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Would you knowledgeable guys give me the Mauser basics? I want to take an old clean, probably ex-military Mauser and have it remodeled into an iron sight only .40ish dangerous game rifle. I don't understand which Mauser to look for. I hear about 1909 Argentines and G33/40's and I don't have a clue.

Would someone please suggest a Mauser and caliber combination for me? For example, would a 1909 Argentine be the best candidate for having a 416 Rigby built on it?

Also where is the best place to look for such an action?

I am not interested in any current production rifles.

Thanks,
Josh
SS

Josh: My knowledge pales compared to some of our experts here, but right off the bat, I can tell you a couple of things. First, the 1909 is one of the best out there as are the G33/40 you mentioned, but there are others like the Czhech VZ for example. Unfortunately those actions are too short for the 416 Rigby as that requires a full length Mauser Magnum action and those are very, very scarce and expensive. I'm pretty sure you can get a 416 Rem into a 1909 and that would be my recommendation. A 404 Jeffreys also can fit, but that requires some cutting. A 458 Win Mag's an EASY fit as well. Also equally important is that you find a COMPETENT gunsmith that understands the mathematical intricacies that go along with proper magazine box geometry, feed rails, etc. Stories are legion of the many, many accurate rifles buil on these actions that don't feed worth a crap because of clueless gunsmiths. Hope this helps a bit but even better is that our true experts in this field chime in. jorge

I had a VZ-24 turned into a 416 Taylor. Nice rig though I don't have much use for a 416.

G33/40 or the VZ 33 are small ring 98 variants, hard to find and very expensive. 1909 mausers tend to be a bit soft and should be reheat treated. VZ 24 are very good mausers. If you are going to start with a military mauser it can get very, very pricey. Your best bet it o find a commercial mauser: Charles Daly, Interarms Mark X, Sears and start from there. If you want a big mauser these won't work, you need a magnum mauser. You could always buy a Ruger in the big bores and spend the money to make it feed and function properly.

Coil, which action for which cartridge? If I go with a 1909 Argentine do I still have to stay with the 416 Taylor or 416 Rem. or will a Jeff. or Rigby fit? Same with the VZ 24 how long can it go? What do you think about the Persian contract 98/29?

I am probably going to have the entire action re-hardened anyway, maybe case colored. I dunno.

The thought of buying a currently manufactured anything makes me a little queasy, so to answer your question about why not start with a commercial action, the real answer is I just don't want to. I am going to shoot this iron sighted 40 something for a year or so, then call someone like Hagn or Satterlee to build the final incarnation of my Cape Buffalo rifle.

Jorge, any suggestions on a good gunsmith? Honest pricing and reasonable turn around on metal work? I am probably going to stock it myself so I just need the metal work done. By the way, the new Hagn 300win. mag. may ship next week. Of course, I am not sleeping at night!

Any help is appreciated.

SS
Josh

As I stated, 1909 is too short for a Rigby. As far as gunsmiths go, I like Mark Penrod in Indiana. You can find his info by using a search engine under "Penrod Pecision." jorge

A talented gunsmith could take a comercial mauser and fit a 416 Rigby in it.This would take a lot of work and be expensive. John Rigby made some with military mauser actions,that is what Harry Shelby's 416 Rigby was made on a military Mauser Action...........

Stick with the 416 Taylor, 458 Win, and I think the Lott will fit a 1909 or VZ 24. Mark Penrod, Stu Satterlee or D&D Gunsmiths are all very good for Big Bore DGRs. Good luck, but don't try to streach hem for a Rigby, horribly expensive and a little questionable.

The 416 Ruger will fit nicely in a military 98, judging by how well the 375 fits.

SOS

I'd vote against the Rigby in a Mauser action, the length creates unnecessary headaches. If you're wanting a 416 then go with the Taylor. If sub 40 cal is ok then the 376 Steyr would be another great choice. The '09 Argentine is popular because it comes with a hinged floor plate but they are expensive for that reason. The G33/40 I don't think would work and again, they're rare and expensive. You might look at a VZ-24. Actions can be picked up for $100 and are a good choice for custom rifles.

