Alright gents,
I just figured I owed you all a quick update on where things stood with the "one rifle" project...
I spoke with Ed LaPour about the safety--he's clearly a really excellent gunsmith. (Thanks jkob and safariman for the recommendation.) Among other things, he said that he makes three different versions of the 3-position safety for Mauser 98s, because the thread pitch diameter varies significantly in different rifles produced by different manufacturers and even the same ones at different times. He said that with the lowest diameter the safety would definitely work, but at no extra charge if you ship him your bolt he'll measure it and send you the safety that perfectly fits your particular rifle, and which will give the smoothest operation, etc.--as far as I know, he's the only one who does that (i.e., either make three different versions of the safety or check your bolt for free), which is impressive.
In any case, I shipped Ed the bolt, and got word today that he sent both the bolt and the safety off to Giles (corelokt) who is doing the gunsmithing work. Incidentally, other than the conscientious work Ed LaPour does, I also have reason to be thankful to him because after he learned about what I was putting together, he had some very kind words for me and also gave a very generous discount on the safety!
I also sent the rifle (minus bolt), scope (thanks Steve), bases, and rings (thanks Dewey) to Giles, who will be doing a bunch of things. As I mentioned before, he'll be cerakoting the rifle (graphite black), coating the bore with ultra-bore, mounting the bases & scope, bedding the rifle, installing the safety, and polishing the trigger surfaces if necessary--thanks Giles!
Finally, John Chr. (seafire) PMed me and generously offered to get a Hogue overmolded stock (ghillie green), so that I have a heavy-duty rough weather stock to use--again, the generosity of the folks here at 24HCF is a remarkable thing!
So that's where things stand now: by the beginning of June I should have an uber-reliable, all-weather, go-anywhere-in-the-world rifle that will probably outlast me! Then I'll start load development.
More news as it develops...
