Which action to use...

[Deep Six]

I have determined that my winter project will be building a .358 Win bolt gun for cast boolit use. I am envisioning a nice lightweight sporter with a 22" barrel, straight-grip stock (I have a nice black cherry stump to make it out of), and a receiver-mounted peep sight. I am looking for an action to start with and find myself in a bit of a conundrum. Aesthetically and functionally, a small ring Mauser action could be picked up for $100 and would be perfect (small, light, clean lines, good physical fit for the cartridge). However, while it'd be plenty strong for the cast loads I'm planning, I'm getting stuck on the ethical question of chambering a small-ring Mauser for a cartridge with a SAAMI pressure specification (62,000 PSI) in excess of what is generally recommended as safe for that action.

The next choice is a large-ring Mauser action. While this solves the pressure rating issue, it comes at the expense of weight, heft, cost (nearly double on gunbroker), and length to accommodate the 30-06-class cartridge. In a distant third place are commercial short actions like the Remington 700 or Ruger 77. These seem to run $400-$500 when you can find them as bare actions and about the same as used complete guns in .308 or .243.

What to do? Any suggestions?

[flounderman]

I don't know if you have stock making experience or not, but cherry would be my last choice of wood. I have only made two from cherry and the second was because I didn't know what wood it was and I think I got it cheap. The wood is hard, tough and doesn't have a straight grain. Also unless it has been dried several years or kiln dried, it isn't ready to be a stock. You can use a small ring in 35 Remington. If you are just interested in shooting lead, the 35 will do about what you can do with a 358.

[Mk42gunner]

They are getting hard to find, but a small ring 98 would work. Maybe one of the intermediate length large ring 98's like the M48 (IIRC)?

Robert

[Deep Six]

I don't know if you have stock making experience or not, but cherry would be my last choice of wood. I have only made two from cherry and the second was because I didn't know what wood it was and I think I got it cheap. The wood is hard, tough and doesn't have a straight grain. Also unless it has been dried several years or kiln dried, it isn't ready to be a stock. You can use a small ring in 35 Remington. If you are just interested in shooting lead, the 35 will do about what you can do with a 358.

I have yet to mill the stump - might get to that next week. It was from a tree dead for a few years now so it is well seasoned but still solid. I plan to cut out a stock blank and leave it about 3 feet from the wood stove for a couple months worth of fires. After that I will send it to a stock maker and have it rough milled out and inletted on their CNC. I'll do the finish work. I like wavy grain and am ready to give it a try.

As for the 35 Rem - it has a rim about 15 thousandths less in diameter than the usual 7mm/8mm/30-06 cartridge head. Wouldn't this require a sleeved (or welded up) bolt head and different extractor? Also, I'm afraid the .35 Rem is too short to feed good in a mauser action...? .358 would already be pushing it from the standard 7x57/8x57 length...

[pietro]

.

My first choice would be a Small Ring Model 98 Mauser - like the Husqvarna/S&W rifles, 1910/1936 Mexican, VZ-33, VZ33-40 (both Brno made and pretty good), and the KAR-98 Mauser (be carefull - some are large ring).



.

[aspangler]

Or you can get a Turk 98 action for about the same as a SR Mauser. Large ring/ small thread. The mag box and rails will work fine as is for the 358. We just finished one for a customer last week at the gunsmith shop.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

Caution: temptation is rearing it's ugly head. I got about six other rifle projects going, and am trying to con the wife into letting me take one more trip to RSA next spring.

Surplus to my current plans is a nearly-new commercial YUGO post-war M98 action. This one would be perfect for your rifle. Factory (?) deep blue, NIB Canjar single set trigger (still in the wrapper and box with instructions), drilled and tapped, with screws which makes me think it was done by the factory. Spoonbill handle, jeweled bolt and extractor, and a special, rarely if ever seen side lever floor plate magazine release. I have been studiously ignoring it for nearly a year, but it followed me out of the gunroom this afternoon. I have a box of 6,5x68mm Shuler, and a loaded round will just fit in the magazine.
Upon receipt, all your gunsmith would need to do if fit, chamber, and headspace a barrel, and stock to suit.

