Mauser Project caliber help

[toolz568]

I have an FN mauser 98 action project I would like to start. I keep looking at 22-250, 270, and 300 Win Mag. I want fast and don't mind recoil. This is going to be a heavy target rifle and my first attemp at building one and yes I have a gunsmith lineup to make sure I do not build a bomb. Any two cents would be appreciated.

Also, I am not destroying a FN mauser, someone else did that many years ago. I only have the action.

[scrapcan]

I have a mauser 98 in 22-250 and it is fun and a good shooter, but it is a dedicated paper or varmint rifle since my state will not allow hunting big game with the 22-250. I will be putting a different barrel on soon.

So if you ask me I would go with a caliber that you can also hunt with. Maybe 6.5-06 or 280 or 30-06 AI. The above will let you use the full length of the action. The other option is to use a short action cartridge.

Or you could go 260 rem or 6.5-284 or ????

How heavy of a rifle are you wanting to make and will it be dedicated target rifle? What distance are you looking to shoot?

Look at Bruce drake's thread about his 260 re barrel project.

[bruce drake]

I personally prefer 6.5mm bullets for the higher Ballistic Coefficient for long range shooting but 300 Win Mag is a good caliber for 1000 yard matches.

I own a 22-250 for NRA Highpowe Matches out to 600 yards as well. Unless you buy a barrel blank and specifically chamber it for 22-250, most short chambered 22-250s are madeon 1-14 or 1-12 twist barrels for 55gr or smaller bullets. IF you want a good long range shot with a 22-250, you'l want either a 1-8 or 1-7 twist barrel to handle the 69-77gr bullets which fly out to 600 a heck of a lot tighter than the 55gr pills.

THe only downside I have against Win Mags is the belted cases preclude reloading past 3-4 times with most standard reloading dies. If you neck-size only that cycle of reloads can be extended for a few more reloads but thats about it.

If you can develop a 300 Win Mag without the belt than you are basically then talking about a +P 30-06 loading and if that is the case you might as well shoot a 30-06 and save the cost of the brass and dies.

All this shooting of course is with jacketed bullets. With lead boolits at 100-200 yards, my 22-250 is a tack-driver with the Bator 55gr Mold from MidSouth but the trajectory of the bullet at 200 yards almost looks like an artillery equation.

Bruce

[toolz568]

I never thought of the 25-06, but it looks great. Lite recoil, speeds over 3000 fps and big enough to hunt with. If I can find a barrel, this might be the winner, otherwise it's the 30-06.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Like they say, or more properly Townsend Whelan said "the .30-06 is never a mistake." It is arguably one of the, if not the most versitile rounds there is.

I personally am very fond of it and infact I blasted about 65 rounds at a variety of chickens pigs turkeys and Rams today. And it was from a Mauser too!

I got 2 sample bullets from Sierra at the SHOT Show last week The one on the left is 220 gr, the one on the right is 240 gr!!! The one in the middle is 311299 200 gr from a NOE mould.

These new bullets extend the versitility of the .30-06 even further. So now we have 110 gr to 240 gr. I personally shoot alot of 147 gr M80 ball recycled bullets that I buy from Hi-Tech Ammo for $110/ 1000. that's .11 cents a piece! not bad huh?.

No the .30-06 would be a good choice. The .308 would also be a good choice.

tuff choice. You win with either one..

Randyhttp://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_182084f2dd0cfdc132.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=3776)

[nicholst55]

A cartridge based on the .30-06 will probably feed better in a Mauser action than one based on the .308. Not saying that a .308-based cartridge won't work, merely that one based on the '06 will work better.