Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Introduction/7x57 Mexican Mauser Project

Hey everyone,
After foregoing a number of 7x57 mauser project rifles and a year or so of searching, I finally got ahold of a barreled action that will make a good project rifle.





In my various google searches relating to custom mausers I kept finding useful threads on this forum so here I am. This barreled action was originally put together by a gunsmith in South Lyons, MI and is marked with his name "B. McDaniel". I couldn't find much information on the company as it went out of business a few years ago. The barrel appears to be new and all the work done on is top-notch. That said, it appears that this barreled action sat neglected for quite some time because there are some spots where the bluing must have rusted:



Other than those spots the bluing looks brand new. I can't tell for sure but it looks more like rust bluing than any modern nitre-bluing job I've seen.

My initial desire was to make something like a classic British stalking rifle, like the old 275 Rigby Mausers. In my mind those were the consummate hunting rifles and I love the style of them.


But after looking at examples online I'm now also considering something along the lines of Jack O'Connor's rifles. Reading his stuff is part of what cemented my love of this particular cartridge, and I like the style of mid-century American sporting rifles with stocks made by guys like Al Biesen. The action was originally made in North America anyway so keeping the theme would be comforting to my obsessive-compulsiveness. (It would also save me a decent chunk of money to not put iron sights on this rifle.)
[img]https://i.imgur.com/x4hbIt5.jpg[/img]
This also appears to be the original intent of the gunsmith who started the project given that it was blued without iron sights and has been drilled and tapped for a scope mount. Though he also kept and blued the original flag-style safety that won't clear a low-mounted scope so I have no idea what the idea there was.

Either way, this will be a long-term project given the cost, limited time I have to work on it, and time it takes to find parts. But that brings me to one of my questions...finding parts. The first order of business is a trigger guard/bottom metal. So far it seems like I can either pay a few hundred dollars for a new, custom trigger guard made by a gunsmith or I can wait and watch a number of auction sites/forums hoping to get lucky. Anyone have any leads or ideas on this front?

Thanks,
Matt

Oh yeah...that's the way to go with this jewel! That's the reason I like the looks of the Mod 70 Fwt, in 7x57. Its my "idea" of a British Stalking Rifle...for a factory rifle. What kind of wood are you considering? I know Jack liked French Walnut a lot, I just don't know how he ( his stock maker) got them so dark, I personally don't like light colored stocks.

Black walnut would be a good choice also.

I bought my bottom metal for my 1936 Mexican Mauser from Duane Wiebe several years back. These are first class pieces.

http://www.customgunandrifle.com/products/bottommetal/mauser-bottommetal

David

It'll either be European/English/whatever you want to call it (all the same species!) walnut or Claro walnut, depending on what I can find for the right price. The most attractive gunstocks I've seen have generally been figured/striped European walnut but Claro walnut can be beautiful as well, and going that route would keep along with the whole North American theme.

Those are probably the nicest ones I've seen. Unfortunately also the most expensive--too much for me. If the budget was unlimited then I'd probably have that guy do just about everything, though--his work is excellent.

I had the good fortune of knowing Mr McDaniel. I first met him during a business call at this shop to resolve a matter of damaged goods that occurred while transporting a packaged shipment. I was greeted by his wife and she indicated where the damaged goods were. During the inspection Mr McDaniel came out of the shop dressed in his shop apron and wiping his hands walked over and joined the ongoing conversation. Quickly learned that I had just discovered the Gunsmith I had been looking for. Not to mention someone who actually had met Jack O'Connor and Elmer Keith. His son worked there as well and always seemed to be immersed in the task at hand.

Nothing better than a Mexican Mauser fort this sort of project; nice choice.

I’ve had a MexiBob going for nearly a decade. Needs metal finish & stock. Just haven’t been motivated to finish it up cuz I’m broke and never get to shoot.

Depressing...

No kidding! That is great to hear. I tried to do some digging on this Mr. McDaniel when I bought the barreled action and couldn't find much information other than the fact that the younger McDaniel passed away a couple years ago thus ending the gunsmithing business. I can see what I think was the intended style of the rifle in the types of rifles Jack O'Connor used.

Might I recommend that you have a hardness test done on your action before putting more money into it. I say this because although the quality of work was great the heat treating some times left a lot to be desired. While safe for the low pressure loads of the period higher pressure loads used in modern 7x57 could case cause a set back of the bolt lugs. Wisdom tells me to check this action strength first..Not trying to convince you to not go forward, just want you to be safe.

Now it might look better when the bottom metal is on, but to me that bolt handle looks overly large/out of proportion. Especially if you are trying to make a trim rifle. You could buy a much more subdued Oberndorf handle and have accutig weld it on and be out somewhere near $125, including the shipping.

Sometimes (most often) it is better to start with an unmolested action than one that has already been modified. This helps avoid unpleasant surprises such as finding out that the scope base holes have been mis-drilled, a very common occurrence. Or, finding out that the bolt root is nothing but pits, voids, and slag, if one decides to replace the bolt handle.

Yep. I noticed that too.

So true.

As well, the depth of the surface grinding of the rear bridge can vary quite a bit.

I really wish I hadn't seen this thread...I have a Mexican Mauser, with the knob on the striker, off having a feather weight 7mm barrel installed. Until now, thought I had all the parts lined up and ready to put together. I love the looks of the Wiebe bottom metal and I'm struggling with the idea of ordering one for my rifle. On the linked web site they showed a picture of a Mexican Mauser action, that is just like mine, with their bottom metal on it. That picture might have tipped me over the edge.

One thing to console yourself with is knowing that the Wiebe unit, fine as it is, and most other aftermarket pieces are heavier than the original bottom metal. Something to consider if light weight is your goal.

On most of my builds, I have simply recontoured the original to a more streamlined shape.

Weight isn't really a problem. I've saved enough in a few other places to splurge on the bottom metal if I decide to go that route. My original plan was to convert the Mauser's floor plate to a hinged version with a release leaver and re contour the trigger guard. Probably will still do that.

I do have a copy of Jerry Kunhausen's book on Mausers, and he really drills it into the reader's head that a hardness test and proper heat treatment are a good idea. I'll be doing that on this rifle just to be safe.

That is one of the things I do dislike a little on this action. I really like the look of the Oberndorf or British mausers where the bolt handle goes straight down rather than being angled back. Problem is, like you mentioned, it's quite a bit of money for something that is purely cosmetic and I imagine the only way to change this bolt handle would be to cut it off and weld on a new one. It's still on the table but I have a lot of decisions to make on this build. If I go all out and do things like that, NECG iron sights, Duane Wiebe bottom metal, etc. the cost of this thing is going to spiral out of control pretty quickly.

Having dealt with and subsequently sold a few bubba'd mauser sporters I know where you're coming from here. If cost wasn't an issue I would be starting out with a fresh Dumoulin mauser action or something similar. No doubt that is the best way to go if you want everything to be close to perfect. But for a guy on a budget like myself, finding a semi-finished project like this is quite the score if it has been done well which this one has been. Starting with a fresh action I would probably be up above $700 by the time I had a barrel screwed on, scope mount holes drilled and tapped, etc. And I paid less than half that for this barreled action. No doubt it's a risk, and like I said I've risked and failed with a few lemons before, but if the work has been done well then the closer to finished the rifle is the more I'll save in finishing it.