What to do with a Mauser Action?

[Love Life]

So I have a new manufacture K98 action hanging around and I'm trying to figure out what to do with it. One half of me wants to turn it into another long range ninjee rifle. The other half of me wants to make a short barreled thumper for the east coast.

So, you have a new Mauser K98 action...what would you build with it?

[WallyM3]

A 6.5-'06.

[Bullshop Junior]

375 jrs

[Love Life]

375 jrs

ouch!!!

[Sweetpea]

458 Socom...

Put a whoopin' on them hogs!

[C. Latch]

Many years ago I had one in .257 Roberts; it had been customized in the late 40's or '50's. My dad and I had it rebarreled to 25-06.....and lost interest in it.

I have considered turning it back into a .257 Roberts, or, if I wanted to be adventurous, a 6.5x57.

I think it's fitting to use the x57 case for Mausers.

[Bullshop]

""make a short barreled thumper for the east coast. ""
I have an 18" barreled 375 Whelen on a Springfield 1903A3 that fits the description. It is outfitted with a receiver peep rear sight with a ramp and bead front sight. Its a fast handling little hammer.
Either that or you could just send it to me.:smile:

[Love Life]

""make a short barreled thumper for the east coast. ""
I have an 18" barreled 375 Whelen on a Springfield 1903A3 that fits the description. It is outfitted with a receiver peep rear sight with a ramp and bead front sight. Its a fast handling little hammer.
Either that or you could just send it to me.:smile:

Even more ouch!!!

It's a intermediate action so I gotta keep that in mind. Hmmm. 338 federal? 338-06 with muzzle brake? Hmmmm.

I believe that shooting the .243 has made me weaksauce with an extra helping of chump!

[Bullshop]

I thought you said THUMPER!!! That means at least a 40/08

[Love Life]

338 Federal looks right nice for the hogs. I don't deer hunt anymore, but if I did the Georgia deer are shrimps and the 338 Federal would smack them down as well.

[seaboltm]

9.3x62

[Love Life]

^^^Ooooooooooh!!!!

[TCLouis]

That is a simple puzzle to solve.

East Coast (or otherwise) thumper

358

[geargnasher]

8X57 Mauser.

Gear

[cainttype]

LL, you know you want a 338 Fed, so go ahead and get it out of your system. :)
As alternatives, 358 Winchester or (I'm thinking hard on this, myself) a 375-308... Dies are available from CH4D, boltface is right, mag requires no alterations, and .375-.380 moulds are readily available and made in so many styles and weights you'll get tired of thinking. You will also never run out of 308 brass to form with, either.
You said "thumper", and a Mauser is perfectly sized for the 375-308. I'm thinking any 250 grainer, or even NOE's 275 FN would almost be too much fun
I haven't bought a reamer...yet...but it's on my "to do" list.

[Love Life]

8X57 Mauser.

Gear

I already have a couple of those. Fun, but old hat for me.

[Postalpaul]

6.5-284
Or
.20 practical
Those two have my attention right now

[dh2]

For long range .280 Rem. AI
and a heavy hitter the Lion medicine of Theodore Roosevelt the 9.3 X 62mm Mauser

[Bullshop Junior]

I like big bores. How about a 458 American?

[bruce drake]

Intermediate Action. Simple. 358 Winchester. Brass easy to make, you can use 158gr cast lead or go heavy at 220 and still drop deer and pigs quite nicely with either end of the boolit spectrum.

Bruce

[45 2.1]

45 Raptor.............

[lefty o]

in an intermediate action, i like the idea of the 338Fed. if it were a long action, i'd say 338-06AI. if you need a varmint rig, 22-250AI.

[HollandNut]

I did a 30-338 on my M98 , to do again wud be the 458x2"

[WallyM3]

You did say 98, right?

Full length .35 Whelen.

That's the first one I made (for myself).

[Bullshop]

9x57 ?

[Bullshop Junior]

9x57 ?

I was thinking of that old Mauser you had the other day wishing I had it for pigs.

[AlaskanGuy]

I think you should keep it simple... I would build a nice 308...

[Love Life]

Many good ideas here and than you for all of them. I do like the idea of something based off of the 308 case since I have enough 308 brass to supply a small army.

