Custom Mauser ???s

[ds92]

hello all,
I see some mausers on gunbroker and such for anywhere from $250-1000. I would like to build my own, however, in .308. has anybody done this personally? what advice can you offer, on where to get parts, specifically the bbl, and what parts i need to build/modify one to shoot .308?

I see barreled actions on gunbroker for .308, would that be the best course of action?
Any advice is appreciated!

 

[Robert]

If you have not done so already try doing a search on custom Mauser build. I seem to remember a few being discussed at great length in the recent past. Might find some good info in one of those. Good luck.

 

[snakeman]

you will need:
chamber reamers
heaspace gauges
bluing capabilities
barrel wrench
metal lathe?
I don't know what all else. I would go with E.R. Shaw barrels at
ershawbarrels.com for an affordable barrel with plenty of custom features. One other thing you will need is $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[Matt304]

I just bought a custom Mauser 6.5-284 on Gunbroker for $1000 last week. You may have seen it there; it has a black McMillan A2 stock and heavy barrel.

Basically you need to true up the action and bolt if you want to go from military to precision rifle.

Of course you will need a good quality barrel also.

The other thing with Mausers is that they have a slow lock-time. Buy one of the Speedlock firing pins as a must.

I don't know if you are a smith or are just considering building your own out of parts, but I can say that there will need to be an experienced machinist in the process if it is to be done well.

 

[NCsmitty]

ds92, If you are sincere in your desire for a custom Mauser, be prepared to shell out enough cash that could buy a mid grade modern rifle. Especially if you have everything done for you by a good gunsmith.

Having mentioned that, I have completed four Mauser rifles mainly doing the bulk of the work myself, with two more partially started. I had some machine training years ago and pick and choose on parts and accessories. It can be done with a reasonable budget. Nothing is more satisfying than shooting a rifle that you have resurrected from obscurity and turned into your rifle.

NCsmitty

 

[Matt304]

Yeah, building any gun will end up costing a lot if you buy good parts along the way.

Let me make some additions to my last post.

Can I ask, what design goals are you trying to achieve? For instance, are you more concerned about final costs, being a repeater, or accuracy?

My belief is that if you have one item in the build you should spend good money on, it should be the barrel. The one I just purchased has a new Shilen 26" on it. Kreiger and Pac-Nor also make very good barrels and I recommend one of those. If you can, get a 3-groove barrel. They foul less and are a common choice among benchrest shooters.

The thing you should keep in mind is that to my knowledge, no one makes a ready fit stock that is great for the Mauser. McMillan has the A2, and it will require some modest fitting to install it; not a drop in. But don't let that deter you, as it is a great choice.

Just remember to have your barrel glass bedded correctly. The Mauser is not the stiffest of actions in the midsection, and any barrel which is not bedded will suffer from receiver flex.

The Timney featherweight triggers for the Mausers are great, too. I have one on a second Mauser I have been shooting. They advertise down to 1.5lbs, but I think you could get it a bit lighter with careful work.

 

[BornAgainBullseye]

If I were to do it again I'd buy a Remington 798 barreled action and bed it in a bell & Carlson stock to your taste. There is a lot of work involved and unless you are a smith or attending a school where they are setup for that kind of work.. I'd steer away from building from a surplus.

 

[dirtyjim]

i've done a lot of them & they can get costly but you get the rifle you wanted instead of what remchester thinks you want.
if you're going to have a smith do the barreling & chambering i would recommend skaggs gunsmithing/ he is economical & does good work. figure out what style rifle you want then pick you parts. i prefer pac-nor & lothar walther barrels for my high end projects, but i have had good luck with cheap pre-threaded & short chambered barrels on low buck projects.
i've also got some very good deals on used sporters on gunbroker & occasionally i'll find a rifle that is very similar to one i was planning on building so i'll buy it instead of building one

 

[Matt304]

DS92, you still interested in this idea or what?

Here is my 6.5-284 Persian Mauser.