Home Forums Gear Free Classifieds FS 1909 Argentine action

I have a 1909 Argentine action that is ready for a build. It is drilled and tapped, new bolt handle and color case hardened. I purchased this as it sits back about 8 years ago. I have enough to build on and this one needs a new owner to finish it.

I do not know who did the work.

$700 shipped to your FFL.

How is the trigger?

Bump for a real nice action. Would love to have this!

Jerry

Bump,

Trigger has not been changed yet, still the military.

Standard bolt face, .473"

bump

Movin' on up....

TTT

Please don't think I am trying to imply anything, I am just curious because of my own ignorance, Its not any kind of criticism. What is it about this action that makes it worth $700? If you go out on gun broker, complete Argentine mausers can range from $300 to $1500. I am just looking for a little education. This seems like one of those things that allot of people are scratching their head over, me being one of them, while maybe there is someone out there who would flip out over it and jump on it if they knew it was here. I have limited knowledge about mausers and their value. That and I bought 3 complete actions from an estate sale and have no idea of their worth. I bought them to do builds, not resale. Just curious.

The only particularly "special" thing about an M1909 Argentine, as opposed to any other pre-WWI M98 (with sometimes questionable metallurgy and heat treating) is the user-friendly magazine release on the trigger bow. Back in the day, they were highly sought after for custom sporters because of this. M1909 bottom metal alone is often priced around $200, as opposed to the under $50 one can pay for generic M98 bottom metal.

If you want an M1909 action for this reason, it'll cost you more. Otherwise, you might as well use any M98 large ring action

Now, the action for sale here has 1) already had the rear bridge milled off, 2) has been drilled and tapped, 3) has a nice-looking low-scope friendly bolt handle attached, and 4) has a three-position ("Model 70 type") safety installed. These modifications all cost for labor, and three-position safeties for M98s ain't cheap.

I would judge the asking price in the correct ballpark, given all of that. Just my opinion.

Those 1909 actions are the smoothest in my opinion, and the best Mauser action ever made.

1909 Argentines were made to very high standards of fit and finish and have a well deserved reputation for being smooth. They are also in demand due to the nice hinged bottom metal. This one has had gobs of work done on it to boot: Rear bridge contoured in FN Mauser style, drilled and tapped for two piece bases, scope friendly bolt handle welded on, 2 postion model 70 Style safety added, and lastly a finger tab added to the bolt stop housing. The thing that most have overlooked is the fact that this action has been color case hardened. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, it addresses the "hardness" question Theo Gallus brought up.

Its a screaming bargain when you consider an action alone can go for $350
Safety $125
Bolt Handle $150
Drill and Tap $100

That alone brings us to $725. You are getting the Color Case Hardening for $25. That's a few dollars more than a bottle of cold blue!

I had an Argentine Mauser as a kid. I got it from an old Uncle. I went to the local hardware store and asked for ammo. The old boy went to the basement and came up with an old dusty box of Norma ammo and almost gave it to me. First shot at a friend who lived in the country's house I hit a tide bottle at roughly 200 yards and i fell in love. My Mom sold it at a yard sale years later cause "She figured I didn't want it anymore" after I moved out. Good luck on your sale haha.

bump

Or maybe I should just do the build I had originally, planned for it.

Nice color case!

I have owned a number of them in the past. Got the bug for them by looking at what David Miller used to do to them. Look up his elephant rifle which was done on a 1909 Argentine in .458 Win Mag. I think it sold for around $40,000. Jim Carmichael had David Miller build him a .338 Win Mag that he used around the world. You can see a photo of that 1909 .458 Mag here. https://books.google.com/books?id=F...%20miller%20elephant%20rifle&f=false

They are a wonderful action, but some will test soft, and hence the reason for re-hardening them. The main thing with that is remembering why.
If the lugs are soft they will wear unevenly or prematurely. You can tell on mausers by taking a nail or a screwdriver and running the point of it gently across the locking lugs. If they have worn unevenly you can feel it, and if its excessive you can see it with a flashlight.
That can be fixed by lapping the lugs and re-hardening them before you re-barrel. I don't know if it would be dangerous or not, but I do know from first hand experience that if there is enough wear the headspace could change and you could start to feel a difference in extraction after firing.

Bump for a beautifully case hardened action.

I will take this action.

Jason - Please check your PM's.

Action SPF's to pinotguy!

Thanks,
Jason