458 vz-24

[tek4260]

I managed to build a 458 Win Mag at home out of an old VZ24 that I got from a friend. I'll post some pics of the build along the way when I get a few minutes. Here is a quick shot of the finished product.

http://imageshack.us/a/img43/3219/yqpb.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img820/8919/dzvn.jpg

[tek4260]

The Genesis of this rifle is a failed project. It was to become a 500 Jeffrey, but alas it didn't work out. I met up with a friend of mine who owned the rifle. During the visit, I checked the rifle out and found that the replacement bolt wouldn't quite work as it was received back from the gunsmith. There was quite a bit of rust under the extractor and around the rim of the bolt face preventing it from feeding from the magazine or allowing the bolt to fully close once a round was worked under the extractor. The safety didn't function either. The differences in the sear location of the donor rifle and this one had the cocking piece a bit too far forward to allow the safety lever slip in front of it. All in all a rifle that needed some work to even get back into firing condition. I thought most gunsmiths test fired rifles, especially after swapping the bolt since they had already modified the original one. After a good bit of cleaning and a wire brush on the dremel, I had it where it would feed and the bolt would close.

http://imageshack.us/a/img844/6193/t57t.jpg

After a bit of horse trading, it came home with me


I should have shot it some, but alas, I already had plans for it.... :redneck:

[tek4260]

I'll start the thread and the picures of the build here. I started with stripping the rifle. Pretty straight forward and simple. I didn't have an action wrench, so I whipped one up outta scrap. Hey it beats spending over $50 on one. I thought about calling it my GOODWRENCH, but it only looks OK, so another name will have to be scratched along the handle.

Here is where I stand now.

http://imageshack.us/a/img32/913/ec2w.jpg


And a few pictures of the wrench in case someone wants to make one. Pretty easy considering the Mauser has a flat bottom and internal lug. I simply took flat bar, 3/8" thick and 2" wide and cut a notch for the lug. Then I welded on a 4' handle of flat bar, with it on the opposite side of the notch, to contain and strengthen the plate. The top is the same flat bar with a section of round that matches the top of the receiver. I need to weld the round to the flat to make it a bit easier to set up on the rifle. Once welded, it won't take 3 hands to install it on the rifle. In the picture the half round is sitting upside down in the wrench from how it is when installed on the rifle.

http://imageshack.us/a/img542/7339/cycs.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img33/6126/854l.jpg


Oh yea, the Loctite was no match for the wrench...

[tek4260]

Then the brown Santa delivered my 458 Win Mag barrel. One of the short chambered jobs from Midway for $90-ish.

http://imageshack.us/a/img850/3235/0a9d.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img853/8053/z9ho.jpg

And screwed into the action for opening up the stock

http://imageshack.us/a/img18/6278/kkzk.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img35/1535/mt8l.jpg


http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm35/tk3945/6F730FE2-43B9-4293-8C29-903B50C742B4-7231-00000D3C8720AEE7_zps55474bed.jpg

Using these complex tools I was able to open up the channel for a full float. zgrin

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm35/tk3945/656E199F-A312-4859-8CD0-32EC0F600292-7231-00000D3BE5988086_zpscdb12a98.jpg

The leftover

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm35/tk3945/D0A59802-16E0-4239-BE4B-2503FECA0489-7231-00000D3BC722E3F8_zpsb28b1778.jpg

One little wide spot where the rear sight sleeve was

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm35/tk3945/F559CF78-C5F8-4DE0-894E-2631ADC35782-7231-00000D3BDDAB7313_zps3238ab98.jpg

And the red line where it is about to be cut

[tek4260]

another piece of the puzzle for $25 from ebay

http://imageshack.us/a/img6/4051/5dw8.jpg

[pkie44]

Looking good Tek:bigsmyl2:

[tek4260]

Since I was wanting to do this project myself, at home, and with common tools, farming the bolt face opening was out. Midway has a bolt face truing tool for magnum bolt faces and a guide that threads into the front of the receiver. With it, you can insert the tool into the guide, close the bolt and turn it with a drill to cut the face of the bolt. Problem was that it was out of stock. While I was waiting for them to get more in stock I found a bolt already opened up on Ebay. I hated to use another one, but they were steadily pushing the date expected in stock back. But, on a brighter note, the bolt cost less than the tool.....

