Allen, I take back what I said about not re-hardening.



I just got off the phone with Jim at PMI. I had no idea it was as cheap as it was to re-heat treat one of these actions.



While I still think if a person was to keep the pressure below 55000 psia they would be fine, the price to re-heat treat is so cheap there isn't any reason not to do it.



For those interested, he quoted a price of $60 per lot (meaning 1 to 30 actions!) plus return shipping with a 2 to 3 day turn around.



He said he uses the Tom Burgess (SP?) method of re-hardening.



Terry

This is exactly where the difference of opinion lies. On one hand we are speaking of the building of a rifle where cost is of little importance and the resulting product is to come as close as possible to being flawless. On the other hand is a project wherein cost is certainly a factor and the project is undertaken primarily for the satisfaction and the FUN the owner/builder derives from it. There is nothing wrong with either approach. Both serve their purpose. The first meets the owner's criteria for a rifle of the quality necessary to provide pride of ownership. The second satisfies the owners requirement for the fun factor and accomplishment.
Over the years I have done work for people in both camps to the satisfaction (I like to think)of each.
There are a lot of firearms enthusiasts who derive a great deal of enjoyment from the building or contracting the building of rifles which offer "bang for the buck". Some because this is what they can afford to do and others who just like messing with different rifles and don't want to drop a bundle doing so.
I had one customer who just liked Mausers and who built a bunch of rifles on them (or had them built). Some were pretty classy rifles (if I do say so myself) and some were just an assembly of parts. He enjoyed them all.
I have, for myself, put together a whole bunch of rifles which leaned heavily toward the "econo" side of things and a whole bunch which were kind of strange in some respects. Some were done to test some pet theory (and usually resulted in the disproving of said theory) and others just for the fun of it. I consider this sort of experimentation to be important to the learning process which I hope is ongoing.
For this reason I have built such things as my 303 match rifle, a 788 BR rifle in 219 Wasp, and a 30/40 Krag heavy varminter on a Ruger 77. All foolish projects if one really expected success in the field of competition but all kind of fun to build and shoot.
I think the tinkerers and enthusiasts who just like messing around with rifles are just as important to the health of the sport as those who build and buy the high dollar outfits. I say this meaning absolutely no offence to these individuals either. The gunmakers who make the beautiful and functional rifles we all admire deserve our admiration. Those who buy these rifles and have pride in their ownership are to be thanked for their contribution to the evolution of custom rifles over the years.
So both camps are right and both are doing something to further interest in rifles , shooting, and hunting. And that's good! Regards, Bill.

Absolutely a lot of good advice here and all posts are accurate and of course that leaves you with a decision as to what the objective really is....

If the objective is to "tinker" and "learn some gunsmithing" then the VZ-24 is a fine action to start with. You can tinker and learn a lot for an investment for approximately $80 to start and barrels can be had for $100 if you're into A & B or ER Shaw barrels. Stocks can be as little as $50 and then you can put a lot of tinkering into it.

If the objective is to wind up with a "cheap" hunting rifle then I'd suggest you just buy a Savage or a Howa...go to Walmart and plunk down a couple hundred and a half and whammo you'll be surprised how good a gun you can get for a little cash. Even these guns can be tinkered with and a lot of fun to "personalize".

Just make sure you state the objective clearly....."tinker and learn" or cheap rifle.

I assure you that that Mauser action, once it's done...drill and tap, trigger replacement, bolt handle replaced, safety reworked (I recommend heat treating) blued, and who knows whatever else you wish to do to it will cost you more than the entire finished rifle from Walmart and if it shoots as well will be largely dictated on the quality of work done to it.

Mauser based rifles can be wonderfully accurate!!!!! But not necessarily more so than the offerings sitting at the local wallyworld.

One thing I'd like to make clear is that I'm not advocating that anyone drop big money on high-end work for a best-quality custom Mauser project unless you're really able and willing to do so.

What I'm trying to say is that bargain Mausers can be anything but a bargain once you get past the acquisition stage. And unless you know some of the possible quirks that go along with them, it's possible to not only spend more than you bargained for, but also to end up with headaches that you never dreamed you'd have to deal with.

That's really why I recommended spending a bit more up front for a used and worn, but sound Model 700 or push-feed Model 70. At least the safety issues are covered; the steels are excellent; and the heat-treating is excellent.

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