The 45 Raptor is quite interesting indeed.

[FrankG]

458x2.1 on a 338 mag case cut at shoulder. Big Medicine !

[Bullshop]

I was thinking of that old Mauser you had the other day wishing I had it for pigs.
That one is now a 25x284. Not a pig gun but a sure enough coyote gun.

[Love Life]

That one is now a 25x284. Not a pig gun but a sure enough coyote gun.

What are you going to rebore it to when you burn it out again? Or is this not the 6mm you had rebored?

[DCM]

This got me wondering if anyone knows how far you can neck up a 308 without doing the splits?

[texassako]

I am a sucker for anything in .25 caliber. Maybe one of those? .25 Souper, .257 Roberts(or Imp.), .250 Savage, etc. If you want something real different, maybe a .257-350 Rem Mag.

[Love Life]

Good question. I know that if you neck up trimmed 308 brass to 338 federal, the neck will be too short. I anneal LC brass first, then ram it into a 338 Federal die. After that I trim and am done.

[DeanWinchester]

Another vote for .358 Winchester.

[357maximum]

A 35 is almost never the wrong answer....I say 358WIN, or 35X57, or 35X60...all depends on how much FREAK FAKTOR you like I spose.

[Love Life]

DeanWinchester- This year I take your title!!

Now to business. The 358 has mucho appeal. The 338 has better pointy boolits though. Hmmmmm. I don't think I'd lose with either one. The action is an intermediate length action. I'd need a new stock as well and see a good laminated piece in my future. This one should be fun.

[Bullshop Junior]

Of you don't wanna make the action longer, how about a 350 Remington mag?

[DeanWinchester]

DeanWinchester- This year I take your title!!

Now to business. The 358 has mucho appeal. The 338 has better pointy boolits though. Hmmmmm. I don't think I'd lose with either one. The action is an intermediate length action. I'd need a new stock as well and see a good laminated piece in my future. This one should be fun.

Come get some old buddy! This year, we're juggling (2) six cavities in the rain to keep the competition from getting stagnant.

[Love Life]

Challenge accepted.

[45 2.1]

This got me wondering if anyone knows how far you can neck up a 308 without doing the splits?

I have fire formed the 308 to straight walled configuration before..... no problem if done right.

[MBTcustom]

Stick with something you can get brass for ie. based on military cases.
I know you don't want 308 or 30-06, so with that in mind, here is a short list of calibers I think you should consider:
7mm-08
338 Fed
358 Winchester (the only reason you are resisting is because everybody has told you from the beginning this is the caliber LOL!)
35 Whelen

30XCB (I just chambered one of my Mausers in this caliber. Heh Heh.)

[NYBushBro]

That one is now a 25x284. Not a pig gun but a sure enough coyote gun.

Bullshop:
Do you still have that old 9x57 take-off barrel from that Mauser?
I've been thinking of the 9x57 caliber in a K98 action, in order to use a H&G #141 (IIRC) mold: 300 gr HP mold originally designed for the 35 WIN 'back in the day'.
It's definitely an older mold - San Diego stamped.

PS: 9x57 in a strong action is a '358 WIN +P'. :-)

[Love Life]

Stick with something you can get brass for ie. based on military cases.
I know you don't want 308 or 30-06, so with that in mind, here is a short list of calibers I think you should consider:
7mm-08
338 Fed
358 Winchester (the only reason you are resisting is because everybody has told you from the beginning this is the caliber LOL!)
35 Whelen

30XCB (I just chambered one of my Mausers in this caliber. Heh Heh.)

You been talking to Jeremy, I see!!!

358 seems cool, but the 338 seems cool as well. 788-08...meh.

[Bullshop Junior]

I think the rifle from the past I miss the most would have been my 358 Norma mag. How about that?

[Love Life]

I think the rifle from the past I miss the most would have been my 358 Norma mag. How about that?

No. Nothing with the word magnum. I'll be in Georgia were the 308 class of cartridge is more than enough for anything that walks in the state. Heck, back in the day a 223 did a whole lot of cull killing.

[Love Life]

On second thought, I think I'll sell this and get a Remington action instead. I really get tired of trying to find parts and accessories for one of the most plentiful actions...ever.

