Projected Rifle Build

[trapperP]

Greetings to all, and I hope this is the right place for this. i have a bad case of the 'wants' for custom rifle in 9.3X62. I have a 1926 FN Mauser chambered or 30/06 that would be the donor action to start with. Most of my friends say that it is a crazy idea, buy a CZ or the like and leave the Mauser alone. What say you here? After I have the action stripped and re-barreled I would do the remainder of the work myself. I built several rifles in the past but non in a caliber this big - any complications that I should know about beyond the usual?
Thanks for any and all info.
Best regards,
trapperP



i

[RustyReel]

Is the 1926 currently a sporter (commercial) or a military rifle? If it is a military rifle in full battle dress I probably would not mess with it. Probably would not mess with it if it is a commercial sporter either. If it is a run of the mill converted GI rifle and you like everything but the caliber you may want to consider having it rebored.

I have a Husky 640 in 9.3x62. Personally, I think it kicks as hard as my 375H&H, so I think a crossbolt at the recoil lug would be something to consider. Also, a decent recoil pad. I have a 9.3x57 as well and it is a pussycat compared to the '62.

If you simply have a hankering for a classic Mauser in 9.3x62 you may want to consider a Husky in the caliber. They come along quite often, are well made and are certainly less expensive then building a rifle from scratch.....

[Blackwater]

Trapper, most people will ALWAYS tell you that. Laziness and lack of standards is the order of the day, but any REAL hunter/shooter MUST really always lust for a really nice, "SPECIAL" rifle that represents much more than just a simple tool, like a hammer or a saw. NEVER let them dissuade you from reaching out for something unique and "special." It really doesn't have to be all that beautiful. Consider the great bear hunter's .458 up in Alaska whose name I can't recall at the moment. It was beat and battered and was STILL "beautiful" in the eyes of its owner because it fit him just right, and never let him down. It's a lot like some of the guys you'll see whose marriages last forever. The women may not be raving beauties, at least in the "modern" sense as in the runway models, but their strength, devotion and pleasantness makes them VERY beautiful in their husbands' eyes.

However, let me recommend something that may just let you surprise yourself in the end. That is simply to approach the task as a project, without ANY kind of time schedule. Just sit and look at the stuff and like the old Indian looking at a piece of wood to carve, trying to imagine what it "wanted to be," just enjoy the task, and I'm talking about every second of it. The longer your first good effort takes, the better it'll likely look in the end, and the more you'll come to think of it, and value it when it's finally done. Take special pains to make the straight lines straight and the curved lines tangent to the straight ones so the lines flow naturally and smoothly. This should aid in its use as well as in creating a really beautiful stock. And another tip: invest in a better than std. grade of wood. This always provides an extra measure of caution in your work, and the nice woods aren't all THAT much more expensive, either, so go for at least a couple of grades higher than std. grade walnut. You will NEVER regret it, I promise.

Last point is to use an oil finish, and to let it rest between coats, and sand it back down to the bare wood with each coat. I wouldn't do less than 5 coats, and 7 or 8 would be better. Be sure to coat the inside mortises so they can't let it soak up moisture through there, and under the grip cap (usually epoxied so may not need any there), and the recoil pad or butt plate. This little bit of weather proofing could really make a difference to you one day.

I say tell 'em all to go fish, and make something that'll have them all drooling in a year or so.

[flounderman]

I have built a lot of rifles on Mauser actions and now that they have stopped importing, the prices have made it so it is about as cheap to use a savage 110. The beauty of the 110 is you can screw the barrel in and tighten the nut. You can get a Turkish receiver from Sarco for 20.00. It is getting harder and more expensive to find the rest of the action, though.

[koger]

+1 on the 110 Savage, just recently finished a build of my own. I have the action squaring/facing jig for my old Southbend lathe, can true the 110 actions up in a few minutes. I have 7 custom builds on the Savage action, much more versatile than the Mausers with todays prices. I have built over 100 rifles on Mauser actions, but anymore, I lean towards the Savage, never had any issues with them.

[PTCSmith]

There is no better platform for the 9.3x62 than the Model 98 Mauser. I have even built one for myself on a 98 action.

PTCSmith

[John 242]

CZ makes a nice action. Brownells should have them in stock. They have Mauser like features, although the safety is mounted on the side of the receiver, not on the bolt shroud. Still, for the price . . .

Montana Rifle Company produces an action that is very similar to a pre-64 model 70 Winchester. Very nice.

Granite Mountain Arms makes a very nice 98 receiver. They're pricey, but a very nice choice for a build.

Then of course there are tens-of-thousands of 98 Mauser "sporters" out there, "Built" on military actions, that are chopped up like some sort of crazed abortion gone wrong. They are plentiful. Maybe taking on one of these messes, and setting it right, would be a wiser choice than chopping up that 1926?

[MBTcustom]

Greetings to all, and I hope this is the right place for this. i have a bad case of the 'wants' for custom rifle in 9.3X62. I have a 1926 FN Mauser chambered or 30/06 that would be the donor action to start with. Most of my friends say that it is a crazy idea, buy a CZ or the like and leave the Mauser alone. What say you here? After I have the action stripped and re-barreled I would do the remainder of the work myself. I built several rifles in the past but non in a caliber this big - any complications that I should know about beyond the usual?
Thanks for any and all info.
Best regards,
trapperP



i
The 98 Mauser is a great choice that will easily handle whatever the 9.3 can dish out. I believe it is still the cheapest way to get into a rifle that has potential for real class. However, most of the good ones have been scarfed up over the past 100 years by millions of fellows with the same idea you have had. Therefore, you have to be picky and spend a little bit of money to get a good one. You want something clean. Steer clear of Spanish Mausers of any kind. I've just seen too many soft junkers.
I'll tell you what though, this here is about the best deal going in my humble opinion. If I were in need of a good Mauser to build on, I think this would fit the bill:
http://www.e-sarcoinc.com/dumoulin-mauser-action.aspx

I would buy the best quality barrel you can afford, and highly recommend Krieger. Often the temptation is to buy the cheapest barrel one can get, but you can never forget that the barrel quality is what makes the whole build totally worth it, or a total waste of time when it's all said and done. Honestly, the action is of little consequence in comparison.

