Ok, other than Granite Mountain Arms who else makes actions?

Have a really cool 7x57 rifle idea (after watching Mark Buchanan's new Death in Masailand DVD) and I want to make it affordable.

So if I was to use a Argentine mauser and rework it what else other than below would I need?

Barrel half octagon with integral swivel band.
I am guessing $1200

Sunny Hill bottom metal DBM style
$500

NECG 1/4 rib, hooded front sight and 2 leaf rear $800

What about a false double square bridge?

Who makes those kind of mounts that could be mistaken for square bridge? Talley?

Then the stock, well that's one of those scary number I don't want to think about yet. $3000ish

Trigger $100

What are the safety options other than 3 pos?

Is there a flag safety that will work with a scope?

why not just contact Stu Satterlee and have him make you up the whole rifle using one of his actions. then you get exactly what you want.

Personally, I wouldn't spring for a new Mauser for a 7X57. Get a nice G.33/40, 1935 Chilean, 1909 Argentine or Peruvian then have somebody like Ed LaPour work it over. You'll easily have everything you're looking for. It won't be cheap, but it'll be sheer perfection.

For some inspiration, take a look at the pics here:

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/...=125104606#125104606

I am a military man, and not a General like Boddington is.

So it's gotta be under $6500. And It's gotta be a long drawn out process so that $6500 doesn't kill me all at once.

I'll tell you what that 7x57 on Chic Worthings site is fantastic!

Found the stock!

Either This



Or this!

Another vote for Stu if you want a custom action on your custom.he can probably come close to your price point for what you want.all the bells&whistles can run it up though.Best of luck in this terminal disease.

D99
You might want to talk to Jim at Delta Gun Shop 509-684-5855 his web addy is [URL=deltagunshop.com]

He does some real nice double bridge conversions. Ask him about options, he has a couple way of doing them. Pretty good prices to.

Allen

D99:

What you want is my titanium Taconic small ring, intermediate length Mauser. It is for sale!


Jordan

Steve,

If I went the cheap Argentine or FN route would I save any money at the end of the day?

That $2500 action really eats into the rifles total cost.

CC'ing on the rings is always a nice touch- do I see it on the shroud as well? I can't tell with these eyes I have.

Nice handle, also.

SDH, thanks for sharing the excellent photos. I'm glad to know Sports Afield is finding enough interest to keep the custom gun articles in print. I can't wait to see my copy.

Joe Smithson built my 416 Rigby and I'll vouch for the quality of his work. He is as good as it gets when it comes to high quality custom rifles. I don't know of anyone who does a better job working over a GMA action.

D99, the GMA action, in my opinion, is way too HEAVY for a 7X57. There are ways to get the weight down, but it will drive up the cost. I think you'll pay closer to $3,000 for the GMA action and the Smithson mounts/rings are a $600 option. The last time I checked with Joe, he was charging $1100 to prep a GMA action for stocking (not including the cost of a barrel or any barrel work). Check with Joe to get up-to-date figures.

If you go with a quality military mauser, here are some cost estimates to work with:

Action $300 - $600
Trigger $125
Three-position safety $250
New Bolt Knob $150
Bottom Metal $400
Custom mounts and rings $600
Misc grind, polish and spit shine $600

Total these amounts and you're looking at $2,600 - $2,750 to get a first rate (and I mean first rate) action ready to barrel. There are cheaper ways to go about it, but the end-product won't be the equivilent of the Smithson or Helgeland rifles pictured above.

quote:

Originally posted by SDH:

SDH

Id be interested to know where they removed metal from that action to fit a proper length 7x57 round in the magbox. The GMA kurz feedramp is not as long as a std.M98 to begin with. So I hope it was not too much from that area.
I spoke with Ralf Martini about 7x57 on a H&W Kurz (about identical but better made than GMA). He was hesitant to do anything that involved modifying a Kurz to accomodate a 7x57 round loaded to typical lengths, ie; 3.00" and above.
I think that photo above is the 7x57 rifle project I briefly handled at RenoSCI 2005 GMA stand. It was stocked but still in the white.

SDH,

Is that the same rifle Lee had at Rino this year? I think it is, anyway when he handed it to me I was very impressed with the rifles weight and balance, just wonderful!

Wonderful what is going on at Sports Afield and I told Mrs. Rupp as much when I saw her at SCI. Keep up the good work, it is needed.

Many Thanks

HBH

You know I had thought abou using my initials, but low and behold if I didn't get stuck with STD.

So I chose the name of Blasers upsidedown drilling. Since it had a D in it and I really liked the gun.

STD

It is absolutely amazing that after more than a hundred years you guys can think of nothing better to build a rifle around than an 1898 Mauser action. I at least have come into the 20th Century and prefer the pre64M70.

