looking at. That is a left handed stock.
Chuck
27 November 2003, 18:00
J WisnerTom Burgess
Its good someone else remembered Roy Gradle.
I never had a chance to meet him but have seen one of his conversions that came thru the shop about 15 years ago.
Jim Kobe
Yes that was an Ackley action. I talked to Bob West about them also.
It was the third Left hand Ackley action I have had the good luck to look over in the last 32 years.
Jim Wisner
28 November 2003, 05:41
Clio Gun ShopTom Burgess
I visited Harry Mathieu in May 1965 when he had his shop in the basement of his home at 1342 Everette St. Oakland CA. He showed me several of his LH actions and these were similar to the 1917 Enfield after being modernized. They looked just like a LH Remington 30S. Being a leftie myself I wanted one but could not afford the price which if I remember right was about $275. That was a lot of money for an action back then
28 November 2003, 08:24
Wstrnhuntrquote:
Originally posted by RNS:
I cycled the action at Mikes shop and it is smoother that a regular bolt action. RNS
I expect it would be. That appears to be roughly about a 2:1 gear reduction. We're talking some serious camming power there, the downside is more parts and a longer bolt lift. Still, Id like to have one in a RH model. Very unique and well concieved!
28 November 2003, 08:56
RMKCraig Boddington has several converted mausers and a M70 .375,that were converted to left hand. I've yet to see any that weren't an abortion.
28 November 2003, 09:14
Plateau HunterSo no one knows who made this rifle?? Looks like it would be marked because of its uniqueness. It appears to have a tiger stripe cherrywood stock which is a little different too.
It is a beautiful rifle and was done very very well. Is it for sale and what is the asking price? Plateau Hunter
28 November 2003, 10:48
Michael S.It is a Roy Gradle rifle. And it is not for sale. As so few of us get to actually see such works of art in person, or the ones who create them, I enjoy sharing them with others thru this forum.
I wish it were mine, but it was brought in have the stock repaired and refinished. It is cracked completely thru the right side behind the bolt stub. The original lacquer finish is also flaking badly.
It is very smooth in function, more so than a regular bolt. the gears definitely smooth out the little transitions that occur when a bolt is cycled. The reshaped bolt shroud is totally seamless or it is a brand new piece made up for this purpose. I will totally enjoy this project.
Michael S.
28 November 2003, 12:04
RSYquote:
Originally posted by Chuck Nelson:
RSY, I don't know what pictures you are looking at. That is a left handed stock.
Chuck
So it is. I gotta quit typing so late at night.
![[Frown]](images/icons/frown.gif)