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm35/tk3945/8132AC3C-55DB-4B8A-81A8-7D866863700F-21689-00002705C214FA05_zps0ed1e153.jpg~original (http://s292.photobucket.com/user/tk3945/media/8132AC3C-55DB-4B8A-81A8-7D866863700F-21689-00002705C214FA05_zps0ed1e153.jpg.html)
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm35/tk3945/4F067BEF-2C69-44D8-8E1A-89A2782B2D36-21689-00002705DE371A1D_zpsb8da5c1d.jpg~original (http://s292.photobucket.com/user/tk3945/media/4F067BEF-2C69-44D8-8E1A-89A2782B2D36-21689-00002705DE371A1D_zpsb8da5c1d.jpg.html)
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm35/tk3945/8643C411-C800-4D54-88D3-2F713C61F5EB-21689-00002705D5B010E4_zps9279c549.jpg~original (http://s292.photobucket.com/user/tk3945/media/8643C411-C800-4D54-88D3-2F713C61F5EB-21689-00002705D5B010E4_zps9279c549.jpg.html)
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm35/tk3945/558F1A36-8AAD-4724-8C38-0434E4ECC644-21689-00002705CC255E13_zpsb3e81566.jpg~original (http://s292.photobucket.com/user/tk3945/media/558F1A36-8AAD-4724-8C38-0434E4ECC644-21689-00002705CC255E13_zpsb3e81566.jpg.html)


And the amount I'll have to deepen the chamber

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm35/tk3945/B5A36647-5C23-4C39-8EB5-0DDEB6646AB6-21689-00002705E681FED0_zps5c31e2ad.jpg~original (http://s292.photobucket.com/user/tk3945/media/B5A36647-5C23-4C39-8EB5-0DDEB6646AB6-21689-00002705E681FED0_zps5c31e2ad.jpg.html)

[tek4260]

Rear peep mounted. I leveled the bottom of the receiver then the top if the sight, and drilled and tapped the receiver. Now to inlet the stock for the sight and the lower bolt handle.

http://imageshack.us/a/img850/5403/bf3z.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img594/4433/aejx.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img24/8286/n0kc.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img69/7540/oyvl.jpg

[tek4260]

http://imageshack.us/a/img6/1930/y6bp.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img855/1342/d0ak.jpg

Did I mention I suck at wood work!

[tek4260]

http://imageshack.us/a/img594/6203/ae2n.jpg

Ready to drill and tap front

And the particulars on that sight drilling fixture:

Well here is the beginning

http://imageshack.us/a/img809/7862/w49q.jpg

The way I make a square mark and use it as a saw guide to keep it straight

http://imageshack.us/a/img27/6946/hblm.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img812/8715/twfu.jpg

Then the triangle file

http://imageshack.us/a/img692/5753/iib5.jpg


Deep enough to drill now

http://imageshack.us/a/img713/4968/2i1m.jpg

and drilled perpendicular with the proper size bit for drilling the sight holes. At 3/8" thick it is plenty thick enough to act as a guide for the drill bit as well.

http://imageshack.us/a/img826/4379/zh9z.jpg

Complex array of goodtools for an amatuer to get the job done

http://imageshack.us/a/img14/360/ukn6.jpg

So now I can bolt it on the barrel, level the action and then this, and will get a centered sight.


I'll deepen the notch just a bit more, but as it is, it is ready to use.

