Has anyone using or recently tried one of the Rhineland 45 acp Mauser conversions?
Has anyone using or recently tried one of the Rhineland 45 acp Mauser conversions?
I have a work in progress on an old Golden State Arms 03-A3 (cast receiver etc of no collectors value), and a Rhineland Mauser conversion. Cored out the 03 A3 stamped trigger guard mag assembly. It does not fit as snugly as I assume it would in a 98K, and that's the progress part. I need to fix up some shims to secure it or something. But other than that, with everything mostly snug, it does feed ok.
I modified one to a 45 Raptor as an inexpensive trial of concept for an SR Mauser Sporter configuration . What did you need to know ?
In the time of darkest defeat,our victory may be nearest. Wm. McKinley.
I was young and stupid then I'm older now. Me 1992 .
Richard Lee Hart 6/29/39-7/25/18
Without trial we cannot learn and grow . It is through our stuggles that we become stronger .
Brother I'm going to be Pythagerus , DiVinci , and Atlas all rolled into one soon .
Mine was a 1908 Ovideo . The last couple of threads were extremely tight . I needed a magazine spring but the search made a "short action" kit the best way to go .
As far as shooting goes the barrel held cast bullets way way past anything a 45 ACP can put out , 1400+ fps on assorted 250-265s and in a special effort a 350 to 1800 fps ......not fun anymore in a 6.5# rifle . 45 ACP levels were boringly easy to shoot .
The barrel received in the white was well finished to 180 maybe 220 grit and while I wouldn't call it hand lapped it was pretty shiny inside right out of the box .
The rest of the parts would of course need some but minor fitting for the particular action but the included instructions were very clear , precise and easy to follow . As I recall everything except a 1911 magazine , sights , wrenches , and bluing was included in the kit and at $160 it was actually almost cheap .
In the time of darkest defeat,our victory may be nearest. Wm. McKinley.
I was young and stupid then I'm older now. Me 1992 .
Richard Lee Hart 6/29/39-7/25/18
Without trial we cannot learn and grow . It is through our stuggles that we become stronger .
Brother I'm going to be Pythagerus , DiVinci , and Atlas all rolled into one soon .
I've done several; a few M98s, a couple M93s and a SMLE. You might do a search for information as I've already posted a lot of "how to" for Mausers. Because Mausers lock up front the 45 ACP short stubby cartridge will be farther from the chamber mouth than the length of the cartridge. The only thing keeping the cartridge aligned is the extractor and the left side of the bolt face protrusions. Many Mausers, SRs and LRs, do not have that protrusion on the left side of the bolt face. If not the 45 ACP cartridge will probably never feed reliably from the magazine.
The fit and shape of the extractor is also critical to reliable feeding. If the cartridge rim must slip up under the extractor and be held there by the extractor and the protrusions on the left side of the bolt face as the cartridge comes out of the magazine. If not the cartridge will cant to the side and jam against the barrel/interior ring or will pop out of the action. It is the extractor and the protrusions that will hold the case aligned with the chamber mouth.
With my own M98 Rhineland 45 ACP conversion it feeds reliably with most jacketed bullets and cast bullets with longer noses with meplats no larger than that on Lee's 230 gr TC bullet. As to cast bullets feeding 225 and 230 RNs are 100% reliable. H&Gs %68 and similar like the Lee are 99.9% reliable feeders. Short stubby SWCs of 205 gr and under are hopeless as is the Lee 205 gr RF.
The best action to do a Rhineland 45 ACP conversion on is the SMLE. This is because the bullet nose will be started into the chamber before the case leaves a GI magazine. The one I converted and another I've shot fed anything........
I do love my M98 Rhineland and use it all the time. it is a blast to shoot.....good thing for 6 cavity moulds and Dillon progressive presses.......
Attachment 249161
Attachment 249162
Larry Gibson
“Deficient observation is merely a form of ignorance and responsible for the many morbid notions and foolish ideas prevailing.”
― Nikola Tesla
I ordered the kit, Can I PM you guys if I need help?
Last edited by brstevns; 10-03-2019 at 04:37 PM.
