Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Mausers and Military Rifles Most you spent on a "project " Mauser

Yes, it is sad, but true.

My 2nd Dad was a full time gunsmith.......had a rifle he built on the cover of American Rifleman at one time, so I was lucky to have him as a mentor, & have access to all the equipment & tools needed, though I'll never have his level of skill in either metal or wood work.

I've built a few rifles on Mauser actions & this has generally been my recipe

Douglas Barrels
Mark X bottom metal when available, with re-shaped, streamlined trigger guard
Dakota 3-position wing safety
Timney trigger
Jewell bolt, extractor & mag follower
Synthetic stock
Usually HT the action
Weld new M-70 or Ruger type (Brownell) bolt handle
D&T for Conetrol bases & rings

I haven't done any in a while & still have several 1909 & VZ-24 actions that likely won't ever be used as I can't justify either the time or money to do any more today.

This is a pic of the last 2 that I did from several years ago...........a 280 Rem & a 25-06 on a 1909 & a Spandau action.

MM

Very beautiful rifle.

MM

About $4500 with the work done by Mark Penrod (so 2019 dollars)

- M96 6.5x55
- Ed LaPour 3 position safety / change to cock on close
- Hopewell 1-8" 3 groove barrel
- NEGC iron sights,
- Lots of metal smoothing and small custom work like non-glare on sights
- Talley detachable rings
- Trigger work and bolt position adjustments
- New bottom metal and muzzle end cap
- Wenig's did the stock.

Could not be more pleased every time I pick it up.

Pugs;
Good evening to you sir, I hope the weekend has been going more than less your way and you're all well.

Thanks for sharing that beauty with us, it's a very fine representation on so many levels.

I'm always reluctant to pick one rifle on a thread like this, but I'll admit to a soft spot for 96 actions, Monte Carlo stocks combined with Stutzen fore ends and the 6.5x55...

To be perfectly honest, I've not added up all the costs on this Mauser project, much less began to add up my hours on it.

It started out as a rust pitted between the wars Mauser roll marked action that I paid $35 CDN for, put an FN .30-06 barrel onto it and plopped that into a reworked Model 70 stock.

Then it had a smith up the valley adjust the headspace on a Parker Hale .270 barrel with a Wildcat Composites stock..

Around then I started to see how light I could make a 98 and after a few years had the same smith install a near new Swede military barrel onto it, which isn't the most cost efficient or practical way perhaps, but I wanted the very fast twist and deep groove barrel that the Swedes made in the '40's...





It was a fun windmill to tilt at, but not a cheap one for sure.

All the best to you all Pugs and thanks for sharing that beauty with us.

All the best.

Dwayne

And I may add he's not kidding. That rifle just feels "alive" in your hands.

I have 2 a 1908 7x57 in a mannlicher full length stock and a VZ24 in 25-06. Both have way more into them than I ever could get out of them. But that’s usually the case with custom gun builds. You can’t put a price on fun.