[tek4260]

About this time my bullets came in for the rifle

http://imageshack.us/a/img34/4638/t5yv.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img706/6678/94sl.jpg

Loaded a few test rounds. 325gr FTX over 80gr of H4895. Next to the original 8x57

Here is an image of the bullets with the rubbery tip pulled from one to give an idea of how thin the jacket is on these. Should open on deer.

http://imageshack.us/a/img822/7113/m2ee.jpg

[tek4260]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq2Ydm5PsqQ

The original test of my opening of the action rails. Doesn't take much metal removal at all to make it feed. Just have to look at the places it binds as you close the bolt and carefully open the rails. At this point the chamber wasn't reamed.

[tek4260]

I used www.reamerrentals.com for my reamer. Fast shipping and good prices in my book. I had to make another goodtool since I didn't have a reamer extension. I simply took a 10" 3/8's extension, filed a flat on the outside of the female end so I could drill and tap it. I tapped it to 6x48 so I could use a simple plug screw from my parts box to hold the reamer in place. It needs to be captured so you can pull the reamer out while still turning it, otherwise it will leave gouges in the chamber.

http://imageshack.us/a/img34/2248/w8kx.jpg


Here is a pic of it with the reamer mounted and ready to cut

http://imageshack.us/a/img844/6163/0a5f.jpg


Notice the tape in the above pic. I wrapped the extension and made a mark to correspond with a piece on the receiver to give me an idea of how much I was cutting every time I made a revolution.

http://imageshack.us/a/img513/6348/4huc.jpg


And here is what the reamer cuts. The chips are so fine that they look more like mud in the reamer mixed with the cutting oil.

http://imageshack.us/a/img401/9946/kbx0.jpg

[tek4260]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RF9zsxY2Iw

Feeds much better in the stock

[tek4260]

And the first round fired from the rifle at 25 yards is the lower hole. I swapped to a shorter front sight as I like my rear sights as low as possible along the receiver, and got the hole above the spot.

http://imageshack.us/a/img443/6306/j88h.jpg

[tek4260]

I originally chambered the rifle where I could "feel" the case as the bolt fully closed, without the extractor in place. Since it was a rental reamer and I had to return it in a few days, I decided to cut the chamber a bit deeper. I slowly deepened the chamber just to the point it would close without feeling the case. The reason being is this is a belted round and I was afraid that if I left it closing with feel on this lot of brass, the next might have a slightly taller belt and I'd be renting or buying a reamer again. If it were an unbelted case, I could simply bump the shoulder back if I ever ran into some that were a taste long. I know everyone wants tight chambers, but in this case I felt it would be best if it had just enough room for differences in brass. Also, the extractor holds the round tight against the bolt face for firing even if the chamber is too deep. In this rifle it is not too deep, probably closer to factory specs.

[MattOrgan]

Good problem solving displayed on this project. Nice rifle too. Be careful, this kind of thing is addictive.

[tek4260]

Well this is my first and I am far from a gunsmith. It was great fun and a lot of lessons were learned. I could see myself buying another Mauser to stick back in case the urge ever hits again.

[Whiterabbit]

this thread is inspirational.

How'd you blue it?

[tek4260]

With simple cold blue. I would have much prefered the aged patina of the the original action, but some goodsmith blued it before I got it. It wouldn't be so bad if they had polished it correctly before bluing. As it is now, the cold blue is about as good as the rest of the action

http://imageshack.us/a/img268/1545/tsh7.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img4/8628/rz0e.jpg

If the action had been done right I would have had the barrel blued properly to match it. One day I might get a wild hair and take some 800 grit to it and fix it.

[Postalpaul]

Man this is a great thread!!
I'm in the process of building a 25-06 out of a VZ24

[LeMat]

This is good stuff - seriously.