Very Nice! I love the stock profile.

quote:

Originally posted by vigillinus:
It is absolutely amazing that after more than a hundred years you guys can think of nothing better to build a rifle around than an 1898 Mauser action. I at least have come into the 20th Century and prefer the pre64M70.

Its absolutely amazing you havent noticed,that were in the 21st century now
The m98 is a creation of great weapon engineering wisdom. However there are periods in time when society and its learned knowledge plunges into the dark ages and returns to the pit of ignorance. These times of down slide are marked along the way by creations like the m70&m700, but thats probably a bit harsh. The m70 plainly is what it is,at best a despec. m98. I will not hold anything against it for that, for imitation is the nicest form of flattery.
But no doubt there are a body of virtuous souls that hold on to what is true and correct through the passage of those cloudy times. The m98 is undeniable proof of that.

If there are anymore m70intellectualgiants out there, id like to hear from them.

Woodjack, my true confession, I am really a Krag lover. Jerry Fisher made one for me in 05 and when I can figure out a digital camera I will post pictures here so you can heap scorn on it .... if you have any left over after dissing the M70.

Those are wonderful rifles. Thank you for posting them SDH. It is interesting to see the influence of Jery Fisher on both stocks, but in different areas.

Vigillinus, Do you know if Jerry has built more than one rifle using the Krag action? I saw a sport he built on a Krag action in his shop last time I was there, but that seems like it was before 2005. Or maybe I just can't remember dates anymore! In any case it was a nice rifle too and I got to handle the Mauser 30-06 in SDH's book there as well.

Chisana, pretty sure that would have been my rifle, Jerry worked on it for a few years.

SDH,

I don't know that I could have your job. I think I would have quite a bit of remorse every time I put my heart and soul into a rifle and then saw it walk out the door to someone I didn't really know.

I am a Parachute Rigger in the Navy, and every day I get equipment from other Navy paralofts all over the planet that is complete shit. So we put our heart and soul into building, inspecting, repairing, and manufacturing the best rafts, life preservers, and parachutes we can. And I get sellers remorse every time we send something we spent a few months working on out the door.

I know I would feel even worse about it if it was a rifle. Being the far-gone demented rifle floozy that I am.

You want a BRNO 21 or 22 in 7x57

Don't be surprised if you just reweld the bolt , put talleys on it and call it done

Do you have any photos of a Brno 21 or 22?

quote:

1894mk2: You want a BRNO 21 or 22 in 7x57

I was thinking the same thing, or an FN Deluxe sporter, $650-$1200, no finer rifle at any price, or need for additional gunsmithing. D99, if you are stationed in Italy, there are a fair number floating around Europe, at even lower prices.

quote:

Originally posted by D99:
Do you have any photos of a Brno 21 or 22?

This is about as sexy as they get!
dont remeber who it belongs to(Tc1?)Every time I look at that photo on my uSB stick I feel like Im carrying a picture of someone elses gilfriend in my wallet. Just looking at it without ownership keeps one joyous and cheerful.
The constricting ideals of Rifle monogomy disssapeared some time ago for me, All for a good cause though, right?
..anyway enjoy. thanks TC1?

D99-

You can still get a new Mausers from Germany, but I have no idea what they cost.

Personally, I would just work over a good military action, but that is me.

Not sure what exactly you mean by "false square bridge," and have never seen anything remotely like that by Talley. Not saying they don't make something along those lines, but I have never seen it if they do. One of the brands of claw mounts has a rear bridge that is fit and soldered on and looks like a square bridge when a good metal guy does the work. THat brand escapes me right now-sorry! It has a single button that operates transverse to the bore.

A good metal guy can make single or double square bridges for a military action with little trouble though. THis is what I would do, as you get bases with looks that fit the overall project.

If you already have the Argentine action, I would consider having the metal man fit a straddle plate and reshape the guard

I have not used Sunny Hill, as I prefer the lines of the Blackburn unit. They are slightly different. Don't know what Sunny Hill's "DBM style" is, but if that stands for "detachable box magazine" I would not consider it for a rifle like you have described. It is a free country and you can do as you please, but personally I hate detachable mags and have never seen a good looking one or a really nice rifle with one.

I did not know NECG made 1/4 ribs. Even if they do, it is impossible to make quarter ribs by a third party and have them fit barrels. THis means the same amount of work, or more, will need to be done to the rib as compared to the metal guy making you one from scratch. If you are getting a custom rifle made, then have th emetal guy make you areal quarter rib. it will look better than anything you could buy because he will be making it where the lines will be harmonious with the rest of the rifle.

