Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats FN mauser

I found a FN mauser on which to build a rifle. I'm wondering if FN makes a good quality action, for this project.pak

Pete,
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<br>What type of FN action did you pick up? If it is the commercial model like the ones on the Sears rifles and the early Sako's they are excellent actions. I have 2 of them, one is my .270 deer rifle and I really like them. Smooth, positive, and accurate as any other rifle I own, and classy to boot when built properly.
<br>The early FN Mauser military actions with the thumb slot in the left side are supposed to be good actions, but I'm not quite as up on them as the commercial models.
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<br>What are you building on it? Curious minds want to know-- Sheister

I don't have the action yet. I'm thinking of a .243, 7-08 or 7x57. Something lighter than I usually carry, for deer.pak

Pete,
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<br> The one I hunt deer with is very light. It has a very light contour barrel, Timney trigger so I could take off that abortion safety the mausers come with and replace it with a Mark X shroud, and a very trim stock. All the bottom metal is good steel and the feel and balance is perfect for me. Even with the light barrel, it is a real shooter, usually around 3/4" with Hornadies or Noslers.
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<br>I would think it would be perfect for the cartridges you listed and would have enough magazine space to seat the bullets out long enough to really gain something.
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<br>These actions used to be available at any gun show for around $150-200, which is what I paid for a couple of mine. However, my .270 was a custom that my buddy bought and I had to beg and snivel for several years before he would trade it for something I had that he wanted more- an M1 Garand I couldn't shoot well.
<br>Come to think of it, my brother has one he might be interested in selling. It is chambered in .243 but doesn't shoot well right now, probably due to a cheap or bad barrel. The action is in great shape, though- Bob

Biggest drawback is it doesn't have a full inner receiver ring, so it's gas control can be lacking in certain unsusal situations.
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<br>Blaine

Sounds like a good place to start. Like to hear more about the actual action you intend to use.
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BW, I'll keep you posted, as this will be a piece by piece project. I have yet to see the gun but if the action is sound I'll start. I'm looking to make a sound shooter that will be reasonably accurate with loads that don't try to make the chosen cartridge something it ain't.pak

AFP: You mentioned that the F.N. Mauser action doesn't have the inner ring . Did you mean the commercial action like on a Sears or a military 98? I have a Comm. F.N. Belgium made and wanted to make a 338-06 out of it. Any thoughts? Thanks, Swede96.

The first FN Mauser commercial actions did have the full inner ring, sometimes called the "C ring" action, I owned ser. no. 1789 dated 1948 which was made this way, in a year or so (ask the real Mauser guys) they changed to the cheaper double cut. My action did not have the left receiver rail thumb cut.
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<br>miki

I don't know about all the variations. The only way to know for sure is to look at the inner receiver area ahead of the bolt and see if there is a cut out on the left side that mirrors the extractor cut out on the right side.
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<br>Even if it does have the second cut out, it takes an unusual situation to cause a problem. A guy at the range put a 308 Win case in an Interarms M-98 chambered in 308 Norma. He got gas all over his face, but this was due mainly to the small 308 case not being able to seal off the chamber upon firing. Assuming a guy doersn't use the wrong ammo, it would take an excessive overload to cause ant problems, and sane handloading practices will prevent that.
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<br>Blaine

The only M98 military action I have with the second cut, is an FN. This one was originally a Columbian 30-06 when I got my paws on it. Since the mid-80's it's been a Douglass-barreled 25-06.
<br>None of my other M98's, including a Danzig small ring or the VZ24, have this second cut.
<br>The old feller that smithed the FN was of the opinion that they're just as suitable as any other quality M98 action and he started building on M98's after WWII, FWIW.

A guy at my range (and at the bench directly to my left) last week fired a .308 cartridge in a .30-06 Rem. 700. He grabbed the wrong box of ammo when he gathered up his gear.
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<br>He didn't notice anything wrong until I asked about the unusual cartridge he was shooting -- the case neck was completely blown out, looked like a rimless .45-70.

Probably just fire-forming cases for some new wildcat .454 rimless, short action, beltless magnum cartridge.
<br>Did he try to hide them cases from you? Wildcatters are a notoriously devious bunch, whilst still in the "thrashin' them out" stages. (Bwahaaa).