Repair or replace?

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feets

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I bought my first gun when I was 18. It was an old Spanish Mauser in 308. I'm now 44 and that old guy is still with me.

The gun hasn't been used much in the last 20 years. I know about all the horror stories surrounding the gun. No need to rehash all that mess.

This particular rifle has a badly abused bore. Those old cleaning rods getting shoved down the tube completely removed the last 2" of rifling. A tack driver it isn't.

I've had the itch to get a 22-250.

My choices are to either pick up a Shilen barrel (maybe this weekend) and build a new rifle off that old small ring Mauser action or pick up a Ruger American Predator.

I'd like to play with one of the little Rugers but I'd also like to get my old friend up and running again. Gunsmithing is one of my hobbies and I have a large enough lathe to do any barrel work I might need.

I'd have more money in the Mauser rebuild but it would likely be a straighter shooter when done.

What do the great minds here think?
 
'I' would not rebarrel to .308. Rebarreling to 7x57 and using lower pressure loads would be a slightly safer way of keeping a sentimental rifle shooting. And no way would 'I' barrel to 22-250. My .02.
 
I can't say that I would go to those psi levels with the .22-250 either. I unnerstand where your coming from about wanting to keep a faithfuld old friend up and going though. Too bad something like the old .250 Savage or .250-3000 ctgs aren't as popular as they once were. That would make for a good load range.
 
Don't overlook the "fun" factor. I'd re-barrel it for a great gunsmithing project. Plus there is the sentiment involved here.

And 10-96 may be onto something. Why not a .250 savage? Components are still available from time to time, and if brass gets really scarce, you can always neck up plentiful .22-250 brass. Just run it through a 6mm expander, and then a .257 expander. Though it's not a mainstream cartridge, I'd bet that you could also make .250 savage brass from the 6.5 Creedmoor.
 
Good question. Seems some spanish mausers can be had in the $100-150 area or at least I know where I can get 4 for those prices and I have been hesitating due to the blow up rumors and just not wanting to go all in on another cartridge.

If I was in your shoes I would probably do both. But i'm not sure if i would do 22-250.
 
If you want a 22-250 or a 308, get the Ruger American. Absolutely do not rebarrel the Mauser to 22-250, it will fail sooner or later. If you want to keep your Spanish Mauser in service, you could rebarrel to 7.62X39. That's what I did, and it's a hoot. And cheap to shoot! Otherwise, 7X57, 300 Savage, 250 Savage, or something similarly low pressure.
 
"7.62X39 now that would be a cheap option."
I used a "sleeve" to modify a 1916 Mauser to 7.62x39 many years ago. Dismal failure would be conservative. Magazine didn't feed and extractor slipped off case rims frequently leaving the empty lying in the ejection port.
All the 1916 Mausers I handled had the front action ring cut back at least 1 thread making re-barreling problematic(pre-threaded barrels wouldn't fit). I have one laying on a shelf somewhere here with a new 6.5x55 barrel waiting for me to come up with a novel idea on how to get around the short thread issue.
 
Setting a barrel back one thread is not difficult with the proper lathe.
My lathe won't pick up metric threads but SAE threads are a non-issue. Of course you will need a reamer too. If you don't have one they are available for rent.

I thought the 22-250 was at the same pressure as a 308. Obviously, it's a bit higher.

I think I'll go for the Ruger in 22-250 and rebarrel the Mauser in 45 ACP. :D
 
First off, those old dilapidated Spanish Mausers are not as weak as has been claimed. There fault lies more in they do not handle escaping gas as well as the M98s. When I worked with a gunsmith years back, when we rebarreled one to a modern cartridge we milled two gas escape holes in what would be the bottom of the bolt so gas could go out down through the magazine. Second, we also drilled a gas escape hole in the side of the receiver like modern rifles have. Never did figure out a way to create a gas flange at the rear of the bolt but the holes in the bolt and receive went a long way toward fixing that problem. When Kimber converted a bunch of those old Mausers that had been made into 7.62 NATO, they had them all proof tested to the level required for .308 Win./7.62 NATO.
As far as returning them to 7x57, check out the magazine box. I have a 1912 Steyr Mauser that was converted to 7.62 NATO by Brazil. There is a solid block in the magazine and the follower has been shortened to accommodate the shorter 7.62 cartridge. A second one I have was converted into an ultra light sporter, again in 7.62 NATO and it too has a block and shortened follower in the magazine box. I don't have a converted 93 or 95 Mauser on hand in .308 to corroborate whether there is a block but I would not be surprised.
It would not surprise me if way back when it was Winnigton and Remchester that got that story about the guns being unsafe because they were cutting into their sales. The were against reloading too for the longest time.
Another option the OP might consider. Rebore the barrel to .338 Federal or
.358 Win. The later is a decent thumper and a great cast bullet cartridge.
Paul B.
 
One of the 1916's that I got hold of had the lug recesses set back so far that it was impossible to extract a fired case w/o whacking the back of the bolt with a dead blow hammer to drive the bolt and case forward.
I can't see spending a pile of $$ on something that's almost sure to cause problems.
 
Mobuck, I guess it's a good thing that this rifle doesn't have any problems other than the state of the bore.

Is it that easy for you to condemn half a million rifles because of a few bad ones?


Paul, this rifle has a gas port in the side of the receiver. it lines up with the port in the bolt and is larger than the port in my 90s era Remington Sendero. My biggest concern with the Mauser action was that lack of a gas flange. It's not a deal breaker but kinda bugs me when I think about it.
 
"Is it that easy for you to condemn half a million rifles because of a few bad ones"

Hey Dude, it's YOUR face that's next to it. I've already had my life threatening experience with a disintegrating rifle.
 
I rebarreled an old Spanish Mauser to .300 Savage and have no regrets about doing it. It was a fun little project that didn't cost me a lot of money. A 7.62X39 would be a blast as well, you could even do a 6.5X55 on one and even a .257 Roberts as long as you stayed away from +P loads. Those old Mauser rifles aren't suited for any cartridge, but there are plenty of life left in them.


I'd put a commercial bolt shroud on it if you're worried about gas handling. Pair it up with a Bold trigger from Boyd's with the side safety and you'll be better protects in case something g does rupture. The biggest issue you'll have is finding a smith willing to work on it, most wont.
 
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