[img]http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.a...n+vz.+24+8mm+Mauser+Rifle&groupid=12[/img] would this be a good donor action for one of these from midway, Adams & Bennett Barrel Blank 284 Caliber, 7mm Centerfire F34 Contour 1 in 10" Twist 26" Chrome Moly in the White. to make a .280rem

This one has had some work done already and is better IMO.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=206340945

Yes it will work.
But with all military actions there is work involved in making them work and look good,it can be done.

I love those banners....

what type of work and how costly is it? thanks

If you're looking to make a scoped sporter out of it the minimum you would need to do would be to modify the bolt handle by forging or welding on a new one. You'd have to change the safety to accomodate the scope. You'd need to get the receiver drilled and tapped for scope mounts.
To do a first class job you'd likely replace the bottom metal and add an aftermarket trigger.
Not to mention the barrel removal and fitting.

It is kinda fun to do tho.
I did one 10-15 years ago. I had a gunsmith weld a new bolt handle on, screw on a new barrel, and drill and tap for scope mounts. Oh and had it bead-blasted and blued too.

I reshaped the trigger guard, restocked it with a factory second and glass bedded it, shaped the new bolt handle, put a safety on it, put a timney trigger in it. I benefited from a friend who had already done one and could help me avoid some pitfalls.

I am very happy with it, and it would be the last gun to go. Maybe because no one else would buy it!
Seriously, maybe I was lucky, but it fits me better than any other rifle and shoots accurate enough for as far as I am likely to shoot it.
I tried to remember how much I had in this gun, not counting the scope, but have forgotten, probably around $500 in 1995 dollars.

I completely agree that it is a fun and rewarding job to convert a military Mauser into a fine sporter.

It isn't economical unless one can do much of the work themselves but you sure learn a lot about gunsmithing.

good info, i may have to talk to you some more when i am ready to start the project

We made a jig to hold our bottom metal in the mill to thin the trigger guard, we also take out the front hump, and on the really fine ones, mill and install a hinged Ruger M77 Style Magazine release. On the regular ones we either do an extended release or a shotgun tang style twist one.

The simplest sporter we do is reshape a millitary stock, cut back the 7 or 8mm barrel (returning and attaching the front sight if requested and removing the rear if requested), drill and tap, and stone the trigger.

I see no noticeable difference between the bold and timney triggers, but would like to try a NECG single or double set if I ever get money.

It also depends on what you want witht he action. Squared, trued and lapped can get costly. Do you want a wing style safety, 2 position milled or 3 position win 70 style

On the full blown customs we square the action, lap the lugs and raceways, remove and fill the charging groove and stripper clip hump, cut/weld/bend/shape a new bolt handle, lap the bolt face and polish/jewell the bolt. The trigger is a Timney usually, and the rifle is d&t'd

The bottom metal markings/stampings are filled and milled smooth, and the guard thinned, Sometimes we use the $400 Sunny Hill bottom metal if asked.

The fun thing about mausers if you can chunk together a truck gun, or finely shape a remarkable custom.

I've thought extensively on a F14 contoured 257 bob with a tiger maple mannlicher stock, High gloss blue, , single set trigger, 3 position safety, and talley mounts and rings, hinged bottom metal and the full works as far as action goes.

If "cheap" were the aim...we'd all be shooting Lorcins!

A personal Custom Mauser is a GUN! I've always had one in my collection and always will. Yes, it's "Cheaper" buying a sporting rifle, than building a project, but there's a bit of romance to a "sporter" Mauser that can't be had with a Remington or WInchester.

Dan

The problem with buying old Mausers sight unseen from wholesalers is pitting under the wood. For your 230 you can get either a junker or a nice action. It is basically a crap shoot.

Yes, mine was pretty good shape metal wise, and I did not care about the rest.

The ONLY thing I would do differently is put 7X57 barrel on it. Just because it's a classic. The 30-06 is fine.

what i would like is something in between a truck gun and a super custom.basically a trigger change, hinged floor plate, cheapest safety that is still reliable and functions well,put on a 25 inch barrel chambered in .280rem ,assure that it feeds nice, drill and tap for scope mounts, and bed it into a laminate stock that isnt to pricey. after that load with partitions , or accubonds and go forth to fill an ark

The thing to consider is cumulative cost of the modifications you're looking for compared to just buying either a used Interarms Mark X, Remington 798, or the like action to work up from. These are Mauser '98 actions but they already have the safety and bottom metal taken care of, are drilled & tapped, have a good bolt handle, and are nicely finished.

I've priced this out on multiple occasions and it makes a lot more sense to go w/ one of these commercial actions than to start from scratch w/ a VZ24.

That having been said, it didn't stop me from doing to Czech Mauser in the past using one of those inexpensive A&B tubes and I love what I ended up with.

just out of curiosity what threads are used in a remington 798 reciever.would a barrel threaded for a 700 or 7 fit a model 798 without rethreading?

Nope, and the breeching is completely different between the two.

Nowadays it seems finding a good action seems to be getting harder and harder, for a decent price that is.

As has been stated sometimes it is cheaper to just buy a factory rifle, but thats no fun.

I just had a 375H&H built on a VZ-24 action and I am sure I coulda found a factory rifle for less money but what the heck. Its built to my specs right from the get go. Sometimes its not about the money.

Now I have a FN commercial mauser action (H&H length) that I gotta figure what to build on.

thanks guys, i am learning alot here and appreciate it

If you really want a military action check out the upper right corner of this page. Dave at IT&D has a good rep around here, and this has always looked like a good deal... Douglas is vastly superior in quality to the A&B you're looking at, too...

http://itdcustomgun.com/id2.html

I purchased a Parker Hale 1200 commercial action here on the 'fire a while back and am sending it to Dave in Feb for a #2 taper Douglas chambered to 338-06, and then putting a Bansner on it as my elk rifle! WHEW HA!