[Bullshop Junior]

You could send it to me for disposal.

You Have to remember. I'm from AK. I like big guns.

[AlaskanGuy]

The mauser action was featured on "Gun Stories" on the outdoor channel yesterday... Very cool history and such....

AG

[Love Life]

I just don't get why an inferior action, the Remington 700, gets much more market support. It's not like the mauser action is this obscure piece of unicorn horn.

[Bullshop Junior]

I've never had problems finding parts for a Mauser.

[Love Life]

I'm looking for ninjee parts. Mcmillan A5 stocks for the mauser would be about 800 years out on leade time.

Parts are easy to find, just not the parts I want.

[Bullshop Junior]

Why? Just why? I will never understand why some people are attracted to those hideous tacticool zombie ninja guns. Guess I'm just old school. Id rather have a nice walnut stock and deep blueing....

[Love Life]

I swing both ways. I have nice guns with bluing, and I have ninjee guns. I'd put my ninjee guns against a nicely blued gun any day for quality of build and accuracy. Finish...well...they usually get spray painted so no winning in that department.

I can use the tacticool gun to it's potential and it's what I'm used to using.

If you ever get the chance to get behind a well built ninjee rifle, please do. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised in how good they are. However, they are not brush beating guns to be sure!!! My current gun is 17lbs.

[357maximum]

:smile: Good luck with the weenie roast fellas :drinks:

[Love Life]

:smile: Good luck with the weenie roast fellas :drinks:

Why, whatever do you mean?

[357maximum]

Why, whatever do you mean?


I have been know to cast in shorts and a t-shirt buuuttt......start casting blindfolded and naked and I am sure you will find out exactly what I mean. :lol: .....like I said...GOOD LUCK You might wanna invest in a leather _____ sock. :lol:


_______ (rhymes with sock)

[DeanWinchester]

^^^
Coward :kidding:




......besides, can't burn whatcha ain't got. Dunno 'bout y'all but I've got very little to worry about. :-P it's gotta get past this beer gut first.

Dickie-do club anyone?

[Bullshop Junior]

I'm still on the 375 JRS or something on the belted magnum case. My dad has a nice remington 700 in 375 JRS I would much like to have but cant, so I would build one.

If it has to be on the 06 case head.....7mm/08 on the short case or a 6.5/06 on a long case.

[357maximum]

[QUOTE=DeanWinchester;2784652]^^^
Coward :kidding:


QUOTE]


If common sense makes me a coward then here I stand justly accused :drinks:

[ABluehound]

My vote is 9X39 lots of fun thumping piggies.

[UBER7MM]

So I have a new manufacture K98 action hanging around and I'm trying to figure out what to do with it. One half of me wants to turn it into another long range ninjee rifle. The other half of me wants to make a short barreled thumper for the east coast.

So, you have a new Mauser K98 action...what would you build with it?
.
I agree with GoodSteel with a cartridge based on a known military case:
30'06
8x57 Mauser
308 Win
Lots of possibilities with standardized wildcats with these three as your base. The easiest build for a 98 Mauser is of course is a x57 case variation. No magazine modifications.
.
Is the this rifle meant for casts, jackets or both?
.
For a shorter barreled East Coast thumper, a 35 caliber for a cast boolit such as a 358Win, 358x57, 9x57 or 35 Whelen would be a great combo.
If you're thinking of a tack driver, I'm partial to the .284" diameter: 7mm'08, 7x57 or 280 Rem.
.
It might be interesting to build the rifle as an exclusive cast boolit shooter duplicating in a cartridge you already own as a jacketed rifle for comparison. Barrel twist would be the obvious delta.
.
I hope this helps.

[Old School Big Bore]

Sell it to me if you buy the Remington, I need to build a .257 Rbts for SWMBO and a .45 Rhineland for a plinker.

[dh2]

i am a sucker for anything in .25 caliber. Maybe one of those? .25 souper, .257 roberts(or imp.), .250 savage, etc. If you want something real different, maybe a .257-350 rem mag.

25-06ai

[flounderman]

260 Remington. Ask the man than shoots one.

[Love Life]

260 Remington. Ask the man than shoots one.

The only thing I asked Anthony was for the $20 he owed me after getting the target shooting beat down.