Yes, I am always open to helping where I can....
Larry Gibson
“Deficient observation is merely a form of ignorance and responsible for the many morbid notions and foolish ideas prevailing.”
― Nikola Tesla
I built a Turk 98 on the Rhineland kit, and I'm working on a '95 small ring that I will also convert. I don't like the ejector that comes with the kit, so I fit an Arisaka type 99 ejector box to the action. This takes a little doing, but it can be done with a Dremel tool. The ejector slot in the side of the receiver needs to be extended and the side of the ejector box that faces the receiver needs to be re-contoured. I also profile the tip of the Arisaka ejector to a sharp tip for better ejection.
Another common problem with the Rhineland kits is that the cartridge can sometimes try to take a nose dive as it's stripped from the magazine. It's best off to position the magazine adapter so that the magazine is as far forward as possible. The less the tubby cartridge has to jump the better. A new feed ramp in between the magazine and the receivers feed ramp goes a long way toward helping the rounds to chamber better. I read where a guy TIG welded a piece of metal to the existing feed ramp, then filed and polished it to make an extended feed ramp. Personally I wouldn't weld on the receiver. If it's possible, a better way might be to attach a piece of sheet metal to the front of the magazine adapter with a flat head screw, then contour that to make an extended feed ramp. On my rifle, I have some thick epoxy that sets up really hard that I usually use to glass bed stocks with. I just poured a little of that in between the magazine adapter and the receiver feed ramp to make an extended feed ramp. It has lasted for years and shows no sign of wear.
The newer Rhineland barrels have the muzzle end threaded. This is a big perk for people that live in states where suppressors are legal. Because a Mauser can take more pressure that any 1911 could dream of, it's possible to use +P handloads without any problems. But in my experience, when you try for more velocity the accuracy really drops off. It's much better to stay within standard 45acp loads. Accuracy is always more important than velocity. Speaking of which, using powder coated RCBS 230 grain boolits over a mild charge of Unique I get around 1 1/2" groups at 50 yards. This is from the bench, with a 3x scope.
You know where to find me .
In the time of darkest defeat,our victory may be nearest. Wm. McKinley.
I was young and stupid then I'm older now. Me 1992 .
Richard Lee Hart 6/29/39-7/25/18
Without trial we cannot learn and grow . It is through our stuggles that we become stronger .
Brother I'm going to be Pythagerus , DiVinci , and Atlas all rolled into one soon .
Just one word of warning to all or anyone who ventures forth into this arena.......If you think you shoot a lot of 45 ACP ammo with your M1911 then, if you get a conversion and set it up correctly, you'd better have a multi cavity (6 cavity or more) mould, lots of alloy, powder by the 8 lb kegs, thousands of brass, cases of primers and a quality progressive press before venturing forth..........and for goodness sake don't ever let your kids, your wife or any friends shoot it........
Larry Gibson
“Deficient observation is merely a form of ignorance and responsible for the many morbid notions and foolish ideas prevailing.”
― Nikola Tesla
I did a Spanish small ring. Works well. Pretty accurate. I load up in the 45 super levels and it's a handy little rifle.
Something tells me I will need more brass and primers!!
This may be the best place to ask this question. I have a sporterized 1901 Spanish mauser I hope to use this kit with. The kit specifies that they're for a military barrel. it should still work correct?
That is the kit I have ordered. I take the military barrel to mean the outside barrel configuration, military vs sporter style as it were. Now much like for a muzzle brake with the appearance I like to put on those threads.
i wish they made a kit for arisaka type 99 actions............seems these can still be found cheap. I emailed them asking if they could or would. I didnt get much of a response either way. By the time you find a beat up Mauser and add this kit, seems the cost is in the $300 plus range
I cannot get my head wrapped around on how the Magazine release assembly goes into the trigger guard frame. Where do you make the cuts needed and how does this work?
Last edited by brstevns; 10-12-2019 at 06:04 PM.
405grain, can you post or pm me a picture on how that epoxy fix worked out? I was thinking something along that line but would use JB weld.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |