M95 Spanish Mauser Prairie Dog buster

N

Niri Tawa

Inactive
Morning guys, I was just OK'd by the moderators, and this is my first question. I have a Oviedo Mauser Carbine, built in 1899, that was given to me by a close fellow veteran friend before he died. It personally means a lot to me, and I would like to put it to good use, out here in the high grasslands of far west Texas. We are beginning to have a problem with Prairie Dogs out here. I am a pilot, and my sweetie pie and I bought our retirement dream 80 acres, with a 4,700 foot grass runway back in 1999, moving out here in 2003. Three years ago, the "dogs" started moving in, and I don't need them digging holes under our runway. We started by taking them out with my Mossberg 144 LSA with a 3-9X scope, but now they are staying about 200 to 300 yards from my shooting stand, and I need more reach. My niece is an ACE gunsmith, and she will rebarrel my M95 to make it a .257 Roberts, which is a much better varmint caliber than a 7X57. I can hand load and stay below 45,000 CUP, and still leave the muzzle at slightly over 3,000FPS with a 75 grain Sierra. COMMENTS and SUGGESTIONS are welcome. BTW, "Niri Tawa, is my screen name. my name is Sabrina, "Brie" for short
 
I will say that your "project" will only be financially efficient if your ACE gunsmith niece can find and re-thread a takeoff barrel to fit the Mauser.
I have a couple of 95 Mausers that have been re-barrelled(a 243 and 257) and load for both at safe levels. Plenty accurate enough for 200 yard P-dogs.
Economically speaking, simply buying a used Savage 243 is likely going to be cheaper if you have to buy a new barrel and pay full price for the installation and scoping requirements.
 
Thanks for the reply, mobuck. My niece is really good at what she does, and I really trust her work. She will cut me a deal on labor, and I agreed to pay full price for the parts. I have no idea what a good heavy target barrel for the M95 runs, that was my project for after Christmas.
Brie
 
Hi Brie,Welcome!! Your post put a big grin on my face!!
Your comments are of a quality that tells me you really do not need a lot of advice.
I'm particularly happy to hear your niece is a Smith.
Its true some practical arguments can be made against building a rifle on a Milsurp receiver.However,not everything is about bean counting.
I'm glad you are giving your niece a job to do.Each rifle is an experience.
IMO,for what you describe,the .257 R is a great choice.Some will recommend other cartridges...but they may not know so much.Original (not +P) SAAMIspecs are moderate for the .257.That is good in your old rifle.The .257 is just a necked down 7x57.A trouble free build.
I am in the process of gathering up the stuff to build a .338 Lapua on an old WW1 /WW2 era P-14 Enfield action.Of course,a couple of folks had to rain on my parade.There will always be negative people.
A great part of this gun thing is about pure preference.Do your Dream!!!
Now,last thing I have to order is a barrel.Of course,talk it over with your niece,but who I am going to buy from is Mr Boots Obermeyer.He has been making barrels since the 60's.He cut rifles them.Old school,one skilled man making barrels.If you go to his site,you may find his prices reasonable.I do.
Please keep me posted.
The skills your niece has are becoming more rare by the day.Few young people pursue them.Talk is cheap,anybody can talk "accurate this" and whatever.All most of them can do is spend money to buy toys.
Your niece can run a lathe.She can true a receiver,thread a barrel,cut a chamber,fit and finish wood to steel.She can make and fit your rifle to you,and put some love into it.She can hand it to you Proud.
You know it,and I know it.So does she.
Sad to say,but most American men these days can't sharpen a chisel,change plugs,or file a saw.Why make a srewdriver when they have them at Harbor Freight?They pry can lids off as well as any!!
 
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I hope "Deniece" HAS a lathe.
If so she can turn, taper, thread, and chamber a barrel from the blank and you can get good blank for not a whole lot of money. Tooling will include a chamber reamer and headspace gauge, .257 Roberts is not so common any more and not likely to be found in most shops.

I hope she has a mill or at least a heavy drill press, a surplus action will have to be drilled and tapped for a scope mount.

I hope she has a welder to either weld on a new scope clearing bolt handle or forge the military bolt handle to clear the scope.

I am sure she can put on a low scope safety and adjustable trigger, and inlet the whole thing into a stock.
 
HiBC,
Thanks for your post. My niece is quite a gal. She retired from the Air Force as a senior NCO computer ststems analyst, and could have snared any one of a number of very high paying jobs, but she grew up listening to my brother telling of his and my exploits hunting, and target shooting so she took her GI BILL MONEY, and went to the best Gunsmithing college in the Country, and graduated number one in her class. My brother showed me, and I got to fire the custom autoloading pistol she built him from the ground up. That thing is poetry in metal. She will purpose built this M95 up to eliminate P-dogs out to 300-400 yards. She has never seen me shoot, but she Knows that I used to be a member of an Army National Match Rifle Team.
 
The 257 Roberts is a fine cartridge, should do very well as a varminting solution at the ranges you described.

Are you going to request a slow twist barrel for dedicated varminting? Or choose one that would handle 100 to 120 gr bullets in case you want to hunt anything bigger?

Jimro
 
I was wondering about that myself.
A 12 twist like a .250 Savage would do well with 75-87 gr varmint loads, and ok with 100 gr. But if you wanted to hunt deer for sure, the standard "Bob" 10 twist will get you into the 117 gr bullets.
 
