7.62 x 39 Bolt Gun

S

ScottS

New member
What do you think about this:

Take a Guardia Civil Spanish Mauser in .308 ($109 from a couple of sources). Add a 7.62 x 39 small ring barrel, trimmed to 18" and crowned ($75). Stick them both in a synthetic stock ($80). Add 1000 rounds of 122gr HP ($80). Mix vigorously.

Maybe?

Scott

P.S. What about a Argentine M-1909 Mauser 7.65 x 53 action instead of the Guardia Civil Mauser?
 
I would just set the barrel back. Most 7.62 x 39 has a .311 bullet, but there is not enough pressure to make that a concern.

Jim
 
Jim,

That would be, take the barrel off, re-cut the chamber, set the barrel back to headspace? Did I get that right?

Scott
 
Shin-Tao,

If you can find them, and that's pretty hard around there, the price is well over $400. Seems like a lot. Plus, the DIY approach is always more fun.

Scott
 
I admit to not knowing much about this, but I can't figure why you would want to go to all this trouble to get a less effective cartridge than the .308. I know that 7.62x39 ammo is available a little cheaper, although there is a lot of cheap .308 surplus ammo available as well. And I suspect that the cheap 7.62x39 wouldn't be especially accurate.

I'd rather have either a semi-auto 7.62x39 (SKS, AK clone, or Mini-30), OR a more powerful and accurate .308 bold rifle.

This kind of sounds like you are going to a lot of work to combine the weaknesses of both into one gun. You wind up with a low powered (for a bolt gun), low accuracy (unless you re-barrel and use expensive ammo), slow firing, low capacity rifle.

That said, if it appeals to you and would be fun to do, then why not.

Doug
 
Scott,

To set a barrel back, you have to remove the barrel, cut off the breech end, turn and rethread the shank, then reinstall and rechamber. There is a tradeoff on using a new pre-threaded which requires less machine work vs. setting back the old barrel. The latter does not involve the cost of a new barrel, but involves more machine work.

Jim
 
Thanks, Jim. I think I'm going with a new barrel.

Doug,

Guns are an individual thing, to be sure, and I'd be hard pressed to explain some of the guns people are chasing out there. Here's my thought process, FWIW:

I wanted a short, light, fast-handling bolt-action rifle. Short to me means short-action and short barrel length. Short-action choices are limited, at least the inexpensive ones are (priced a Rem Model 7 lately? Ouch!) Short-action Mauser actions are still plentiful, and reasonably cheap. Short-action Mauser really means 93/95/94/96. 94/96 (Swede) actions are the best, and are priced accordingly. In addition, while there are some short-action Mausers already chambered in .308 (7.62x51 for the purists), informed sources (Kuhnhausen) emphatically state that a 93-96 Mauser action chambered in a high-intensity cartridge (like the 7.62x51) is asking for trouble.

So, I think I have my action, so now what caliber? Short-action length, and "low-intensity." My personal requirements are cheap, and readily available at most "Mart-type" stores, so I can always get more, even in Sam Drucker's store in Hooterville. 5.56mm is tempting. 6.5mmx55 is great, but fails the "available anywhere" one, and damn-near fails the "cheap" one. Same with 7x57mm. Plus, I gotta find a barrel for this at a reasonable price, otherwise I'd just go buy a Remington Model 7 or CZ-527. Thanks to the FSU (former Soviet Union), 7.26x39 is everywhere. It's cheap, and there are decent factory loadings, too. Does it hit as hard as 7.62x51? Nope. But it hits pretty hard out to 200 yards or so. And it will never be 6mm PPC, but I think 2 MOA out of a new barrel is pretty reasonable. LER scope in a scout-mount, and it goes behind the seat of the truck, or the camper, or pretty much anywhere I want it.

Well, what about an SKS? Never liked them, for a lot of (very subjective) reasons. They have never shouldered well for me, and I just don't like the looks. OK, I know, you're not supposed to care what they look like, only how they shoot, but I do. And, many will castigate me for this, but I want this gun to be "PC" in any crowd. (I'm not bailing out here, I have my BM 16" CAR that I shoot a lot, and it is most definitely non-PC.) What is more "invisible" that a short bolt-gun.

So, that's my thinking. Many will disagree, as they have different needs, but that's what makes it a sport.

Scott

[This message has been edited by ScottS (edited October 07, 2000).]
 
Scott, your thinking is just fine. I've got a file cabinet drawer of derelict 98 Mauser actions, which I've been building into wild and goofy things for years! (Hence the name, heehee!) I won't bore you with the details of the .45 ACP carbine I built for my wife, but there are some darned nice 7.62x39 barrels out there, and if you handload or use some of the better boxer-primed, US Mfg ammo, it isn't too hard to get down into the MOA groupings. Granted, you'll want to put a scope and a decent trigger (Timney, Bold, Dayton, etc.) on the gun, but I'd carry it in the woods for deer season any place I'd carry a .30-30! And then, for just plain plinking fun, go for it, get a case or two of the surplus ammo, get some railroad tie plates, bolt or weld some feet to them so they stand upright, and smack away at 100 yards! Enjoy!
 
Oops, just caught myself, your small-ring pre-98 Mausers (vs. calling them short-action, that name can get you into trouble, there's plenty of short-action large ring 98's out there) have good barrels available, too, Midway and Brownell's, among others, usually stock them. And they're more than strong enough for the short Russian round. Heck, I've got one in .257 Roberts! But not .308, unless you load to the lower pressure of the Spanish CETME round...
 
Gewehr98,

Small-ring! I should be saying small-ring. I have one "intermediate" action M98 (Yugo M48) I haven't decided what to do with yet, although, according to Kuhnhausen, true "short action" as opposed to the "intermediate" length M98's, are harder to find. I just lost out on a Interarms Mark X Mini-mauser in 7.62 x 39 on Gunbroker (saw it too late). That might have been perfect!

Scott
 
I too am very attracted to the idea of a bolt action in 7.62x39. I like the little catridge a lot: low recoil, low report, and low cost of ammo. I was fortunate to find a Ruger M77 MkII on the shelf of my local dealer. It will shoot the very inexpensive Sellier and Bellot steel cased full metal jacket into an inch at 100 yards. This ammo is about $2.50 per twenty rounds and is just as accurate as the Winchester hunting ammo in 7.62x39. I've also tried the Russian Wolf brand, but it doesn't group very well in my rifle. I wish it would because it's even cheaper than the S&B. I'm hunting black tail deer with my new bolt action in 7.62x39 but so far the deer are not cooperating. I haven't seen a buck yet.

Sam in Oregon
 
Scott,

Thanks for explaining. I'm still not too interested myself, but I can now understand your reasoning. I guess that's what makes firearms such an enjoyable hobby - there are SO many different variations and interests. I know I can come up with SOME rational for just about any gun I want.

Doug
 
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