K98k 8x57 re-bored/re-rifled to .358 Win or .35 Whelen Practical?

[Dutchman]

Thinking outloud...

I have a Yugofied de-nazified K98k. It hasn't given me the accuracy I think it should so I was thinking I'd rebarrel it with a Wilson .30-06 military step barrel from Brownells and do the job myself. That means, at the least, a chambering reamer. I have headspace gauges already though I might not have the "go" gauge. I'm almost finished with a receiver wrench and have a barrel vise.

Or... http://www.35caliber.com/2.html

For $250 it could be re-bored/rechambered to.... .358 Winchester? Would there be enough meat in the chamber to get a clean .358 Win chamber? And would the standard K98k magazine box take the length of .35 Whelen?

As a .358 or .35 it would be used exclusively with cast bullets. How do these rifle calibers perform with .38/.357 gas check pistol bullets?

I prefer the military configuration. Underneath it all this is a 1940 Mauser Oberndorf.

I have abundant .30-06 and 7.62x51 Nato empty brass. Over 1,000 each. I'm thinking for that $250 I may get more bang for the buck by re-boring/re-chambering to .358 Win or .35 Whelen..? Any ideas are welcomed..

http://images9.fotki.com/v120/photos/4/28344/12582412/photo1-vi.jpg

[Artful]

I don't know if it will clean up but if it would I'd go 358 WCF.

[Old School Big Bore]

Hold a .358 up to an 8X57. You'd have shoulder where you want neck. You'd have to set the barrel back to get it to clean up. That would put your barrel steps out of synch with the stock. Whelen or new barrel.

[Nobade]

9X57 or 9.3X57. Just a straight neckup of your existing brass and dies are available and fairly cheap.

-Nobade

[RustyReel]

I don't think the 358 Win will clean out the 8x57 chamber. The 35 Whelen will. Another concern...is going from 32 cal to 35 cal enough to clean out the barrel?? Don't know....you should call 35caliber to see. the 9.3s should work also, question there is the muzzle dia. large enough.

[bgmkithaca]

Another problem with a military barrel is that it may not rebore and re-rifle smoothly. Guys doing the work that I have talked to won't promise a good job because of this.

[725]

Be sure the magazine length is sufficient for the new .30-06 cartridge. Especially if you want or need to have a long finished .30-06 cartridge. Try and hang a long ogive boolit or bullet out off the end of the .30-06 to distances that bring the bullet to the rifling and you may not be able to run it through the magazine. I'd say a single shooter might be born, but a Mauser needs to pick up the fresh cartridge from the mag well so it slips into place on the bolt face. Frustrations everywhere.

[FrankG]

You could have it rebored for 375-06 AI which would feed and is good with cast.

[Ben]

In the back of my mind, I'm thinking that JES won't rebore a military barrel ? ?

Ben

[Dutchman]

Its looking like this and a chambering reamer are going to be the better way to go. Figures it couldn't be easy:)

Military Step, .30-06 $168.38 30-06 Springfield
Clymer reamer $123.

I have two other Mausers that will get the custom builds with commercial barrels and stocks. A Chilean m/1912 is one of them. I'm mulling calibers; .25-06, 6.5-06, .30-06, .308, 6.5x55.

I guess if this .358/.35 Whelen was easy with a K98k I would've heard about others doing it. Going from .323" groove to .359" isn't much of a stretch but I was concerned about the chamber shank being beefy enough for .35 Whelen. I practice ~over~ engineering not hope-it-works.



Another problem with a military barrel is that it may not rebore and re-rifle smoothly. Guys doing the work that I have talked to won't promise a good job because of this.

First time poster welcome to the forum. I assume you're in Ithaca? My mother was Ithaca High School Class of 1943. When they came from Canada a whole cluster of families settled in Ithaca. My mom use to go back there from SoCal every year to see her cousins and friends. She was born in Slaterville Springs 1926.

Dutch

[Wayne Smith]

Dutch, if you got with a x63 length you will have to open up the magazine well to handle the longer boolit/case. Otherwise you are limited to the OAL of the x57.

[FrankG]

Dutch, if you got with a x63 length you will have to open up the magazine well to handle the longer boolit/case. Otherwise you are limited to the OAL of the x57.

The 30-06 length works in the 98 magazine without altering if the 98 is the standard and not intermediate action.

[muddy]

Dutch-Call Delta Gun Shop 509-684-5855. I have had Jim rebore 2 98's a Greek and a BNZ (Styer) to 9mm(358)x57 one a 1x12 the other 1x16. Simply rebored and didn't change anything else. No problems w/the steel, feeding ect and both shoot very well. Use a 9x57 sizer from Redding and a 35 Rem seater. Factory 9mmMauser Kynoch are rated at, I think, 2,150 FPS. When the weather heals up I'm going to chrony and use 250 Hornady RN's and load to that or a little more. Fun guns and kill deer dead w/ 200 gr. RCBS FN's -Muddy

[bgmkithaca]

Hey Dutchman-I don't live in Ithaca. I am from North-Central Indiana. The name comes from my collection of Ithaca side by sides that have been gathering up over the years. I have been lurking here for a few years & finally posted something-Thanks for the welcome.