There are 2 position "up and down" flag safeties that are made to work on either the left or right side of the scope if that is what you prefer.

There are also 2 position M70 style safeties if you do not like the 3 position varieties.

$3000 is where the labor for the stock starts. It quickly goes up from there. Don't forget to add the cost of the blank and stock furniture to the price as well.

fla3006,

I searched for a couple of Brno 21s and 22s and came up with some $2800 rifles. So I hope this isn't the new price schedule!

Woocjack,

Thank you for posting that photo. Yes that would be about 99% of what I want and I could probably live with that.

SDH,
Glad you don't have sellers remorse on your projects. I really love that #3 Ruger side lever that you built. It has been a source of ideas for me for years. Some day when I have a little more jingle in my pockets I'll ask what it would cost!

Thanks again to everyone for the help.

Mausers bringing the world together through peace and war!

quote:

Originally posted by Woodjack:

quote:

Originally posted by D99:
Do you have any photos of a Brno 21 or 22?

This is about as sexy as they get!
dont remeber who it belongs to(Tc1?)Every time I look at that photo on my uSB stick I feel like Im carrying a picture of someone elses gilfriend in my wallet. Just looking at it without ownership keeps one joyous and cheerful.
The constricting ideals of Rifle monogomy disssapeared some time ago for me, All for a good cause though, right?
..anyway enjoy. thanks TC1?

What a beautifull forearm on that stock,stockmakers take note.The Lee rifle pictured above has a long forearm resulting in an ugly rifle.The Smithson rifle has a perfect shape stock and results in a very attractive rifle.The Buchanan rifle is a loser,in that the shape of the forearm is cut off and comes off a bulky mid-section and large buttstock.The rifle Woodjack posted is indeed very sexy in that its stock is PERFECTLY proportioned.I will know likewise copy and save this picture for future reference.

Check out my Brno 21 in the classified.

I prefer the Buchanan rifle and the Brno over the other one!

D99, you should still be able to locate a good Brno 21H for about $900-$1400 in the states. Frank Martinez recently sold a nice 7x57 on the Classified Forum for $900. In Europe, they go for less, sometimes quite a bit less. Opt for the integral scope base version ("double square bridge") if possible.

Correction,both rifles are by Smithson and Buchanan is the photographer.After taking a second it is hard to tell.It might be a winner.

What would the differance be, between a custom M98 action and a first class job on a Mil-suplus action?

Less bolt wobble with bolt all the way back, because of tighter tolerances?

Cost might be a little bit less on a mil-surplus not a lot. Any other differances in the finnished actions?

Allen

quote:

I am really a Krag lover. Jerry Fisher made one for me in 05 and when I can figure out a digital camera I will post pictures

post the pics, I like krags sportered, bubba'd, and in military form- I've been on the lookout for a shooter for quite some time.

Shootaway,

Ive handled Smithson and Lee Helgeland Rifles. I didnt think too much about the forends when I had them in the flesh.
The Kurz7x57 forend felt fine.
I also handled a Lee rifle in 7x57g33/40 very similar to the g33/40.270win lightweight shown earlier,except it had the ultralight Gentry/S&K type rings. It was dandy.
Heres a Lee 9.3x64B I handled.
sorry bout crap image.Photo Lee gave me was great,but the scanner I used was cheap.
When you handle that particular 9.3x64 you soon forget about any 9.3x62 or LaDropbox375H&H(well I did). if U cannot do it with the Brenneke I dont think 375ruger is gunna save yer ass.
That rifle feels fantastic and all under 9lb. Only thing Id do is cut tube to 23",but thats a personal ideal, not an essential.
In my eyes and hands, its a big game hunters dream rifle. Im cofident the more people that felt that rifle, the more would say the same sort of thing.

Lot of difference in these rifles, all they have in common would be caliber.

What you are wanting is an Obendorf style Mauser, based on your choice of stock. The ones displayed are simi US classics and English in nature. All good but not what your after as I see it.

Thanks for clearing that up Atkinson. The Obendorf style Mauser is very attractive in that it is a slim stock and is often seen in old Africa hunting photos. I think the Lee rifle posted above is second to none.I will copy a picture of the Lee rifle and try to get my 458 Lott to be build as nice.Thanks for posting the pic Woodjack!

Nope,

I want a carbon copy of the Mark Buchanan rifle.

The American stocked guns are nice but I prefer the stock on the Buchanan rifle.

The reality is trying to make it affordable enough to pull off.

I finished this one last week. It's set up for 416 Rigby 3+1 capacity. The customer had me cut it for Talley rings with recoil shoulders both front and rear of the rings. It's really smooth and feeds great.
SS

Looks pretty nice Stu