Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Parts Rifles by John Barsness

Great article. It would make a good chapter or two in a book. :-)

Tell us more 76. powdr

I think he gives ol' ingwe a bit part in that piece.

Don't want to give JB the "big head", but his stuff is always worth reading, one big reason I keep buying those magazines.

JB is giving away one of my secrets. I've been building parts rifles from old Remington 700 actions and take-off barrels for a number of years now. I'm sure that parts prices will go up now.

Great article. I have a couple of those parts guns.

Good read. You really don't need to spend $3k to get a good shooter.

Thanks, guys. It just may show up in a book sometime soon, along with various other related articles.

One of my writing mentors told me long ago to always remember the average guy--and the average guy usually doesn't buy expensive custom rifles. Which is one reason I learned to make my own walnut stocks in the 1990's, and put together parts rifle today. But it's also because I like to save money too, though it's mostly so I can spend more on other gun stuff!

I have have two minty 1909 Argentine's that I bought years ago at a pawn shop for a song with the thought of doing something similar. They are still in the closet...

Ummm, aren't they all "parts rifles"?

Otherwise, I dunno what they would make them from........................

WAIT!!! Leave them in the closet and don't alter them. Those South American Mauser 98s (Argentine 1909s, Brazilian 1907s, Peruvian, etc. are collectors articles and are disappearing fast.

Where is this article to be found?

This I know.

I've had a few "Frankenrifles" over the years as well. Currently have three actions on hand, four factory bbls and various aftermarket stocks picked up here and there. No real plans for any of it.
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I really like those old M78s that Remington made a few years ago. They are always priced lower than 700s, are always very smooth actions with the old Rem trigger. Had one show up yesterday in 30-06 that will be headed to the "projects" list. The other two 78s are now 280 Remington and 35 Whelen parts guns,

Yes, the first rifle I built my wife was a Remington 78 with a 30-06 stainless mountain rifle barrel. A lot of deer, antelope and elk have fallen to that rifle. The Remington 78's were a great action.

Just about every gun I have has become a parts gun. Shoot em hard, then freshen them up works for me. Good job, John.

My 30-06 is a parts rifle. It's one my most accurate rifles.

The part with me in it alone is with the price of admission...

My Rem 600 Mohawk had a too-short barrel in a caliber I didn't want. A sub-$100 20" 7mm-08 Rem 700 takeoff barrel solved both problems inexpensively and it shot very well!

what was the caliber you didn't want?

22-243. I got it at a pawn shop for a ridiculously low price because I convinced the owner that he would NEVER sell the rifle in that caliber!

I have lost track of how many Mauser 98s I have seen with Remington 700 barrels on them over the years.

Have 2 LH Rem 700 parts rifles! Mtn contour take off barrels LW and accurate.

Here's a recent "parts gun"..... Started as an cheap/beater ADL in 243. Swapped bbl for a 20" M600 308 bbl I picked up for $25. Action and crown trued up, bedded, rubber butt pad and forend cut a bit shorter for better proportion.

I like it!

I purchased a Frankenmauser from my gunsmith buddy that has parts from multiple rifles. The bbl started life as a Win M54 in 22 Hornet. According to all the strikeouts on it, it was rechambered to a larger 22 rimmed round (22 Wasp?), then rebored to 25 caliber and rechambered twice more, ending up as a 25-35 with a screwed up shank that could not be used on a large ring action any more. He found it in a barrel full of ruined barrels in TN and bought it for $5. After laying around his shop for years, be finally machined the shank to fit a small shank, large ring Turkish 98 action and rechambered it to 250-3000. It has FN bottom metal, a sporterized 98 military stock from heaven knows where, a Timney trigger, a barrel band from a No 1 Ruger, a recoil pad from a M77 Ruger, and maybe bits and pieces from elsewhere. Shoots like a ball'o'fire, too.

I have other parts rifles, but I think this 250-3000 tops them for diversity.

Hook,

You have any pics of that beast?

I like that a lot! Good blueprint. One of my parts rifles went the other way, mating a 660 action to a 700 take-off barrel. Then I had a Model 7 pattern stock inlet for it by McMillan.

i was shooting a 1891 argentine up at quemato a few years ago, it was kind of a hoot. mainly because i had a stash of argentine ammo from the 20's and 30's. sometimes you had to wait a while to get ignition.
I think they are about the finest mausers built. and due to people bubba'ing them, those with all correct markings including the clasped palms are getting rather rare. the argentines themselves were grinding off that palm clasp in providing them for the border wars down there.

Thanks ..... I would have used a Model Seven but there doesn't seem to be a lot on the used market here. This one weighs 7.5lbs as shown. A bit heavier than I hoped but the walnut is dense and the M600 bbl is a bit more stout than the original 700 bbl. Either way, it handles very well so the extra weight is no problem.

John,

By chance, would the Mexican Mauser that you wrote about in this article be the same one that you sold to my in 2003?

Jeff

That would be the one.

Thought that it might be.