PM me if you are interested.

Rich

[Uncle Grinch]

Take a look at this action.... it may be just what you need.

http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?374710-FS-Belgian-Small-Ring-action

[KLR]

a small ring Mauser action could be picked up for $100 and would be perfect (small, light, clean lines, good physical fit for the cartridge). However, while it'd be plenty strong for the cast loads I'm planning, I'm getting stuck on the ethical question of chambering a small-ring Mauser for a cartridge with a SAAMI pressure specification (62,000 PSI) in excess of what is generally recommended as safe for that action.



I don't know much about Mauser actions, but I do know how guys think. At some point a future owner is going to try out some max 358 Winchester loads just to see what she'll do. I built a Savage in 358 strictly for moderate cast loads. Next thing you know I found a box of jacketed bullets and tried out a few max loads....

[flydoc]

I have heard of P14 and P17 actions being used for big-bore builds, as they are plenty strong. They do not appear to be as plentiful, nor as inexpensive as Turks , and then there are the "ears" that you might want to machine off, and barrel fitting, but I doubt there would be the pressure concerns.

[aspangler]

I don't know much about Mauser actions, but I do know how guys think. At some point a future owner is going to try out some max 358 Winchester loads just to see what she'll do. I built a Savage in 358 strictly for moderate cast loads. Next thing you know I found a box of jacketed bullets and tried out a few max loads....
My gunsmith tried to blow up a rusty Turk. Filled the case with Bullseye, seated bullet. Tied it to a truck tire, hid and pulled the string. It scooted the tire about 15 yards and sent half the case down the barrel. ( No loss it was a piece of junk anyway. ) Did this three times. Had to pound the bolt open with a 2x4. Finally took it back to the shop, sawed it into three pieces, and logged it as destroyed. I still can't believe how much abuse a Mauser action can take. ( Don't try this at home!!!!!​ )

[MBTcustom]

One option is to buy a Savage Axis and one of the Shaw barrel kits on MidwayUSA. Not a bad action surprisingly.

I would not build a 358 on a SR Mauser. There's a reason they're giving them away on GB.
That said, LR mausers can be had for low money. I just picked up a 1909 Argy in great condition a few months ago for $218. I find old commercial Mausers for sale all the time for less than $300.
Obviously, no good deals on Remington short actions because the tactical crowd will snap them up like a 100 bill floating along in the wind.
If it were me, (and I've done this several times) I would watch for a Yugo or a Japanese Arisaka type 38 for low money and be ready to make a deal when you find one.
I got this action at the Tulsa Gunshow on one table and the barrel on another. Took them home and gave it TLC for a few months and a trip through the tanks and Voila!
Only cost me $250 for the parts. Made the rail and butterknife bolt handle out of some rusty steel I had laying around. Turned out really nice!:
120571
120572
120573

[seaboltm]

They are getting hard to find, but a small ring 98 would work. Maybe one of the intermediate length large ring 98's like the M48 (IIRC)?

Robert

Yep, what he said. Intermediate large ring 98's are not too hard to find. Small ring intermediate 98's are rare, which is why I have several. A commercial BRNO 21 action would be to die for.

[KLR]

One option is to buy a Savage Axis and one of the Shaw barrel kits on MidwayUSA. Not a bad action surprisingly.



The problem I have with the Axis action is that they are all long length and I don't want to have that much length and bolt throw if I'm using a short cartridge.