Nira: As a guard shooter you no doubt used NM M14's ( unless you are a young in) and more then likely you use Barrnett barrels (made by Gene Barrnett, a guard armor who worked at the pistol van at the Wilson Matches). Gene used Douglas prem. blanks for his barrels. I also use them for 1000 yard rifles in 300 WM I built for the AK NG rifle teams (I ran the AKNG program for years).

So in short I believe you will find the Douglas barrels will suit your needs quite well at a reasonable price.

I'm with HiBC in regards to the 257 Roberts would be an excellent choice. I've used mine to do in many PD's and other varmints plus it's my go to rifle for deer and antelope.
 
I n response to the recent posts, Thanks for your comments, We were supplied National Match M-14's on the rifle team. Personally, I feel that the M-14, and the M-21 that it spawned, are the finest battle rifles produced by this Country.
I have heard nothing but good things about Barrnett, Douglas, and Shillen barrels, so, yes, I am inclined to go to Douglas Barrels.
Will my M95 see double duty? No, I have a model 94 Winchester, and a .270 caliber model 721 Remington for Antelope, and Deer, A Weatherby Vanguard in .30-06, and a Marlin 1895 Classic in .45-70 for anything larger.
Brie
 
how about moving the bench closer?:p

you could probably buy a new gun suited for the task for the same price as a custom job.

I mean you are an american you can have as many guns you want, think of us poor europeans:(
 
The Bench is the roof of our Aircraft Hanger. I tried that, and I can't move the hanger an inch. I have an old back injury that I suffered while in the Army in 1970, that makes it tough for me to get up from a prone position alone. I can get into it real easy, and can stay in it for over an hour with no problem. The problem is that I need another person to "give me a hand" in getting back up. I can Deer hunt for hours, and I have no problem getting up from a kneeling, or squatting position, but I CAN'T do it from prone. The reason that I want the custom barrel on my Mauser, is that ever since I was a child, (I will turn 65 next month), I have looked at rebarreled Mauser's with a gleam in my eye. I believe that they are VERY well built rifles, and the pinnacle of those were the custom barreled ones. I have a close family member who can throw any barrel I want on mine, and I have rifles in calibers for any job, except long range varmint hunting.
Brie
 
If the purpose is to produce a Ballistic Memento out of your old friend's Spanish Mauser, go ahead.
If you mostly want a rifle built by Deniece, there are better actions to start with.
If you just wanted to shoot varmints, even economy model factory rifles have gotten to be so accurate that it takes high end high dollar custom to make a real difference.
 
Hey, Jim. One of the big reasons for having the Mauser reworked by MY niece, (not daniece), is the first one that you mentioned, to have a rifle in my collection that I can use on P-dogs. I have a BUNCH of rifles but all are either big bores, or are military autoloaders with sights suited for ranch protection.
 
The problem with .284, (The 7m.m. that I have), is the smallest Sierra made, is 100 grains, and the bullets would just motor right through the P-dog, and one might hit one of the free range beef cattle that sometimes are another 6 to 700 yards past where the now dead P-dog would be lying. I need a thin walled bullet that comes apart inside the P-dog. This Mauser shoots FINE. It will put an Antelope on the table with one shot, but I have a .270 for that. Sierra makes a 75 grain HP with thin walls, that is the PERFECT bullet for the job.
Brie
 
Ah,Brie,I'm enjoying this!!You hold your own very well!!

I think I understand there is something of a three legged stool going on .Only one leg is about the resulting rifle.The other legs are about your Friend,that passed the rifle to you,and your Niece.
I remember a line about knowing the price of everything,yet the value of nothing.
For purely a PD elimination machine to a max of 400 yds?I'd build a match grade flat top AR maybe with a fixed 12x Leupold Varmint ,Mildot and CDS knobs ballistically calibrated to my load/altitude.I get it that you know that,too,
Only one leg on that stool,though.Not the important ones.
I get the impression sharing knowledge and experience with you will be a two way street.
I have used Douglas Barrels with very good results.No complaints.My .257 AI has a Douglas on it.Unless I'm bagged on a bench,I can't outshoot a Douglas.
But Ihave no doubt Brie can outshoot me.

I tend to look at the world from my own reality.I do have to balance cost vs the rest of the project.It is a resource reality.

With respect,..if I had a hangar and an airstrip,and I wanted to build a PD rifle,regardless of the receiver,I'd probably be thinking Kreiger for a barrel.Maybe Lilja,but probably Krieger.I'd guess its only about $100 more than a Douglas.Kreiger barrels shoot.

I recall reading PO Ackley preferred to hire and train women as Smiths.
Maybe 10 yrs ago,in Florida.I had the privilege to meet Ben Jones,Master Gunsmith and founder of Guncraft.Later,checking the website,I learned one of the Smiths at Guncraft was Kim Stroud.Here is a link to an article.
https://gunseditor.wordpress.com/2009/06/10/kim-stroud’s-bianchi-cup-pistol-sweet-accuracy/

I suppose you will have answers to some of my questions later,Brie.
 
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No reason not to have exactly what you want as long as you understand what is involved.

There are more good barrelmakers in the game than there used to be, but Douglas just keeps cranking out good barrels.

I referred to your niece as "Deniece" from the old joke about the woman who took in her sister's children De Niece and De Nephew.
 
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