Does anyone remember the kits to convert a Mauser to shoot 45 ACP, and I think there was one for the 45 magnum. I'm wondering if these are still available, and who made them, and were they any good?

KB

The only kits that i know of that are now made. www.specialinterestarms.com

they were made by rhineland arms and have been out of production for several years. rhineland keeps saying they're going to make the kits again but so far it hasn't happened. they still make the magazine adaptor & you could have a barrel blank threaded & chambered. the ejector was also different in the kit. it went down the outside of the receiver & then went into the thumb cut. it looked horrible

There was a conversion kit for mausers and also the SMLE I can't remember the name but seems like they wre in Carrolton,Tx if I remember they they had a barrel and some sort of insert for the mag well that let you use a std 1911 mag. they had ad's in shotgun news

I bought a Mauser that was already converted. It was a lot of fun, but was still a pretty heavy 45 ACP..around 7 lbs if I remember.
The one problem mine had was that of about 25 magazines I tried in it, only one would feed reliably. Bought the gun used, so don't know if was the work done by whoever converted it, or the design itself, or what, but only being allowed to use one magazine sort of sucked.
I would love to have another 45 ACP rifle and have been considering a custom barrel for my Encore.

congomike,
Yea, the Encore would simplify things a lot. What do you think about the 45 Win Mag, in the Encore?
KB

I built one in 2000 without a kit before Rhineland Arms started advertising kits.
No kit required for single shot.
45acp brass comes out of a .467" Lee Carbide die resized to .469".
So I got a .469" straight fluted reamer.
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/...7670&PMT4NO=64976977
I got a 45acp throater:
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/...=THROATING%20REAMERS
I got a 28" long 45 rifle blank:
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/...itle=PISTOL%20BARREL

I measured many brands of 45acp brass to find two long cases for a dummy rounds for Go gauges.
I put the cases into the Carbide die without a shell holder so they could go deep and size the web.
They had to be pounded out.
One case I loaded with a 230 gr FMJ round nose Montana Gold bullet. I resized repeatedly the neck of the round with the bullet seated.

I cut the threads on the barrel to fit a 1903 Turkish Mauser which were $50 at the time at BIG5.
I reamed the .469" hole until the long case chambered.
I reamed the throat until the dummy round chambered.

With 460 Rowland loads [35 kpsi] and large rifle primers, it will shoot a ragged hole with a 20 shot group at 100 meters, but those are big holes.
That rifle weighs 20 pounds and does not need to be a repeater.

The reason I did not use a 45acp reamer is because SAAMI chambers are so big compared to the size of the ammo, that accuracy is lost in a cartridge that headspaces on the mouth.
Bottleneck SAAMI chambers with a tapered shoulder behind the bullet and the throat in front of the bullet can enter the bore very concentrically. But 45acp straight wall SAAMI chamber mouths are >.474" and so bullets may enter the chamber too crooked for good scoped rifle accuracy.

If you want a 45 Win Mag instead, just ream 0.3" deeper.
If you want a 460 Rowland instead, just ream 0.063" deeper.
If you want a 45 G.A.P. instead, just ream 0.138" shallower.


But longer chambers might be silly for an advanced reloader, who can simply load 45acp brass hotter for more velocity, while using more standard brass.

Kabluewy:
I have a great amount of 45 ACP brass and I really like carbines in pistol calibers. I have a Win. 94 .44 Mag that is one of my favorite plinking guns.
As for the 45 Win. Mag. I haven't thought about it. I like the idea of the .45 ACP, especially since I am thinking of getting a barrel and thread it for a suppressor.

Suppressed is the concept, and why to use the 45 ACP. Standard cans = cheaper.

I think I have made up my mind to go with the 458 WM. Sounds dramatic compared to the 45 ACP, but using .458 bullets, 400-405 gr bullets, at sub-sonic has the punch needed out to 100 yards.

Othere advantages is I can use the 458 loaded up modestly too. and it will feed in a standard magazine, and there are lots of loads that will work for sub-sonic. I'm pretty sure the suppressor will have to be something custom - disadvantage.

I would use the 458x2" or 450 Marlin, but I tried that and got feeding issues in a bolt action. The 458 WM has practically no feeding issues in the correct receiver, such as a Ruger.

The goal is subsonic thump out to 100 yards. The 45 ACP, 300 whisper, etc won't do it on deer and hogs. Heck, I would use something in .470, or 50 cal, but the .458 WM is much cheaper, and plenty good - lots of good cheap FN bullets.