Good luck with your build; keep us updated!

1909 Argentine Mauser.

I'd really like to build a 9.3x57, but cannot fathom what I'd ever shoot it at. Most deer around here are in the 115-175lb range.

Hell savage, shoot whatever you want with it (critter wise that is). Dead is dead.

Yeah, but I'd like a decent amount of meat to be left over . Would make a good varmint rifle. No more coyotes, just a pile of goo.

You can get Husky 9.3x57s for a song right now. I bought a M146 (98 Mauser) for $225 recently from Sarco.

From what I've seen a small, fast bullet will do a lot more damage to meat than a big, slow one. That 270 gr Speer at about 2300 fps isn't going to bloody as much meat as a 150 gr 30 cal at 3k fps.

BTW- that 6-250 is shooting the lights out! I'll have to send you some pics of what I did with her... she looks pretty good if I do say so myself...

I'm glad that 6mm250 is doing well for you.

I saw in a flyer the other day they had VZ-24's for like $157 in good shape.

The receiver can be heatsinked and the largest of the pits filled with weld if they are really bad, if it is below the woodline, they can be filled with durafill before painting/coating or after bluing. For the most part, some good draw filing will get rid of most of it, and if you grind too much off, you can have it re-heat treated.

You're right on the bullet thing though. A friend used to hunt jackrabbits with a 22-250 with a hand lapped bore pushing 4,000fps. Just a cloud-o-bits.

The VZ24s that I encounter are usually pretty rough,
the one pictured in the AIM ad is really nice shape.

I have been sporterizing Mausers for 45 years.
It is never worth it financially.
You have to want to do it.
The VZ24 is a great rifle for sporterization. I just got 2 more last week.
AIM is always a pleasure to do biz with.

lmartin,

Problem with building on a military surplus rifle is that one can find a Mark X Mauser rifle for $350-$450 with a bit of looking...

For that, you already have an adjustable trigger, bent bolt, hinged floorplate, D&Ted.... etc! Guess what? Barrel threads are the same as a military Large Ring. (Same with the remington M-798)

If you want a bbl, I have an already chambered, blued, and threaded Lg Ring Mauser barrel in .280 Rem. that I can sell you for less than a Midway A&B barrel. (24") I'd be an inch shorter, but a LOT cheaper...

GH

Do you know the barrel make and approx round count?

Midway lists the Zestava receivers for sale.
Butch

Hey Butch, got a link?
I couldn't find them.

Me neither

One of the guys on AR posted a link.
I will try to find it.
Butch

Finally got to my friend at Midway. Ryan said they used to sell them for $279 and sold all they could get. Remington messed that up. They have not been able to get any more and probably won't.
Butch

Kinda what I thought.

Thanks for checking that out for us Butch.

I lucked out on mine. I went an hour away to do an FFL transfer as the shop nearest me wanted a total of $75 after paperwork for a Mossberg 22.

I showed up at a steel building in a field and started talking with the man who ran it. Vietnam Vet, Worked in paper mills as his day job, but he had a little bit of everything laying around Red Ryders to FN FAL's, next to a lathe, and mill, and grinders.

Pretty soon I was coming out there to help him around the shop, do mowing and cleaning, handling small jobs like trigger stoning, polishing, and other tedious things.

Now we build rifles together. I don;t get paid 1 red cent, but I get any lessons I want free, and any parts I want at cost. And I don;t care one bit. He's since built a 100 yard range next to the shop, so as soon as we finish build, and assembly, we can walk 10 feet out the door, sit down, and touch a round off.









1938 Turk Action with the absolute works
#7 Contour Douglas .002 crush fit 55* threads, Match .308 Chamber and I did the crown.
Timney
Worked over floorplate
I drilled and tapped
I did the stock inletting/finishing
I did the parkerizing.

I think, in the end, it cost me $750 with the scope, base, rings, and trigger.

I don;t know how many hours and hours I had hand lapping the bolt raceway, lapping the lugs, working the pits out of the receiver, etc.

It's an experience building Mausers. I do mainly stock work for him now, but it is all enjoyable, especially the machining part. Seeing the threads clean up, forging a bolt, milling a guard. It's all just a blast.

I doubt I have $175 total in the 38 Turk shown below, including scope and mounts and the Timney safety. My labor and the fancy deer antler bolt knob were free. The bolt handle is a 1/4" NC bolt from the junk bin. Laugh at it if you want, but it shoots 3-shot 100 yd groups into 3/4" to 1 1/4" all day long. As every weight and brand of .323" bullet I tried in it shoots great, I use the el cheapo Rem 185 gr PSPCL.

I hacksawed the barrel to 20" which was a mistake as the muzzle blast is fierce. One of these days I might lengthen the barrel with a 2" or 3" piece of galvanized water pipe. I might also splurge and add a store-bought muzzle brake, but why add an accessory which would cost more than the cost of the rest of the rifle?

Here's why I think this rifle shoots so well: (1) The action is heavily glass bedded (J&B Weld) and the barrel is free-floated; (2) I reamed out the channel for the cleaning rod in the stock, shortened the rod and re-installed it in the stock, then filled the channel with epoxy. So add a stiffened, reinforced stock to a short stiff barrel and a perfectly fitted action = a good shooter.

I bet that 20"er is akin to shooting a 38 or 44 nagamt.

You can put a nice crown on a barrel with a dremel stone, brass catrige bolt, and lapping compound.