I am starting a 375 H&H custom rifle project. I really wan t this to be a classy rifle withot having to sell my children on the black market. I want to use a Mauser type action that is double square bridged. If I cant get a good square bridge action I can have one modified to square bridged. I just came into a beautiful Lilja quarter rib 375 H&H barrel and it is threaded for a Mauser action and that limits me on choices. So far I have looked at the following:



Montana Rifle Company Professional HUnter - actions not ready yet, but the price is right. Unfortunately the barrel threads are different. I emailed MRC about purchasing an unthreaded action but havent heard from them yet.



Granite Mountain - beautiful action but dont know cost or barrel threads



Legacy - I dont know much about them or barrel threads



Empire - beautiful but not sure of cost or barrel threads



CZ - needs safety changed to Winchester style, but I really like the action otherwise, are threads same as Mauser



Win M70 Classic - I love the action but wrong threads and not square bridged



Charles Daly - price is great but quality unknown and would probably need modifications



I have also been considering purchasing a Browning FN action Safari in 375 and using that action. Are these the same length as the standard FN commercial action?



The other 2 options I am considering is purchasing a FN commercial action or a 1909 and converting from there.



Please give me your input and reccomendations and the pros and cons of my options.

Of the actions you mentioned, I'd go with the Granite Mtn. without a second thought. They are beautifully machined and finished, and of the highest quality. By no means inexpensive, but you do get what you pay for. The other actions are cheaper, but there's a reason.......

AD

First,
the CZ uses a metric thread, which is very different from the mauser.

That being said, what is your budget for building this?

The Granite is not an inexpensive action.

In fact, I believe that you can purchase a new barrel for a CZ and the CZ action for less than the cost of the Granite action.

Jack has pictures of modifiying a vz24 to sqaure bridges, which looks great.

The double square bridge it going to be the $$ hurdle, as only the CZ is an "affordable" solution (550 for the actions, 630 for the whole gun)

Perhaps you can have a GREAT smith make you a quarterrib for the CZ barrel?

jeffe

although it may have been done before, looking at a 1909 action and a .375 round, it looks a bit short. However, I do know that in the old days there were a few fellows around, Phil Fischer was one of them and Ron Lampert was another, who would take two 1909s or other suitable mauser actions and shorten one to get a piece to lengthen the other. I have not actually seen these rifles, but I have seen pictures of them and they look great, and coming from those two they probably worked great as well.

So perhaps you might try to find someone for that option, although it may end up being enough money that it might not be worth it.

the other thing you could do is ask Heim if they could build you an action with special mauser threads. their actions are not cheap, but since they are custom made one at a time they might be able to accomodate you.

Blue

I can't see the economy or utility in cutting and welding Mauser's together when high-quality commercial versions are now available that are properly built and crafted from modern steels and properly heat-treated.

I've seen some of Lambert's work, including a Mauser he shortened for a custom .250 Savage back in the 1970s, and it was superb in every way.

I wouldn't hire Fischer for anything, let alone shortening or opening up a Mauser.........

AD

M1Tanker,

You can also begin with the Reimer Johannson action, you get double square bridge and Mauser both. This is a reproduction of the original Mauser magnum action.

There were 10 of them in the US last year for sale, but I don't know if they are still available. They are not cheap.

jim dodd

Here are pictures of the action R. Johannsen uses, and the prices in Euros he sent out recently (dont know todays dollar conversion):







Right-hand action with Double Square Bridge, flag safety, military trigger, cartridge feeding prepared,

no magazine box:



Short .243 Win, .308 Win (standard caliber) cost � 2098,00



Medium 6,5x57 to 9,3x62 (standard caliber) � 2�025,00

Magnum .375 H&H, .416 Rigby � 2�420,00



Options already assembled:

3-position side safety no locking � 219,00

3-position side with locking safety lever � 272,00

adjustable solid steel trigger � 158,00

adjustable reset trigger � 300,00



Magazine box with flat floorplate, follower with spring:

Short .243 Win to .308 Win � 798,00

Medium 6,5x57 to 9,3x62 � 578,00

7mm Rem Mag, 8x68S, 9,3x64 � 798,00

Magnum .375 H&H, .416 Rigby � 839,00

.500 Jeffery �999,00



Option for dropped floorplate "Magnum" already assembled:



Rigby I 6mm high (.375 H&H 5+1) (.416 Rigby 4+1) � 645,00

Rigby II 12mm high � 690,00

Rigby III 18mm high � 718,00



Left-hand action with magazine box, military trigger, 3-position side safety:

Medium 6,5x57 to 9,3x62 (standard caliber) � 4�190,00

Magnum .375 H&H, .416 Rigby � 4�345,00



Additional charge:



action inside nitrated � 353,00

Single Square Bridge � 175,00

thumbcut � 185,00

peep sight solo � 258,00

adjustment peep sight � 152,00



Scope mount:



Pivot insert in front square bridge � 335,00

EAW integral in rear bridge � 300,00

british side scopemount � 1�780,00



Option for special calibers with prepared cartridge feeding:



Short .2701 WSM, 7mm WSM, .300 WSM � 185,00

Medium 8x68S, 9,3x64, 7mm Rem Mag,

.270 WSM, 7mm WSM, .300 WSM � 260,00



Magnum .300 RUM, .404 Jeffery,

.450 Dakota, .450 Rigby � 289,00



.30-378 Wby, .375 A-Square, .378 Wby

.460 Wby, .500 Jeffery � 450,00



.505 Gibbs � 1�100,00





Definatly not cheap! But then as you I guess you get what you pay for...



Johannsen gets his actions from Prechtl, so I presume it would be cheaper to skip past Johannsen since he's probably making a few bucks on it himself and go straight to the source: www.golmatic.de I can at least say that for example; 3-position side with locking safety lever � 272,00 from Johannsen is � 100 cheaper from Prectl who makes them...



Erik D.

It might be a bit cheaper to see if one could get a Blackburn Box to fit that Johansen Action if that is the way you choose to go.

Blue

Those are great pics of Blackburn bottom metal! Nice Blackburn trigger too! I have to say the actions look great too.



gunmaker



blue slipped his post in front of mine!



I'm pretty sure those are Blackburn floormetals as are almost ALL the floor metal you see on any new mag Mauser currently made today!

M1 Tanker
Another option is to find a rifle that is already built that fits you and that you like. Usually you can get a custom rifle, used, for a lot less than it would cost you to have it built. With a used rifle you also have the advantage that you can see the finished product BEFORE you spend your money.

I am only interested in getting the action since I already have the Lilja quarter rib barrel that is threaded for large ring Mauser. Here is a pic of the barrel.



As nice as the Granite Mountain and Johannsen actions are they are out of my price range. I have done some more studying and it looks as if my options are narowed down to the following:

MRC Profesional Hunter - If I can get them to thread it for a Mauser for me.

Possibly a BRNO if I can find out the correct model needed. Prices for a used one dont seem too bad.

Commercial FN and have the bridges built up. I actually have one of these already but if I go with the FN action I will find one origionaly chambered in 375 to work with.

CZ 550 - I would want to change the bolt handle to a more traditional Mauser style and install a M70 style safety.

Browning FN Safari - use it as my base rifle and go from there.

With these actions to work with what would your reccomendations be? What kind of work would need to be done to them to make them a proper DGR? Not including building up the square bridges because that is a given.

I would open up the FN, that would be no different than finding one in FN 375 persuasion and you could open yours up in the rear which FN didn't do, so your action is the better route...

Otherwise I would use a good Mauser milsurp action. Have it surface ground, polished, new bolt handle, new drop box bottom metal (a must with a quarter rib) a M-70 safty, and Blackburn trigger is what is needed..Carburized...Then you will have one heck of a rifle..I sure would like to find a barrel like yours laying around to build a rifle on..Nice find..