KB

Hi kabluewy yes I do and here is the new web page for it. They make many items now.

http://www.specialinterestarms...=enfield_conversions

I built 3 of the rhineland arms mauser 45acp kits and with mine i used a small ring mauser and had very good luck out to about 75 yards, clover leaf all day long. The other 2 I built were on 98's and they turned out really nice to.

It works better if you move the ejector and bolt stop up to make it a real short throw I like it but built one in ar15 so this one is for sale

Kabluewy: I've built several bolt action 458x2's and have had no problems with feeding. One I built for myself, a 700, and the only problem I've had was a split stock. I rebeded the recoil lug area with a crossbolt and that took care of that. Handy little rifle and a lot of fun to play with.

I used a Rhineland Arms kit to modify my Enfield. I also put an AK folding stock, scope and re-configured my homemade 510 whisper silencer to fit it after turning down the barrel a bit on my lathe. It differs from the Delisle in that the silencer is not offset and the bolt is not shortened.



Ranb

ran how do you like the enfield version of their kit I picked up a smle in 308 so the bolt is done allready it looked like it should feed better than the mauser with no front raceway to jump.

quote:

Originally posted by Kabluewy:
Suppressed is the concept, and why to use the 45 ACP. Standard cans = cheaper.

I think I have made up my mind to go with the 458 WM. Sounds dramatic compared to the 45 ACP, but using .458 bullets, 400-405 gr bullets, at sub-sonic has the punch needed out to 100 yards.

Othere advantages is I can use the 458 loaded up modestly too. and it will feed in a standard magazine, and there are lots of loads that will work for sub-sonic. I'm pretty sure the suppressor will have to be something custom - disadvantage.

I would use the 458x2" or 450 Marlin, but I tried that and got feeding issues in a bolt action. The 458 WM has practically no feeding issues in the correct receiver, such as a Ruger.

The goal is subsonic thump out to 100 yards. The 45 ACP, 300 whisper, etc won't do it on deer and hogs. Heck, I would use something in .470, or 50 cal, but the .458 WM is much cheaper, and plenty good - lots of good cheap FN bullets.

KB

You plan on doing some deer poaching? As for me I have a semi Thompson and the HK UPC carbine and if you can hold them, both will just about drill a hole at 100 yards. Both have 100 percent reliability. Only think I don't like with the HK is the 10 magazines.

Personally out of the 458 SACOM and 450 Bushmaster I'd opt for the 50 Beowulf in an AR15. Yeah you have to reload for it and yes there are bullets for it too. Why shoot a 45 when you can shoot a 50. And no the 450 Bushmaster doesn't have more energy then the 50 Beowulf round. Just my two cents

Crusher, The Rhineland Arms kit was OK. The barrel attached with a barrel nut just like a savage 110 rifle. It was hard removing the original Enfield barrel though. The Rhineland barrel was sent in the white. The finish of the barrel consisted of a phonographic type groove from the muzzle to the breech end. I profiled the barrel to fit a 50 cailber silencer I had on hand.

Since the barrel is not set back like the Delisle, it does not feed very well. Sometimes the extractor does not grip the rim well enough to extract the spent case. It is a 3-4 moa gun, fun to shoot.

Ranb

quote:

Originally posted by starmetal:
You plan on doing some deer poaching? As for me I have a semi Thompson and the HK UPC carbine and if you can hold them, both will just about drill a hole at 100 yards. Both have 100 percent reliability. Only think I don't like with the HK is the 10 magazines.

A simi HK or something similar would be really interesting.

When I hunt in Georgia or Texas, I'm hunting from stands a long ways from the main road, behind locked gates, and in all my years I've never been interrupted by a warden, or met one on the way out. I suppose it could happen, but I won't be showing off either. The hogs have gotten bad enough around the farm in the crops, that my brother has been complaining about all the shooting around there at night lately, on adjacent farms. Apparantly they are blasting hogs at night, and they probably have proper permits.

I just think it would be interesting to shoot hogs with a suppressed rifle, and the sound of the bullet hitting is greater than the muzzel blast. Usually only one sure shot is possible, then they all run full blast, except the one shot, if you're lucky. With careful placment of the first shot, dropping the hog right there, I'm thinking it may be possible to get more than one shot at a hog standing still if they don't hear a blast.

Maybe I'm all wrong about it, and it's not likely to get the sound of the shot that quiet, even sub-sonic. I'm wondering how quiet the 458 Socom is with sub-sonic loads? That should be a good indicator of what is possible.

The reason for the consideration of the 45 ACP is that surely it would be most likely to be as quiet as possible, since it has such low volume of powder. I just don't know if the sub-sonic 458 WM or Socom could be equally quiet with an adequate can.

KB