mauser barrel swap

S

samco

New member
Hi:

Ihave a 1909 peru mauser in 22-250 w/ bull barrel, single shot,nice stock lyman super target 15x scope. My question is, can the bull barrel be replaced w/ a lighter barrel without a lot of money? It weighs a ton. Also the bolt is on right side but cheek piece on stock is also on right. Does that make it a lefty? Thanks. Samco




I left Oklahoma 55 years ago with nothing and I still have most of it left.
 
You can have your rifle rebarreled at a fairly reasonnable price by ER Shaw. I typically do not recommend recontouring a barrel as it often affects accuracy of the rifle, but that is also an option. As for the stock work, there are many smiths with good gunstock experience. Ask around or call a few smiths to discuss your options.
 
I see no reason that heavy barrel can't be replaced with a lighter one. The only problem would be that the fore end barrel channel will have a pretty big gap. If the stock is wrong (yes, it was probably made for a southpaw), you might want to replace it as well.

I suggest you talk to a gunsmith, as that will not be a DIY job unless you have some experience. Decide what you want and get an estimate, but be prepared for sticker shock; the job won't be cheap. Good barrels run in the neighborhood of $150-250, plus installation. The stock work would be extra.

You might want to think about trading that rifle in on one of the fine sporters (Browning, Remington, Ruger, CZ) available in that caliber for an MSRP of around $700-800. You might be better off in the long run.

Jim
 
heavy bbl.

Sir:
I totally agree with Scorch that having the bbl. turned down could release hidden strains and cause a warpage. I share his feelings.
However, we had a Sako AII in 22-250 with a standard bb. that shot a dime size group ar 200 yards (seriously)!
I sold it to an ex Viet Nam sniper friend and he wanted it changed to 260 as I remember.
I kept the Sako bbl. and later chucked it up to the lathe to check it out. This bbl. ran out in the center close to an eighth of an inch! and looking down the bore, it wobbled like a dogs hind leg! Well, Fred Depoy at Douglas and I were talking and Fred burst out one day, "a barrel doesn't need to be dead straight to shoot good!"
I since have checked a number of Winchester bbls (the worst) and Remington the same way - you'd be amazed at the run-out!
You know the best, straightest bbls. ? Mauser 98 bbls!:eek:

I don't think, if done slowly, your bbl. would be seriously hurt by sliming it down to sporter weight - at least you could try it! But, I agree with Scorch - it's not a good practice.
Harry B.
 
I know Douglas routinely stress relieves their barrel blanks before contouring, and if yours was originally so treated, the contouring won't hurt it. If you have no idea of its origins, though, it could be distorted by the process as Scorch and Harry said. You might inquire what it would cost to have it stress relieved and re-contoured? You might also just want to look for someone who wants a heavy barrel varmint popper, and trade up toward one of the other guns mentioned?

Comments about off-axis bores are always interesting. All precision shooting requires is that the gun behave the same way every time you fire, and whether that consistency is how the bullet goes through a straight bore or how it goes through an arched bore is a big "so what?" Barrel makers used to go to the trouble of having smiths straighten bores by bending the barrels before final contouring. You can get a barrel that shoots "around the corner" just fine, but it is less probable with an arcing bore axis. The main place it messes you up is uneven barrel expansion around the bore axis as it heats up. If the gun is only fired slowly off a bench, you may not see the phenomenon. If you shoot a lot of rounds fairly quickly, there is a good chance you will see the point of impact shift as such a barrel gets warm. YMMV.
 
If you want to have fun, take a couple of old barrels and cut them at, say, 4" intervals. A lot of the time, you can see the bore move around. I have seen a .22 barrel that the bore was within 1/16" of the outside on one side, then went over to almost that on the other. The bore was centered only at the breech and muzzle.

Jim
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top