[hc18flyer]

I put together a Stevens 200 action and the Midway/Shaw 358 barrel kit. Love the rifle, but the barrel is too heavy to carry much. Next time I will rebore a sporter contour 308 to 358 and have a perfect combo! I would seriously look into a M48 Yugo. I just bought one and really like it. My barrel looks really good and I just started working up 8mm loads. It is a 98 with an intermediate length action. Just my 2 cents. Flyer

[Deep Six]

Yeah I'm tempted by the Yugo action since it's a bit shorter. I have a 24/47 and it has the extractor cut in the barrel (I hear almost all Yugo's have this). It makes me nervous about re-barreling. It appears the military barrel has a "lip" machined into the breech face so that it fits back into the ID of the internal shoulder the action and then about 60° of this lip is removed to form the extractor relief area. It makes it so that the end of the bolt is pretty much touching the face of the barrel lip. By inspection, it appears that it could be rebarreled like any other Mauser without worry about the extractor cut because normal 98 barrels don't have the lip that fits in the ID of the internal shoulder. I'd just hate to find out the hard way that the new barrel has to have the lip and extractor cut.

[cowboybart]

If you have to have a 358 Win then use a Yugo or Arisaka. If you can live with a 35 Rem then use a SR Mauser. I have a SR Mauser in 35 Rem. I don't have wood on it yet and haven't played with any potential feeding/extraction issues as of yet. With all the magazine space I plan on loading some low pressure loads using 250gr and 280gr bullets.
I really don't think .015" will make a big deal on rim size. But, I am prepared to have to add some metal to the extractor if needed.

[Artful]

http://www.slickguns.com/category/rifles?caliber=23


Mauser 98 Bolt Action Rifle, 8x57, German K98K Rebuilt by Yugoslavia, with Post War Crest, Good Condition, Used. - $249.95 (http://www.slickguns.com/product/mauser-98-bolt-action-rifle-8x57-german-k98k-rebuilt-yugoslavia-post-war-crest-good-conditio)









M48YUGO M48 8mm Mauser Surplus Military Bolt Action Rifle - $199.95 (http://www.slickguns.com/product/m48yugo-m48-8mm-mauser-surplus-military-bolt-action-rifle-335-free-shipping)


https://www.wideners.com/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=100000268
M48YUGO M48 8mm Mauser Surplus Military Bolt Action Rifle $199.95 plus shipping

http://www.jgsales.com/rifles-c-209_217.html


Mauser 98 Bolt Action Rifle, 8x57, German K98K Rebuilt by Yugoslavia, with Post War Crest, Cracked Stock.




15-2557xqCRKDCS


$199.95






Mauser 98 Bolt Action Rifle, 8x57, German K98K Rebuilt by Yugoslavia, with Post War Crest, Good Condition, Used.




15-2557xq


$249.95






Yugo Mauser 24/47 Bolt Action Rifle, 8x57/8mm, Mismatched Numbers, VG, Used.





15-2138xq



$249.95

[LynC2]

If I were going to build one, I would buy a used rifle for a doner action or a new Savage Axis rifle for the action. Bud's Gunshop has .308's for $288.00 with free shipping and Savage is offering a $50.00 rebate until the end of the month.

[floydboy]

I would definitely go with an Savage action. Get an old M110 from a pawn shop for $250-350. You can buy just the action off Savage forums for $225. If you buy a rifle you can take the barrel off yourself with an action wrench and sell it for $50. If you don't want to keep the stock sell if for $50. The 110 is a long action but will handle any cartridge you would want build on at a later date. You can get an extended baffle for about $5 that will shorten the bolt travel to a short action length if you want to. Once you have the action wrench you can change to any barrel you want. May not be as sexy as a mauser action but sure is easier for guys like me with no machine tools to build rifles on.

Floyd

[paul h]

As much as I like a good mauser sporter, there is nothing svelte and light about them and if going for a 35 cal it would be a whelen all the way.

I'd look for a Ruger M77, or Rem 700 in .243, 7-08 or .308 as a donor action. You'll be starting a true short action and have a modern trigger and safety. You're also set up for a scope should you decide to add one in the future.

Or heck you can just get a factory made M77 .358, though this one seems a bit steep

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=454036369#PIC