Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire 1910 Mexican small ring Mauser

If I were starting my project today I’d go with Jim.

Buy once cry once.

The guy who did my metal work did an amazing job and he and I are friends to this day. We even met up when our boys were younger and tent camped hunting pronghorn on public land in Wyoming.

Epic. Great dude.

Gunsmiths are harder than ever to find!

Good ones are rarer than hens teeth.

I wonder if the rails have been opened up for the .308 or if it is even necessary.

Yes, the Mexican small ring 98s were once sought after for building sporters, and there still seems to be some demand for them.

Dick Williams put a Douglas xx .308 barrel on a Mexican small ring for me a while back. Bob Hoogerhyde altered the bolt handle. It's in a second hand glass stock and bead blasted before bluing. Timney trigger and ? Buelher safety. Not pretty but it shoots better than I do.

You might shoot yours before fooling around with it. I doubt Century would have put a Timney or other aftermarket trigger on it but they might have converted the trigger to single stage and lightened the pull.

You did all right for what it appears to be. Cannot find a decent small ring 98 action for that money. .257 would fit well but a decent barrel and competent fitting will cost more than your investment at today's prices. Hard to tell from the photos, but if you really want to go to town you might consider having the bolt handle re-done....cut off and a Brownells commercial custom handle welded on. Kevin ?Wigdan at Williams Gunsight fixed an ugly handle job for me not too long ago.

Looking forward to your progress. It can get a little expensive. Don't go too heavy on the barrel keep it reasonably light. Not so light though that it won't hold steady though.

I also have a Kimber sporterized Mexican SR 98. Yes, that Kimber. They did a nice job on the bolt handle alteration but chambered the new ...or recontoured....barrel in .280. Which is just too long a cartridge for the mid-length Mexican magazine. I have to file down the 140 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips for handloads to fit and feed. Don't know what they were thinking.

So, yes, 7 x 57 based cartridge would be the way to go. .244/6mm or 6.5 x 57 would work.

A .308 has the same case head size and about the same body taper as the 7X57 and 8X57- - - - -there should have been no need for feed lip alterations.

I’m thinking at least a year on the timeline but will post pictures when it’s done.

I didn’t didn’t realize that Kimber sporterized Mauser actions. I assumed that they were all based off of Mauser’s but unique to Kimber.

Verry interressting ...

Never saw a Kimber sporterized 98 mauser but remember them using Model 93 Swedish mausers for conversion.

I have a stock, pm if interested

You are probably talking Kimber of Oregon,, having dealt with current Kimber "gunsmiths" repeatedly at both the old and new locations I can tell you exactly what they were thinking. They weren't because they cannot.

I have one of those Kimbers, built on an M96 Husqvarna action. Kind of sad to think about that. I think I would have rather had the Swede with a Husky action than the Kimber but that's how I got it.

I inherited a small ring Mexican Mauser years ago. The man who was like a second father to me had it customized with a Douglas barrel chambered in 257 Roberts. Beautiful walnut stock as well. She’s a beauty and a deer killing machine. Like some 257’s I’ve played with she tried to be finicky with me but she eventually let me know she loved 100 grain Partitions with 42.0 grains of IMR 4350 and a WLR LR primer, not a 210 M! Shoots groups averaging 1/2”-3/4” with that load. I’ve probably shot 75 or so deer with that rifle and not a single deer, not one, has taken a step when shot. DRT on every deer. The biggest buck I’ve taken with her was a clean 8 pointer that scored 140” on the nose. He dressed at 240# though….huge.

The OP did fine on that purchase, in my view. Those are nice actions and that rifle looks just fine.

More pics please, love that grip profile