[tek4260]

Got the trigger worked out tonight. I tried a few different springs, but due to the strength of the firing pin spring, they wouldn't reliably reset the trigger from the first stage if you released the trigger. So I used the factory spring and removed 1 1/2 coils which helped a good bit and will still reset the trigger if you release it before it fires. And, the main thing I managed to do to improve it was to file then stone and polish the sides of the sear where it passes thru the action into the bolt tunnel. I was amazed at how much difference that made. It had some rub marks on the side indicating dragging, but nothing major. What a difference it made when I corrected it though!

http://imageshack.us/a/img401/1166/fodq.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img443/7412/b7f5.jpg


Also, who says cold blue isn't as good as goodblue??? Matches pretty good.... So either I gots some good cold blue or some bad goodblue?

http://imageshack.us/a/img833/2034/dzr5.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img20/3874/7le3.jpg

[LeMat]

I'm disappointed this thread has not gotten more responses. Would have thought folks would be interested in something like this.

Guess you're not bragging enough about yourself tek. ;)

[Whiterabbit]

many cast booliteers are silent admirers.

[frankenfab]

I think it's great. Makes me feel guilty that I haven't gotten off my butt and put my .458 and .416 Mausers together.

[tek4260]

Nothing much to brag about LeMat! :)
Simple build with simple tools by a simpleton.

[tek4260]

http://imageshack.us/a/img62/8029/g4c9.jpg

[TXGunNut]

I'm disappointed this thread has not gotten more responses. Would have thought folks would be interested in something like this.

Guess you're not bragging enough about yourself tek. ;)

Nothing to add, just enjoying watching a talented man at work. Nicely done, BTW.

[wrench man]

Yep, GOOD stuff, I've been collecting parts to do the same thing on a K98 action.

[Whiterabbit]

http://imageshack.us/a/img62/8029/g4c9.jpg

Oh dear, you lit the stock on fire. was it giving you some trouble?














:kidding:

[tek4260]

:)

I don't think we are burning all the powder in the barrel.....

[Whiterabbit]

on the plus side, you'll singe the hair off your deer at the same time you harvest!

[tek4260]

on the plus side, you'll singe the hair off your deer at the same time you harvest!

Actually, this is my squirrel rifle......

[Von Gruff]

Looking good Tek.

[pkie44]

Looking good Tek.

Good to see ya out and about VG, I am liking Tek's Rifle!

[tek4260]

Hell I'm glad to see both of you about! Y'all come on over and we'll see if we can shatter this ol stock!

[Von Gruff]

The one thing I didn't see mentioned was getting the barrel band to look as if it was designed around that barrel. Was there much needed to make the fit look as good as it does?

You can make the military trigger into a single stage with a nice light pull with a little pile of devcon to lift it past the first stage - or you can thread a screw through the plate to lift it, and lighten the spring a 1/4 coil at a time. I did mine about 30 years ago and it still lets go at a nice crisp 3 lb.
http://i667.photobucket.com/albums/vv39/VonGruff/005.jpg (http://s667.photobucket.com/user/VonGruff/media/005.jpg.html)

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

I got one, still in the white, in 404 Jefferys. Lots of fun...

[tek4260]

Von Gruff, I got lucky on the band and didn't have to touch it.

On the trigger, I have been thinking of several ways to improve it, including replacing it with a Timney or Bold. But the truth is I don't mind the 2 stage. I used to shoot many military surplus rifles with 2 stage triggers and am used to them. As of now, I have this one down in the 5lb range so it is good enough, for now.....

[tek4260]

Tried it out at 100 yards today. I am sure the rifle will do better, but this is about as good as I can do standing on the deck with my elbow on the rail. I knew that I dropped the second shot low as I could see a bit of light between the front sight and the bottom of the tape spot when the trigger broke.

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm35/tk3945/27E88059-35EE-4C4C-A6B0-A5952265BC3E-657-00000145D5FC3C1A_zps6a72228c.jpg~original (http://s292.photobucket.com/user/tk3945/media/27E88059-35EE-4C4C-A6B0-A5952265BC3E-657-00000145D5FC3C1A_zps6a72228c.jpg.html)

I think we are ready for a deer within around 150 yards..