[Blackwater]

Wow! Thanks for the reference, GS! That is one BIG bargain in M-98's, and they and the '03 Spfld's are my favorites. When you work those actions, you can actually HEAR the quality speaking to you in a good one, and you have my mouth watering now! Thank you sir!

[fouronesix]

Many of the cheap 98 or Springfield 03 or 03A3 donor actions floating around will work but it depends on what you want to end up with. Grabbing a CZ off the shelf or used market is even easier and maybe cheaper in the long run.

If that Mauser, already in 30-06, is a decent gun with good bore, I would hesitate to cannibalize it.

No matter what you do, the value of a used custom built gun will rarely cover the cost to build it- if ever you want or need to sell it. To do a custom job right, it is going to take some $.

To me, the best of those workhorse bolt guns are based on the 98 or Win 70 CRF action.

As John 242 mentioned, one good possibility is something like a Montana action. At about $750 they are more expensive than most any of the cannibalized actions but significantly less than the Granite Mountain- which is the current standard for large/ heavy/mag type actions. The Montana is almost a drop-in fit in a Win 70 CRF action stock. They are made, I believe, in the Pine Tree foundry that Ruger has run since the 60s. They are a hybrid design between the Mauser 98 and the Win 70 CRF- having the best features of both.

I know it always steps on toes, but some of the sporter and "shade tree gunsmith custom" builds on 98s I've handled and shot are clunky and nothing to write home about. Even the CZ 550 type actions to me are clunky. A case of- "some love 'em and some don't" I guess.

As far as 9.3x62- nothing wrong with the cartridge but it's kind of a 'tweener- not unlike the 35 Whelen. Just a thought, but have you considered something like the 416 Taylor? Short enough to easily fit in the standard long actions and enough poop to cover everything for which the 30-06 would be marginal. Plus the Taylor can be easily loaded down if desired.

Only my opinion and simply 02 cents thrown in.

[dh2]

I got this bug with a friend and built a 9.3x62mm Mauser on a Spanish 98 Mauser action , it did turn out to be a wonderful cast boolit shooter(a nice bonus) the hardest part I had to deal with was the only barrel that I could get was a 9.3mm blank, all of the rest that I have built was using short chambered barrels, the blank took a lot more hard to get time on the lathe threading and cutting the chamber. over a 15 year time I built servile rifles on 98 Mauser actions, to me they are prized more than a off the shelf rifle.
I would say if you want one you have done your self and have the budget and means to do it go for it enjoy it. I can tell you that even with out labor, it is cheaper to buy a new Rem. 700 than to build a custom 98 Mauser but a new 700 is not what I wanted.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

Mine is on a 1908 Brazilian Mauser 98.

Check out the www.accuratereloading.com forum. Go to the classifieds. The member there dpcd barreled mine and a good friend's last summer late. He does excellent work, is fairly quick, and reasonably priced. He has some extra barrels.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

dh2,

where are you buying new 700's? Besides, what you have is a new trigger lock PF rifle with Remingtons' Marketing Depts' idea of what you want with wood that generally grades out close to a #2 grade creosoted fence post. And, iirc, they have yet to offer the 9,3x62 chambering...

The best part, you get exactly what you want, and all the fun of planning and executing your dream rifle.

[John 242]

Where are you buying new 700's?

Walmart for $417 out the door, for short and long actions, including magnums.

I built a 98 Mauser in .358 Winchester recently. Even after getting some discounts, it probably cost me somewhere above $800 to build. The wood is plain walnut from Wenig ($250), trigger from Timney ($70), the barrel is a Shillen ($150), Dakota three-position safety ($150), scope mounts and rings are Leupold ($50?), ebony forend tip (?), Brownells grip cap (?), and the action was from a very ratty Yugo Mauser ($300). Probably forgetting a bunch of other stuff, but you get the point.

My Mauser is nothing special, just a nice classic American sporter, built on a budget. It wasn't very economical, but it was a good learning experience. However, I had expert advice, access to a machine shop, jigs, tooling, fixtures, and a TIG welder.

We get Mauser builds in from time to time. Usually the same story. $50 to $100 receiver they found somewhere and the owner wanting a budget rifle built on it. They get pissed when we tell them all the work involved and what it costs, especially when they consider what a brand new Ruger American or Savage Axis sells for at retail. Still though, some people really want a special rifle and are willing to put the time, effort and money into pursuing their goal. I salute them. I do question the use of a military Mauser as opposed to a commercial action, but to each his own.

(They get even more pissed off when you tell them that the pretty rainbow colors on their $100 receiver, bought at a gunshow, is from somebody heating the receiver ring with a acetylene torch to get the barrel off. True story.)

[John 242]

Bought several 08 Brazilian actions from SARCO. They looked like they were found at the bottom of the ocean. Seriously. It's getting harder and harder to find military Mauser actions that aren't junk. Buyer beware.