New here so bear with me - A pal of mine has inherited a 1909 Argentine Mauser in 280 Rem. - The barrel measures .500 at the muzzle - I thought that was awful narrow - I also thought it may have been the original barrel turned down and rechambered but when we took it out of the wood there was a roll stamp on the bottom which leads me to believe it was made by somebody who should have known what they were doing - On the other hand the lightest contour I can find by any barrel maker is .545 - Is .500 to thin? - Anybody have an idea where this barrel might have come from? - Thanks in advance - - - -

I would shoot some 140 in it and see how it groups, it seeems this gun was built some time ago. So it might been order that way, to make it as light as possible. Or got turned down on a lathe on a mistake. How long is the Barrel?

It's my understanding that the absolute minimum acceptable barrel wall thickness is .100 at the muzzle. Your .280 falls within this guideline--barely. That said, I have seen and owned a few "pencil barreled" rifles that went less than this in .243, 6mm Rem, .270 and .30-06.

The only problem that I have encountered with reasonable handloads is that such barrels heat up quickly. On a big game rifle like a .280 that is used primarily for deer-sized critters and up, this is not a problem. It does tend to extend load development time at the range, though.

If it shoots up to your expectations, I would keep it and not worry.

Tbaatz,

Welcome to the list.

.108" wall thickness at the muzzle is definitely pencil barrel country. It is likely safe to shoot, but accuracy may not be so good with anything more than 2 or 3 shot groups (a combination of how good the barrel maker was and the skill of the gun maker). A Lilja No. 1 contour is .525" at the muzzle in a 27" barrel.

I have a Steyr .308 Win with .115" wall thickness at a 19" barrel length, which should be experiencing higher pressure than your .280. It shoots well both first shot out of a cold barrel and in sustained fire.

jim

Nice inheritance... If he doesn't want it someone will buy it from him. Or if he's questioning the 280 barrel he could replace it to whatever he wants to shoot.
idahoguy101

Well he say's it's not for sale and I believe him - It's good to know it will be safe to shoot - I'll make up some light handloads for him and tell him not to expect much - Thank you all -

Tbaatz

I'm also a rookie. It appears to me you need a gunsmith qualified to check if the action needs a heat treatment and if the barrel is safe to shoot. Probably plenty of 24hourcampfire users could suggest someone. I have a .30/06 I had built on a 1909 action. So be aware that turning a military Mauser action into a sporting rifle is as expensive as a free puppy. Just my opinion...

idahoguy101

The argentine mauser FYI was chamberd for an unusual round, i think it is called the 7.65 argentine.
That is a slightly over .308 bore so if your frends rifle is a .280 it must be a new barrel.
It is certainly thin but teh ruger ultra light barrel on my .257 Roberts is not much bigger.
Generaly in my experience, its harder to find a load a rifle with such a barrel will like, But My ruger and my .308 Kimber as well as my #1A ruger 7X57 all shoot great with ammo they like.
So try the mauser out , with patience I bet you will get somthing good out of it.
and those skinny barrels look good and balance real well to me...tj3006

Just to present the arcane the, 7.65mm was also used by Belgium, Turkey, and several over south American countries. The 7.65mm bullet diameter is the same as the .303 British cartridge. If need be you can order ammo from Norma.