[Whiterabbit]

I need to improve my reading comprehension. I was thinking "Hal-fass? what could that possibly mean? ...oh. I get it now."

[tek4260]

I need to improve my reading comprehension. I was thinking "Hal-fass? what could that possibly mean? ...oh. I get it now."

inside joke amongst friends :)

[whelenshooter]

Great write up. I've got a Mauser 93 and a short chambered 300 savage barrel waiting in the wings. This helps tremendously. As an aside I've been to your neck of the woods many times. My wife is from Batesville, I was raised in Tupelo and I worked for a company that had a plant in Winona. I miss that part of the world.

Thanks
David

[Von Gruff]

Tried it out at 100 yards today. I am sure the rifle will do better, but this is about as good as I can do standing on the deck with my elbow on the rail. I knew that I dropped the second shot low as I could see a bit of light between the front sight and the bottom of the tape spot when the trigger broke.


I think we are ready for a deer within around 150 yards..

Shooting like that will put a lot of meat on the table. Halfassed indeed - :drinks:

[tek4260]

Shooting like that will put a lot of meat on the table. Halfassed indeed - :drinks:


After deer season I am going to put a globe front in the dovetail for the front with a ring type sight like I had on the Martini just to see what the rifle really will do. I'll have to raise the rear a good bit, but it will be worth it just to see how good it actually will do.

[tek4260]

http://imageshack.us/a/img28/8352/suey.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img7/9944/m5l1.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img823/856/8o9d.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img20/1773/fuqb.jpg


The postman brought this to me today for the little rifle. Seems a fellow had it laying around and wanted to see it put to good use he said. I feel guilty accepting the kindness of another, but I must admit it is a beautiful little piece of wood. So I need to use it on the little 458 or build another to use this stock on. I am still floored by the kindness of people on gun forums.

[Whiterabbit]

wow!.

[tek4260]

So I managed to take a moment and load a few rounds with H322.....

Fired one and I knew I had my stuff together when the trigger broke. Checked it, adjusted and fired 3 more at 100 yards.

http://imageshack.us/a/img545/1999/6uc9.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img811/5195/qm02.jpg


With the 322, it is now loaded to the 50K level... Recoil is 2x what it was with 4895, but it still isn't what I'd consider "punishing"

[tek4260]

url=http://s292.photobucket.com/user/tk3945/media/guns2/5F12BFC1-D0F1-4AE6-B739-C272D76AF8F4_zpsr3w9z9co.jpg.html]http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm35/tk3945/guns2/5F12BFC1-D0F1-4AE6-B739-C272D76AF8F4_zpsr3w9z9co.jpg[/url]

Well I managed to get a doe yesterday morning before church. 75 yards quartering away. That is the entrance. No exit. Just a bunch of lungs in the field that came out of her mouth at the shot. Never had one hit quite so hard that the guts came out. If you look ahead of the gaping hole in her side, you can see where the bullet entered, quartering towards the offside shoulder. Those FTX bullets are designed to work in the 1900+ fps standard 45-70 loadings, but see to get a bit explosive when pushed to 2500+ fps :)

I am curious to see what the effect will be on one shot in the shoulder broadside instead of standing quartering.

[nekshot]

by golly I believe you got enuff gun for the job! Glad to see your dream come to reality. Now to see it in that other stock!!

[Gun-adian]

Impressive work!!!! Makes me want to dig through the pile for a donor action and get busy.

To be honest, as nice as the new stock is, I really like the look of the cut-down Mauser stock. It just screams "Workin' Gun".

[Dutchman]

As an experiment remove the barrel band and test fire again to see if there's a difference.


Dutch

[W.R.Buchanan]

The first thing I saw when reading this thread was "Steel Butt Plate, and .458 Mag." It is NOT punishing?

Sir,,,,You must be one stout boy! I already could feel my brain bouncing around in my head.

Appears to be powerful enough for MS deer.

