About 10 years ago a guy GAVE me a Spanish Mauser that had been bubba-ed up some. The bolt handle was junk. The original wood was a 'customized' tragedy. Was NOT a collector.
Friend of mine who had sporterized several 98s saw it and told me that i could make a decent rifle for the hunting i do here in east-central Minnesota. 'even someone with your limited mechanical skils could do this one'... he said. He told me that i shouldnt hot rod the reloads i would put thru the rifle, etc etc.
Became a good retired guy project. Wife said to me, " dont you already have some deer rifles? How many do you need?"
Sez I, tempting fate, "how many pairs of shoes do you have?"
Did a lot of reading and asking as i went along. The above instigator helped me a lot.
Final product included a new barrel, new bolt handle, a Boyd stock and trigger. Leupold one piece mount, etc, and a 2 x 7 Redfield scope. Finished the metal in Guncote matte black. Took me a while. I learned a lot.
Shooting the 7 x 57 has helped me appreciate what a fine cartridge it is.
Have tried 140 gr Sierra bullets, and Winchester factory 150gr Pointed Soft points, 150 gr Partitions, and some of those ugly 165 gr Remington RN bullets.
After the barrel matured all of the above shot well enough for the hunting i do here. The 150 gr Winchester bullets will do about 1.5 MOA and the Partitions about 1 MOA when i do my part. Hot loads i avoid. The powder which showed the best is the IMR 4320. Yes, i am hoarding what i have left of that powder.
The instigator of this project has fired the Spaniard and is suitably impressed.
Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination.
A Chrony test with the Partitions [~ 2550 fps] compared to my moderate 300 Savage reloads [150 gr Hornday Interlock ] showed a similar velocity.
