first project (mauser)

L

lochaber

New member
Hi all

I am thinking of embarking on my first rifle build up project to keep my hands busy. My current thoughts are towards a .308 target rifle built on a Mauser. I'm sure that many of you have done this already but this would be mine. So far in my head I am thinking of a Turk action, with a 22in barrel, Timny trigger, Buehler type safety and a Richards thumbhole target laminated stock. No idea on the scope yet. Note that I do not yet know all the things that may be involved here, and some steps will be done by a gunsmith as I dont trust myself to install a barrel nor do I have the tools for it.

So here are my questions:

1) Are the Turks good enough? I know that most prefer the VZ-24 but I cant seem to bring myself to bucher one while the beat up Turks wouldnt "hurt" as much

2) What is involved in getting the shorter .308 to cycle well in that maw of an action?

3) Does anyone have some links to similar projects where I could hunt for inspiration?

4) When it comes to forging the bolt, is this something I should attempt or should I have a professional do it? Has anyone tried the pear shaped bolt knobs that Brownell's sells and what do you think of them?

5) I wonder if there is a way to convert it to a removable box setup? maybe around some of the modern CZ magazines? If not what are your opinions on making the floorplate easier to handle? Again, Brownell's carries same extended buttons, anyone know how well they work?

6) This would be a long range project for financial reasons, so what do you think would be the most fun upgrade path?

8) I'm considering the .308 because ammo seems to be cheaper and components plentiful. Is this a wrong option for the Mauser action and if so should I consider a different caliber?

9) Have I made any mistaken assumptions so far?

Any advice you may have would be greatly appreciated. I am a newbie at this and in fact I dont have a lot of experience with rifles in general. This whole project was spawned from the desire to own a really nice bolt action but for the most part the commercial ones seem to lack something for me. I figured something I built and nurtured would be more fun anyway and I can shoot my 98k until this one is done.

Loch
 
lochaber,

1. The Turks are good enough. The only drawback if it can be called that is they are NOMINALLY threaded for small ring barrel shanks and nobody offers the .308 barrel prethreaded for the small ring. So that either leaves you rebarreling from a blank or getting a prechambered large ring barrel, turning down and rethreading the shank to fit your action.

2. The .308 will usually cycle just fine in the 98 action. Most folks will block the rear of the mag box however but it isn't absolutely necessary.

3. Take a look at http://www.gswagner.com/

4. If you are forging the bolt, you might as well give it a try yourself. About the worst that could happen is that you have to reforge it. But you really need bolt bending blocks, a heat sink and heat stop paste. Brownells quarterly newsletter had a very good article on bolt forging maybe a year ago. I don't know if they have them posted on their website yet. Let me know and I'd be happy to scan and send it to you. I've used all of Brownells handles at one time or another with no complaints.

5. It seems like I've seen a mag conversion kit somewhere but I can't recall where. The extended buttons work but you may need to work on the basic release for them to work well. I like the levers better personally.

6. I don't know what would be most fun but I do a lot of rebarreling for folks on a "pay as you go" type deal. The first thing I ask is that they send enough money for the barrel and then the other components come later. In your case I'd probably do the barrel first then the trigger, safety, scope or sight work. All the metal work prior to the stock. The stock would be last so that you don't have any changes in the inletting.

8. The .308 is a fine choice. I did 4 last week and yesterday. A 22-250, a .243, a .375 Hawk, and finished up a .375-06. The choice of cartridge should depend on the intended use. If you plan to hunt whitetails and maybe do some target work then the .308 would be excellent.

9. Not that I see.

My recommendations are that you start with a quality barrel. A Douglas is the standard in my shop. Also make sure that whoever installs the barrel also trues the action. It's a little more expensive but worth it. George
 
If you go with a Turk, the K-Kale stamped ones may be best. The older ones may have had the front ring undercut to act as a handguard retaining ring, leaving only a few threads to hold a barrel.

Still, the VZ24's are "more standard" large-ring jobs. They cost twice what a Turk would be, but what's an extra 40 or 50 bucks compared to the hassle of custom-threading a .308 barrel?

Or, many gun shows have Model98 style Mausers that have already had work done on them. I picked one up (Gewehr 98)that looks like swiss cheese with all the holes drilled in it - for scope rings, for lyman peep sight. Mine also had a new handle welded to the bolt and a Buehler-style safety, and had been nicely re-blued. One of these days, I'll change the barrel from 8mm to something "better", and get a new stock. As modified, it cost less than a beat-up VZ24.

The .308 round cycles well in that action. All the Israeli mausers I've seen were rebarreled in the standard (long) action.

Regards.
 
Thanx for your ideas. On thing that confuses me is the K.Kale ring size. In theory it is a large ring with small ring threads. Would one be able to fit a standard small thread barrel designed for a 93/96? It seems that Brownells sells some in that size, but what I am confused about is the barrel diameter at the receiver end. Are large ring and small ring barrels different only in thread size or also in other dimensions?

Loch
 
"in theory", yes, they are large-ring receivers with small-ring barrels.

But there are exceptions. The only way to tell is to remove the barrel and measure the thread diameter.

Once you verify that it's small ring threaded (and it probably is), then I think any '93-'96 barrel should fit. 6.5x55Swede is a nice one, or .308 should be fine. I wouldn't go to a magnum round.

As far as diameter of the barrel in front of the threads, I'd guess it can vary depending on caliber or manufacturer or intended use. There are heavy target barrels, military profile barrels, etc. That dimension may cause some stock work to open the barrel channel, but it isn't too critical in the metal-to-metal fit of the receiver.

The barrel should be professionally installed because it will need to be adjusted to the "go" and "no-go" headspace gauges. The "field" gauge hopefully won't be necessary for a new barrel.

Post pictures of your project.

Regards.
 
As you pursue this project, just remember that you are better off having a competent person install a lesser priced barrel, than having an incompetent person install an expensive one. The same goes for the other aspects of building a rifle. You have a better chance of getting a good shooter with a Rem. pull off and a good smith, than if you buy BR quality and let the guy who offers to chamber it on the cheap do so. Mike
 
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