I personally would like to see that other stock you got on this gun. That stock has some pretty fabulous grain structure and it is certainly dense enough for that Mauser and the cartridge.

Also with the recoil pad you could probably boost the FPS on that load to about 3000 and still be able to hold onto it.

WOW !

You done good on the conversion!

Randy

[tek4260]

As an experiment remove the barrel band and test fire again to see if there's a difference.


Dutch

I would have tried it already but the band doesn't touch the barrel. It sits just above it and after looking at the section of barrel directly under the band, it doesn't appear that it flexes enough to touch it at firing as there are no marks in the blueing.

[tek4260]

The first thing I saw when reading this thread was "Steel Butt Plate, and .458 Mag." It is NOT punishing?

Sir,,,,You must be one stout boy! I already could feel my brain bouncing around in my head.

Appears to be powerful enough for MS deer.

I personally would like to see that other stock you got on this gun. That stock has some pretty fabulous grain structure and it is certainly dense enough for that Mauser and the cartridge.

Also with the recoil pad you could probably boost the FPS on that load to about 3000 and still be able to hold onto it.

WOW !

You done good on the conversion!

Randy

It really isn't that bad at all. I have some videos of us firing it that I'll have to dig up. Now it may get bad when I load some 500gr pills in it, but right now it really isn't much. I recently added a 375 H&H barrel to my Encore and it is much worse than this rifle when loaded with W760 and 300gr Sierra Gamekings. The scope on it has gotten blood from my nose 3 times in around 30 shots.

[kens]

I like the 'look' of the old stock.
Since I was raised on muzzle-loaders, that stock looks like a 1-band musket. Cool.
And you are very correct, it screams 'working gun'
Very nice project. Congrats.

I have a visual of that monte carlo stock on something like a .270 Win action, or featherweight .243

[eljefeoz]

Tek
Thats a great looking 'Hall-fass' :wink:
Congrats on the 'smithing.
Cheers

[smoked turkey]

That deer never knew what hit her. I don't believe I have ever seen an entrance wound like that! I thought of what Robert Ruark said.."Use enough gun". I believe he would agree that you did just that. I really enjoyed looking through your build pictures. Nice write up and photos. Very nice rifle. I would like to see your new stock on that rifle, but then it would make it not so much a hunting rifle. At least if it were mine I would be afraid of scratching that beautiful piece of wood.

[tek4260]

That deer never knew what hit her. I don't believe I have ever seen an entrance wound like that! I thought of what Robert Ruark said.."Use enough gun". I believe he would agree that you did just that. I really enjoyed looking through your build pictures. Nice write up and photos. Very nice rifle. I would like to see your new stock on that rifle, but then it would make it not so much a hunting rifle. At least if it were mine I would be afraid of scratching that beautiful piece of wood.

It would have really been something if Goodsteel could have made it into the 500 Jeffery as it was originally intended to be. Would have made the 458 I made it into seem like a pellet rifle in comparison!

[Wolfer]

Very nice write up. I've built 3 mausers on the tailgate of the truck using all homemade tools like you. Except the reamers of course. Two of mine are in stock blanks I bought but one is in a cut down military stock. I couldn't decide on a caliber so just screwed the 8mm barrel back on and cut it to 25". I have a Williams peep and a fiber optic front. I call it my rainy day gun. Woody

[phaessler]

I am impressed and envious... got me searching my options now for calibers. Great thread Tek, hope to see more

[tek4260]

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm35/tk3945/Mobile%20Uploads%20Original/CBB76C98-A25A-4A0E-9868-8DBE1F3035B4_zpstgumaqu1.jpg~original (http://s292.photobucket.com/user/tk3945/media/Mobile%20Uploads%20Original/CBB76C98-A25A-4A0E-9868-8DBE1F3035B4_zpstgumaqu1.jpg.html)

[phaessler]

VERY NICE!!!!!! Great work on this piece for sure. You definently did a great job.