So where is the best place to look for a good action? One of the importers has the Persian mausers in stock, they are the 98/29 and they were built in the BRNO factory in the 1930's. Will they work if I go with a Taylor or the 416 Rem.?

Josh

Check your PMs.

Consider getting a CZ-550 Rigby length action. It's tailor-made for the cartridge (and similarly sized rounds) and CZ sells them as an action only. They're very reasonably priced ~ $700.

Were I going with a military action for conversion I'd stick with the '09 Argentine. I like this particular model because it did not have the thumb hole cut into the left side of the action. I think that thumb hole weakens the action and that's not good, especially if you're going with a high pressure cartridge. That new 375 Ruger would fit this action as would the 425 Express.

The Persian Brnos are very good actions, I did a 30-06 when they first showed up. Nice and smooth, but some people don't like the Farsi writting on the side

Here's the scoop on what makes 1909 Argentine actions desirable. They have a hinged floorplate, and the were made by DWM before WWI and are beautifully machined.

That said, it is now expensive to convert these actions into a custom rifle. If I had not become a Mauser nut years ago, I probably would have had my rifles built on Ruger M77 actions with the tang safety. The only thing I don't like about these actions is the trigger. It would be a much less expensive route to a very nice rifle.

I built mauser 98 in 458 win mag about two years ago. When I was younger I found a nice sporterized peruvian mauser(modelo 1935 built by FN in Belguim) chambered in .30-06 with a peep sight, used it to kill my first deer even. 2+ years ago I decided to make a 458 win mag. The conversion really was not that bad. I had a local gunsmith open the bolt face and recut the extractor for a magnum caliber. Then I bought a adams&bennet barrel from midway, it was short chambered so it didnt take much work with a finish reamer to get it headspaced. The feed rails surprisingly didn't need as much work to get the feeding as I thought they would, mostly just patience running dummy cartridges and then working with a file where needed. I did slightly alter the ramp and polish it quite a bit to get the larger diameter bullet to slip up and over easier. The rifle rides in a microfit stock from richards made from pretty plain grade walnut, but it came out really nice so. Overall I am really pleased with gun and how she came out. It worked out really well, I am now scouting the gunshows for a second FN action for a project in 416 taylor. I dont know much about the other mauser makers out there but the FN was of really high quality compared to other I have seen out there. One quirk though if you happen to come across a peruvian modelo 1935 is that the safety positions are the opposite of a normal mauser.

Go with the Comm. FN, the Vz-24, 1909 Arg. or the Brno, all good actions..The FN requires a lot less work btw..

The G33-40 is an outstanding small ring action, but never was intended for any magnum round, best to keep it for a 06, 270 or something of that order. Probably the largest caliber for the 33-40 would be a 9.23x62...

I know you said "40ish" bore for your project, but like the 416Taylor the 375/338 Chatfield-Taylor is a perfect fit for your M98 project. I had a VZ24 fitted with a Ruger #1 375H&H bbl and rechambered to this caliber with minimum changes to the action. Am currently getting it done again with a 602 bbl to 700 action. Depends on how much you want to spend, but 375H&H take-off bbls are fairly easy to find, esp the two I mentioned. I'm not into expensive custom guns, so this offers a cheeeeper way to play.



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Save the money and look for an early Browning FN in .458,pre-65,use it,shoot it.You'll get your moneys worth or money back on a resale...

I really like the thought of having a rifle with a re-built military action. One with a sharp crest. There is just something so utilitarian about it. I know that there are lots of better routes to go, but I just want a military relic.

It has to be a 40 something. 400gr bullets at 2150fps is the goal. The reason is essentially the same, because I want it that way.

I think the Persian action is kind of cool because of all the strange markings. I like things that are different.

Josh