Building a Hunting Rifle from a Mauser Donor

T

TopherNJ

Inactive
So I purchased a gun from a friend of mine and he threw in a bare Mauser action. Its a BYF-44 action and chopped barrel. It wasn't doing anything for him. Since there is no way to make it a "numbers matching" rifle I've decided to make something out of it. Gonna make it my hunting rifle. I will most likely go with a 308 as I have the components for that round in abundance.

I need everything. I will most likely go with an aftermarket trigger, a Timney or some such. However can y'all suggest the best places to buy parts for this? Things like the bolt, mag box, that kind of stuff?


Barrel will probably come from Midway or Brownells depending on who has what. I have a smith that can drill/tap for scope so that will at least be straight. It should be a fun little project. I just need a heads up on parts places. Thanks in advance.
 
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Have you tried "Numrich" web site? Just bought a spring for a Swiss Vetterli 1878 rifle from them. If they had that surely they have Mauser parts.
 
^^^I've been looking there.^^^

It is amazing what can come up on there. I am looking for a K98 bolt, non-magnum to start. I'm heading to my mother's home in Fla this weekend. I'll be hitting a local gun show while there. Might get lucky. Otherwise the ordering will start in earnest when I get back.

I'll be asking a lot of questions along the way.

C
 
Sarco inc also has a lot of mauser parts, you could even build it up into a military configuration if you wanted with parts from there and a new stock from boyds
 
Mauser parts are everywhere. Probably the easiest milsurp to use for a build. Brownell's and/or Gunparts will have everything. You thinking match grade barrel?
E-Bay is evil. They fund the people who want to make your hunting rifle illegal to own.
 
Thanks again.

Not specifically looking for "match grade" as it will be a hunting rifle. MOA is more than acceptable, 2 MOA at 100 would be fine as well.

C
 
My suggestion would be to get the action completely built before choosing the caliber and buying a barrel. By that I mean a complete bolt, bolt stop assembly, mag box, spring, and follower. Then assemble the receiver and mag box (without the firing pin assembly) to see if the .308 will feed. I have done several conversions and sometimes the .308 feeds really well without any work, other times, the feed rails have taken considerable massaging. It can be expensive to have a gunsmith adjust feed rails.

If the gun feeds, then get the barrel and continue as planned. If you are looking to have less gunsmithing work to be done, you can get the bolt from a commercial Mauser off e-bay. Than will already have the nice bolt handle and possibly a commercial shroud. If you went that route, you'd need a trigger with a safety, which can be had. If you are on a budget, Boyd's has an inexpensive one, otherwise, Timney has options as well. You might also look for a commercial trigger guard with a hinged floor plate. It will be spendy, but some people really like the convenience and look.

Let the gunsmith do the barreling, chambering, and headspacing for you. Some may tell you its within the realm of a hobbyist with pre-threaded, short-chambered barrels, but its smarter to let a pro do that part.

You won't save money building this rifle, but you can end up with a really nice gun that will actually have meaning to you rather than just a generic plastic rifle.
 
Thank you. Sound guidance that I will heed. Having g a plan is a beautiful thing and that sounds like a good one

"You won't save money building this rifle, but you can end up with a really nice gun that will actually have meaning to you rather than just a generic plastic rifle."

Precisely why I'm doing it. I love doing as much of this stuff as I can. It makes me warm and fuzzy inside.

C
 
By replacing the Mauser trigger spring and grinding some off the rear hump, I can get a Mauser down to less than 4 pounds in a few minutes for free. That is about right for big game hunting.

I have used a ball point pen spring.

Here is a pic with a ground and an unground Mauser trigger.
Do not over grind, or you will need to learn how to weld [ask me how I know]
 

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Thank you for the trigger tip! If I had a "stock" trigger group I would be tempted to try it. Given that I do not, buying an aftermarket is probably the most effective and practical way for me to go.

C
 
so a fun time is in store for you! I did that to a Yugo 24/47 many years ago.
Boyd's stock, Timney trigger & safety, Leupold mounts & rings, 4x scope and chopped the barrel to 20".
results are 1-1/4" @100 and 2-1/2 to 3" @200. :cool:
 
Yeah, I'm excited. I am heading to Fla on Saturday to see my mom and will hit a local show on Sunday to look for parts. I'm really excited for this project.

C
 
Just kind of an fyi, you will spend as much sporterizing that Mauser action as you would buying a very nice Rem 700 or Savage rifle. I just did one for a customer (rebarrel, new bolt handle, iron sights, drill & tap for scope base, scope base, trigger, safety, reblue), and it was more than $1100.
 
Scorch is right; I think I spent around $500-$600 bucks, I figured it all out once, but have since forgotten, but I still hunt with it and it still shoots great ! :D
The most money was spent on the gunsmith, doing the stuff I couldn't do.

Then last year I built an Argentine Cavalry Carbine out of a scrubbed Model 1908 Brazilian (98) action and an Argentine FMAP mfg carbine barrel & stock,;
the whole build cost about $235.00 plus shipping ($50) of various parts here and there.
That one shoots 1-5/8" to 2" @ 100; haven't shot @ 200 yet!:cool:
 
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