[Changeling]

I have seen some custom mauser work done using custom barrels like Hart, Lilgen, etc, that would NOT shoot as good as you are getting Tek !

You did an awesome job, and I really injoyed watching your thread and progress. That new stock looks awesome on your rifle, appears that it was originally purchased with a large caliber in mind (wood structure, grain run).8-)

You might want to think about some cross bolts to keep it from splitting. Juat a suggestion.

[gordie]

This thread has been very inspiring, thank-you for sharing, its a great looking & shooting rifle.

now that you got my "wheels" turning, i'll will be digging out that old "project" gun.

[nekshot]

tek, that picture sooths the soul, very nice indeed! Notice the action has a smile also!

[BeMan]

One of the best posts of this type that I have read! Looks to be a job well done. Congratulations.

[gzig5]

I don't remember you mentioning any work to get it to feed. Did it work well out of the box or did it take some effort? What is the barrel length? I've got a 98/22 that needs a new barrel....

[phaessler]

tek, that photo in post #63 is just beautiful. Nice package, furniture has nice figure and color. Keeps us updated.

[taco650]

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm35/tk3945/Mobile%20Uploads%20Original/CBB76C98-A25A-4A0E-9868-8DBE1F3035B4_zpstgumaqu1.jpg~original (http://s292.photobucket.com/user/tk3945/media/Mobile%20Uploads%20Original/CBB76C98-A25A-4A0E-9868-8DBE1F3035B4_zpstgumaqu1.jpg.html)



That stock looks really nice on it. How long did the barrel end up?

I like reading about people who DIY. It isn't as hard as some think as long as you're mechanically inclined. Congrats!

[tek4260]

I don't remember you mentioning any work to get it to feed. Did it work well out of the box or did it take some effort? What is the barrel length? I've got a 98/22 that needs a new barrel....

The barrel length is 16.5" and it took a bit of file work to get it to feed. It will surprise you how little metal has to be removed to make it feed. I simply looked at where it was binding as it tried to feed and slowly filed until the rifle fed.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RF9zsxY2Iw

[taco650]

Can you get three rounds into the magazine?

[tek4260]

Yes, the feeding video was after I had fired a round checking the poi difference with a shorter front sight and I thought to go ahead and do a video while I was there.

[tek4260]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq2Ydm5PsqQ

Here is a video from earlier in the build right after I opened the rails. At the time I hadn't got the reamer in to deepen the chamber and I didn't take the time to drop it in the stock before I filmed it. Regardless, it is feeding 3 from the mag in the video.

[izzyjoe]

Great build with some good pics, I like how you made you're tools. My hats off to you! I built a 93 mauser in 6.5x55 using a lot of home made tools it gives a feeling of pride and satisfaction when it's done, and you can say "I built this".

[johnson1942]

i saw a 45/70 on a 303 infield action but a 458 mag, wow, thats got to be creme de la creme of rifles. that gun can go any where and mean business. like to see what it does in alaska with big game.

[tek4260]

I appreciate all the comments gentlemen! Really was a fun project.

[tek4260]

Shot some of the 500gr pills....

She definitely lets you know you have fired a shot.... :)

[HollandNut]

awesome , I built a M98 30-338 that our house fire consumed , have always had at least one 458 of some persuasion for many years .. Currently it's a CZ550 458 Lott

they are awesome cast shooters , and yep , them 500's and 550's , you know you have pulled the trigger

[FrankG]

Don't know how I missed this build ! Great work !

[Any Cal.]

Neat build, thanks for the write-up.

[tek4260]

Forgot to post a video of a buddy shooting the rifle. Here it is with the 325gr Hornady


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jidWm36ebA

[tek4260]

and with the 500gr bullets


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKYaUgDMbKQ

[tek4260]

Of course he's big enough that it looks like he is holding a 22.....

[leebuilder]

Realy neat build, thanks for sharing. Great write up. Got me to thinking about some future projects.
thanks