[David2011]

260 Remington. Ask the man than shoots one.

That was my first thought. I built one into a 6.5x55 before the .260 became so popular but they're ballistically very similar. The .260 will give a little more velocity. The Swedish Mauser M96/38 shot a long 139-10 grain bullet and had an 8.5" twist. A fairly fast twist is needed to shoot modern 140-142 grain bullets but it has a tremendous BC and sectional density. The power retained downrange is much better than a .30 caliber bullet at about the same muzzle energy. Another benefit of that cartridge is that you can shoot full tilt loads all day and not feel beat up the next day. The recoil is very mild.

I am contemplating building another Mauser in .243 or 6mm based on a lightly used Bartlein barrel a friend donated when he went to .260 for his long range Accuracy International rifle. Another one in .308 will probably be in the works later this year.

My other Mausers are in .22-250 (shoots very well) and one close to completion as a cast boolit rifle in .375 H&H. A 250 gr boolit at around 1700-1800 fps should be pleasant to shoot and wicked on pigs. It's being built to honor my mentor who gave me the action, barrel, chambering reamer headspace gauge and mold before he died.

David

[Elkins45]

358 Win. Everyone needs a reason to shoot the RCBS 35-200.

[Love Life]

A small taste...

[izzyjoe]

Now you got my attention, that stock just needs a 308 heavy barreled action, and an old Redfield scope!

[waco]

6.5 Creedmoore sounds interesting.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Some questions for you, rather than throw out a caliber:

1. What animals are you going to hunt with this rifle?
2. What range/distance will you be engaging your target animals?
3. How old are you?
4. Will you be scoping this rifle?
5. Are you going to be carrying this long distances in the field?
6. Do you have any health issues that may pop up and affect your shooting any time soon?
7. How good are your eyes?
8. Will your eye sight affect the size/magnification of the scope you buy if you need a scope?
9. Will you be casting boolits for this rifle? (Did I really ask that?)
10. What brass cases do you already have tons of quality brass in?
11. What powders and primers do you already have in your inventory to support the new caliber? (This stuff is not as available as it has been, so you might be on your own for a while.)

I know that's a lot of questions, but they are all relevant in one way or another. Answering them will move you towards your caliber.

[Love Life]

I'm rolling plain vanilla 308. I have plenty of components and am quite confident and competent with the caliber.

[smkummer]

Yep, 308. If more for target, get a heavy 26" barrel. If all around a medium 22-24" barrel. If hunting exclusively a light 22" barrel or 20". Kick is bearable with the rubber recoil pad of the Ram-Line stock. Nothing boring about an intrinsically accurate caliber that will down anything in N. America with the right bullet. 20 years ago I did this to a mismatched Gew 98 made in 1925. Used a surplus 308 barrel in the white that cost $25. $65 later it was fitted and blued. Ram-line stock. Tasco armored 3x9 scope. Single stage trigger. Scope safety. Barrel and action cyro stress relieved. Shoots about 1" at 100 with surplus ammo! 308 works well in the 98 with no mods. of any kind needed.

[Love Life]

M24 contour barrel, 1 in 11 twist with polygonal rifling. I'll have it cut to 20 inches.

It'll crush pigs...maybe...if I decide to start hunting again. Still working on that decision.

As for carrying it, no biggie for now. My current hunting rifle is 18lbs.

I will experiment with cast in this rifle, but it will be primarily jacketed. I don't see the point in spending a ton of money for a sub moa rifle, and then spending countless hours trying to develope an underpowered and underperforming 1-2 MOA cast load.

[WallyM3]

"As for carrying it, no biggie for now. My current hunting rifle is 18lbs."

Bwana?

[Love Life]

What is Bwana?

[jmort]

White hunter in Africa?

[WallyM3]

Yup. Old movie term for the hairy-chested, chisel-chinned professional hunter.

[Love Life]

Hairy chest? Check.
Chiseled chin? rewind 4 years and check!

What can I say, it's accurate enough to be worth hiking around. I climb a hill and I can cover an entire valley for coyotes.

[WallyM3]

You're hired!