Is a 1909 Mauser suited for anything more intense
than a 30-06?

David Miller used to use them many years ago to build .300 Win Mags, .338 Win Mags, .458 Win Mags, and I believe he even built a few .404 Jeffs on them. Of course he had them professionally reheat treated.

If you look at the front cover of Tom Turpin's new book on the David Miller Company, you will see a photo of a very fancy 1909 Argentine Mauser that is chambered in .458 Win Mag. It was built as the first in a series of 5 for Safari Club in their Dangerous Game Series. I believe it raffled off for $41,000.00. I doubt seriously that David Miller would have used a 1909 Argentine for such a Rifle unless he was sure it could handle the cartridge he chambered it for.

Jim Carmichael of Outdoor Life has written a few articles in which he used his Miller 1909 Argentine in .338 win Mag.

Don Allen, in his early days in the trade, used to use 1909s quite regularly. Thomas Burgess has remodeled and customized many of them. so they have been used extensively by the trade.

I have a 1909 argentine in 25-06......and I make this one before I knew it should be heat treated. It's been in use for twenty years now and is just fine.

As far as I know that is.......

I think the conventional wisdom is to have them heat treated.

Like a lot of them mine is a DWM.

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:
I have a 1909 argentine in 25-06......and I make this one before I knew it should be heat treated. It's been in use for twenty years now and is just fine.

As far as I know that is.......

I think the conventional wisdom is to have them heat treated.

Like a lot of them mine is a DWM.

Ditto for my 30-06 and 280 Remington! No
reheat, no problems! Both DWMs.

Both were hardness tested by I.T.& D. prior
to rebarreleing, though.

heat treat is what, $50? cheap insurance.. but EVERYTHING has been put into them

jeffe

quote:

heat treat is what, $50?

FWIW Blanchards charge $75 and add the shipping both ways it's a bit closer to $100.

Maybe you have a better source than this.

I've seen cartridges ranging from .22-250 to .500 Jeffery in them, including most all of the .308 Winchester and .30-06 based cases, most of the .300 Winchester Magnum based cases, most of the .375 H&H based cases, and .404 Jeffery. It is even possible, though very difficult to do a .416 Rigby in one (witness Harry Selby's .416 on a standard mauser). It's all a matter of how much work you want to do, and how much money you want to spend.