It's done...whatever it is...

S

SaxonPig

New member
Gunsmith emailed to say my rifle was finished and ready to ship. I swear it's been so long since it was dropped it off with him I have forgotten what kind of rifle it is, the caliber, everything is a blank. Been maybe 5 years. Traded for it over the phone and my friend gave it to the smith so I never saw it. Then the shop moved and the smith fell behind. Then owner retied and the shop closed. The smith moved to another state and started working at another shop. I think 5 years is a long time but that's what happened.

Has to be some sort of Mauser 98. Now that I think about it I believe it's a small ring 1910 Mexican Mauser and I told him to make it a 308 with a Mannlicher style stock. I guess I'll know for sure when it arrives. He said he would include an invoice and I hope he remembers the $700 deposit I gave him.

BTW- Before the military rifle collectors start screaming it was already missing the wood, the barrel was pretty shot out and corroded and there was rust under the barrel and action. No great loss as it was NOT a pristine example.
 
you made a small ring a 308? There's lots of debate on this one. Personally, not for me but if you handload it could be a real sweet shooter!
 
The Mexicans are a small ring 98 short action.

I built my 257 on one(to the critics,it was a bulk buy of bare receivers,no bolts.)

Sweet action!Should be a nice rifle.
 
Note to self... ( don't put $700.00 deposit on custom work... it might take 5 years ) :o

Seriously my custom work on the lil S&W spur trigger I posted pics of a while back, I asked that shop if they needed a deposit, & they said no... they had my gun... that was deposit enough for them...
 
A 308 is fine in a small ring M98. Don't confuse it with the M95 (which was in 7x57 so I suspect a 308 would actually be fine in it, too).
 
"don't put $700.00 deposit on custom work... it might take 5 years"
This. There's two main 'grifts' in the contracting business (not necessarily in the criminal sense, but still sleazy from the customer's perspective)

1) Pay for this job with the expected profits for completing the last job (this gets wildly dangerous very quickly, usually ending up in bankruptcy court)
2) Pay for this job as you go by interrupting work to take on more profitable jobs (the main danger here is your guy dies of old age before finishing the job, or you run into a cash crunch and have only a worthless half-finished gun to your name)

Both would be non-issues if we could trust each other enough to pay in full up front, and if we could be honest/wise enough to give realistic cost/time estimates on the front end. As it is, the smith must carry a significant 'working capital' burden to tide him through the job, and additional work is just too tempting, so it quickly runs out. Thus, the backlog begins. Hard to blame these guys, with so many people shouting 'shut up and take my money,' but it's still frustrating how consistently they get in over their heads. This phenomenon is by no means limited to gun smithing (in fact, smithing may be one of the better fields in this area, since the guns are so durable that you can wait five years for a gun and only be out the time)

TCB
 
I don't think I ever waited over 6 years for....well anything! But, I did have a Model 93 Chilian Mauser, sportirized, but left in 7X57. I find it an ideal white tail rifle in the woods of northern Michigan. Light weight, low recoil, Mauser dependability.
 
Had to arrive to be reminded what it was. It's in 7x57 which is the original caliber and one of my favorites. I like it.


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Very nice all the way around. Looks good and not rechambered so the Mauser feed reliability is intact. Sweet and smart.
 
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