I have a half dozen or so of these. I picked them up for $15-$50 and rebuilt them. I used them to teach myself what to do and what NOT to do (I twisted one receiver). Most got Boyd's or some of the early ones got Reinhart wood. Adams and Bennett barrels, but also repurposed Rem 700 barrels worked for builds. I had a local machinist show me how to thread and chamber and he let me use his equipment when he wasn't using it. Even if I count my labor as free, I have $250-$300 into a $200 rifle. It is not about getting backwards into a gun but about gaining experience in working on them. The time that you spend with your family doing the builds will pay greater than any resale value could ever do. Build the extras into rifles - NEVER retire a rifle, unless it is just flat out UNSAFE. Even if the "10" extra take 20 years to complete, you'll have grand kids that want a rifle, by then.
Green Mountain will be the cheapest for new barrels. If you have access to a lathe, most any non-magnum bolt action barrel can be re-purposed for a SR Mauser. If you have to pay to have them re-threaded, new would be the way to go. I'll have to look, I may have a few 30 cal 700 barrels that I can thread for a 300 Savage build. Let me know if you want to do a 300.
