Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Mausers and Military Rifles If you were to pick a Mauser to sporterize

G33/40
It’s only money which is the easiest part of your build.

Commercial action all day, and since it’s Sunday, twice, unless you can find one with the hard stuff already done on someone else’s dime that you can finish up your way.

At current prices for gunsmithing, you’ll save a bundle, unless you absolutely have to have one with a thumb cut. I recently found one that appears to be a post-war commercial action, but military style, by Heym. Thumb cut, C-ring, very light barrel and stock. $695.

My Dumoulin action 7x57....

Wow, hope Rev Mike doesn't see that.

He may pass out....

Nice,

DF

Yup and thanks!

That's pretty!

Those Dumolin actions look good on paper, but I just can't bring myself to buy a Chinese action. Yours sure did come together nicely though.

The older ones were Belgium.

I see that the newer ones are Chicom. Any idea the date that began?

DF

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I've done full builds on Spandau, 1909's, VZ-24's & still have half a dozen actions that will likely never get built into rifles as the cost today is just too high & I don't have the ambition to do the (significant) amount of work required to get them done.

You can buy a pretty damn nice rifle today that will shoot well for less than the cost of doing a really good '98 up right & that's just the metalwork & barrel.

MM

I think the commercial version is the route I’ll take when I make the leap, I don’t need to worry about things like if it’s hardened or not.

Thanks!

If it's not an FN or fn clone or sr HVA throw it back, just can't see dime one remodeling an old clunk military mauser might as well vote for a democrat you ll be pissing down the side of your leg either way. MB

It's real easy to have more in an old military action than it's worth. Very easy.

I'd stick with good commercial actions, well maybe a G33/40 or other well known, high quality military actions.

Just don't expect to recover your investment, as is the case with most custom guns,.

DF

I have used several 1908 Brazilian actions made by DWM. The ones I have had where really slick actions run like butter.

I have one of those that Century Arms put together in the mid 90s. It’s a pretty nice action.

I refer to mine in that condition as my money pits.

I guess I got lucky on my 1909 Argie. I bought the barreled action at a gun show. The mans was selling it for a widow (so he says) and was asking $600 OBO for the barreled action and a blank for the stock which looked like it has decent figure. I offered $300 on Saturday. As the gun show was closing I went past the guy who still had the pieces to make up a rifle so I once again offered $300. he hemmed and hawed a bit but when he saw three Benjamins in my hand he sold the the works.

I had to wait about six months before I had enough cash to take it to my gunsmith. He farmed the stock out to Sterling Davenport to shape and checker the stock and bed the barreled action. That kind of surprised me but as it turned out my GS has hurt his back and couldn't do any of the heavy work. I'm thinking it was Davenport who really put the whole package together. Came out quite nice. The wood in the stock was a lot prettier that I expected. One thing I noticed was there were little dimples in various places on the receiver and bolt. My gunsmith said that action had been tested for proper hardness and apparently passed. The rifle is in .280 Remington and slightly on the heavy side. I call it my plains rifle as I'd hate like hell to carry it on top of some high mountain. Accuracy is excellent with the old style Speer Grand Slams. I have some of the new type as well but haven't loaded them to try.

With all that said, if I were to do it all over again, I'd look for a J.C. Higgins M50 or 51, or a similar FN based from Montgomery-Wards, Cold, H&R or Husqvarna 640. Save a lot of time and money as the hard work is already done.
Paul B.

This would work

Nickel plated?