I just bought a VZ 24 and want to rebarrel, retrigger and restock it. Can anyone suggest what kind of barrel etc. and where to buy it. I want to keep it ecenomonical. I was thinking of an Adams and Bennett barrel, Timney trigger and a synthetic stock. Any suggestions are welcome. I'll probably chember it in 270 or 25-06. PS. I already know about midway usa.

I did the same thing with a G98. A&B barrel in 7x57mm, Fajen stock, Timney Sportsman trigger, Bhuler safety, and bolt handle from Brownells. Quite happy with it. Just keep your performance expectations reasonable wrt the A&B barrel. I'm also a gravel belly and benchrester and the A&B barrel 'aint no match grade barrel.

Buying a A&B barrel is like buying a car. You hope that you get one that was built in the middle of the week not on Monday or Friday! You might consider buying a Lothar Walter barrel to go with that nice VZ/24 action. You can get them already chambered & threaded for the 98 Mauser in a varity of calibers. From an economic hold off on buying the synthetic stock. This will more than compensate for the additional cost of the lothar Walther barrel. Use the military stock for now. Bed the barreled action into
it. This will give you good practice & there is a lot of wood on the military stock that you can trim away(More good practice) In the mean time you are saving your money for that synthetic stock & learning a lot by working on the military stock. Just something to consider, hope I helped in some way.

Doug Humbarger

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NRA Life member

[This message has been edited by Bear Claw (edited 02-23-2002).]

I agree, if your going to invest in a simi custom or full custom rifle it requires as lot of work so use the best materials...In the price range your talking I would opt for a Douglas barrel, better yet a Lothar Walther but at more money...

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

I have a 30-06, and a 257 roberts, both with Douglas barrels, the 257 will shoot any load under MOA, even factory 117gr with the huge jump to the throat, it's even a featherweight profile.

You are going to spend a reasonably large amount of money to get what you want. Spend a little more and get one of the premium barrels for your project so you will be sure to get what you want.

Hey dude, it only hurts once to go with the best. Buy cheap and then replace because your unhappy is political ecnomics. Your not a politicion are you?

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KEEP YOUR POWDER DRY...OL CRIP
NUCLEAR GRADE UBC RETIRED

I will not give any advice, as I�m no expert by far, but I will tell you a story of a rifle. My good friend and myself started out hunting moose 20 years ago; he bought an older Parker & Hale 308 from this his uncle for almost nothing. The problem was that this mauser wouldn�t extract the empty shells. You had to kick the bolt to get them out (the mauser gets the shell out, its just a question of force). He returned the rifle to his uncle and bought himself a Winchester 70 .30-06. I bought the Parker & Hale for close to nothing and hunted with an other rifle. Got my first calf (with a 9,3x57).
I ordered a stainless 30 cal Shilen barrel with a fast twist for a 300 mag. I changed my mind waiting for the barrel, and made it a 30-06 and left it almost 30 inch long. Then I worked on the stock, that was as ugly as they come. Couldn�t improve it. Someone had welded Sako bases to the reciever and I got a second hand scope 3 - 9 x 42. I zeroed it once; never touched it since.
I tried 110 grs speer (hits the barn from inside) 120 grs FMJ (a barn from outside) and finally 180 grs Nosler Partition (1/2 MOA). The barrel didn�t stabilize bullets under 160 - 170 grs. I learned this by being dissapointed. But I loved the Noslers. The next year I shot a moose a day for the week we hunted. There were moose everywhere that year, so the bag wasn�t the result of my skill, but the rifle did its part. The old hunters said that the darn "mirror-rifle" (the shiny barrel could be easily spotted) was magic. The young hunter (me) got a reputation never to miss with the magic mirror rifle. The former owner of the P&H was amazed.
When we marched home one night I was ordered in front so everyone could see the gleem of the barrel and follow. Lovely memory. Later, of course, I lost my reputation. Everyone misses sometime. And more often if you think the world of yourself.
Some years later I got a classic straight walnut stock from E.Kettner, Germany. I bedded it but only around and in front of the front reciever screw; the parker trigger is held in place by the back reciever screw (silly). Accuracy declined to 1 MOA. I started using 200 grs Noslers and found out that sighted 10 cm high at 100 m it was 12 cm low on 250 m. Shot a lot of moose. The rifle always did its part.
Still some years later I put the knife to the stock and modified it to suit me better, and found the barrel too long. Had it shortened to 60 cm and accuracy improved. Got a Timney trigger and bedded it again and accuracy improved. Then I had it rechambered to 30-06 A.I. 40 degr. The load is 200 grs nosler partition at 2850 fps. Groups are about 2 cm at 100 m. It still shoots straight.
Now, after 18 years the rifle has been improved over and over again. It is MY rifle. It will probably never be ready. I could never afford to buy a similar custom rifle but still I have one. The joy of using it while planning to improve it has always been special. It still is the magic mirror gun.
Oh, and the 308 barrel? It was just Very Dirty. I cleaned it up some years back and put it on an old surplus Mauser reciever and a recarved military stock. Weighs nothing. I gave it to my brother as a birthday present.
The uncle still looks a bit disappointed.

I know it doesn�t work for everyone, but in Gods good time you can get a great rifle with a premium barrel.
good luck
BoHa

boha's rifle story is just too good not to bump. He's my mirror rifle hero.

I have used at least 15 A&B barrels, which are now mostly made by Green Mountain. I have had good luck in every case, most installed on 98 Mausers (but I have used 8 of them on double rifles too) and all giving better accuracy than you would expect. I do not use them on high dollar customs, but for a low budget hobbiest, they are fine. If anyone has Actual experience (bad) with one, I sure would like to hear it. I have not heard of, nor have I had, a "Monday/Friday quality issue with them) I have also used most every other barrel maker but mostly, Douglas. (I used to date a girl that lived down the street from them but that is not important here)
Oh, you can't get a Douglas or Lothar barrel for $87. And A&B barrels will still shoot into about one MOA. Or sometimes less. Yes buy the best you can afford but if you can only afford $87, do not worry about it; it will still make a good hunting rifle.

Dpcd, My experiences are about the same, have used nearly as many as you and only had one that was slightly troublesome, it ended up shooting 1 3/4 MOA which is perfectly good for the hunting rifle it went on.