I know this question has probably been asked a million times but, I have a interarms 30-06 it is I believe at least 40 years old. It looks like it just came out of the box. I found the serial # after I removed the bolt to clean it. B542 stamped under bolt. I am trying to find out just how old this rifle is. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
30-06 interarms
- Thread starter RHLAW
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rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Probably from the late 60's early 70's.
Interarms and the man who owned it had an interesting history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Cummings
As stated the 1968 GCA had a serious impact on Interarms.
I believe they closed the doors in 1999.
rc
Interarms and the man who owned it had an interesting history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Cummings
As stated the 1968 GCA had a serious impact on Interarms.
I believe they closed the doors in 1999.
rc
adelbridge
Member
Dont have a precise date for you but those guns were Zastava made Mauser clones. I had one years ago and it grouped as good as anything. My buddy has a .243 and a .270 and he swears by his. It will probably never be a collectors item and they are back on the market again as Mini Mauser for $400 MSRP
Shanghai McCoy
Member
I have an Interarms Mark X in 30-06 and it is an accurate and well made rifle. Been my "go to" hunting rifle for 20+ years.
<*(((><
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I also have an Interarms Mark X in 30-06. My dad bought it years ago for my 16th birthday. It groups well and the action is nice on it. I always assumed it was a Mauser action, looks like one, but seems others here thinks its a Mauser clone? Or maybe I'm misreading others posts.
They are rugged, if not slightly crude rifles that have been used for years in rugged duty. They have been made under various different names. They often sold just the actions, or barreld actions, to be used on custom builds. They are well thought of for use as DG rifles where rugged dependability is more important than fine fit and finish.
The old Parker Hale rifles were simply a better finished version of the same rifle. They were sold under the Charles Daly name for a while and Remington rebadged them and called them the Remington 799. They only dropped them 3-4 years ago. I'm pretty sure they are still in production but don't think anyone is currently importing them since Remington stopped.
I have no idea when it was made, but it could be a much more recent rifle. They were more popular in the 70's and 80's. I paid $175 for one in 1980 or 81. And yes, they are considered true Mauser actions.
I have a custom 338-06 built off one of their actions.
The old Parker Hale rifles were simply a better finished version of the same rifle. They were sold under the Charles Daly name for a while and Remington rebadged them and called them the Remington 799. They only dropped them 3-4 years ago. I'm pretty sure they are still in production but don't think anyone is currently importing them since Remington stopped.
I have no idea when it was made, but it could be a much more recent rifle. They were more popular in the 70's and 80's. I paid $175 for one in 1980 or 81. And yes, they are considered true Mauser actions.
I have a custom 338-06 built off one of their actions.
sage5907
Member
jmr40, thanks for putting that picture on the thread. What kind of finish is on the action?
I guess it depends on how you define "clone". As far as I'm concerned the Interarms Mark X is about as pure a commercial Mauser as you're likely to find.
vaupet
Member
AFAIK the actions are Mauser actions, build by Zastava on the machinery they bought of FN Herstal. Most of the actions where finished in Birmingham, UK.
If you known the FN mausers are considered the best commercial mausers available, ..
Mine is in 270 win.
greetz
Peter
If you known the FN mausers are considered the best commercial mausers available, ..
Mine is in 270 win.
greetz
Peter
GooseGestapo
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I've got two. One I bought new in 1975 in .30/06. Killed my first deer with it. It like the one in JMR40's post has been rebarreled to .338/06. It in fact wears a Leupold Vari-X II scope and looks like a near twin to his pic. Has a matte blue and Hogue stock painted brown camo....
The other is a .270. Both of mine are in the "Classic" configuration. They have the monte-carlo stocks with white-line spacers. The .30/06 was a later production rifle without an adjustable trigger. I've added an aftermarket adjustable trigger and a Hogue stock. With my barrel, it weighs closer to 9lbs. The .270 came with an adjustable trigger. I picked it up last summer for $200.00. It was NASTY, but cleaned up wonderful. Stock shows some use, but bore is pristine. I tweaked the trigger, cleaned up the metal, de-coppered the bore, and trimmed the stock to fit me and installed a Boyds 0.50" butt pad. It too, wears a Leupold Vari-X II 3x-9x scope.
It is "finicky" about what it shoots, but shoots very well indeed. With 58.0gr of RL22 and a Sierra 140gr BtSpt it will shoot under MOA, occasionaly 0.5moa for 3-shots... It also "likes" 55.0gr of H4350 and a 130gr Speer or Comb.Tech. BallisticSilvertip. Took two deer with it this past fall... One with a 130gr BallisticSilverTip... not much penetration... and one with the 140gr Sierra BtSpt. Excellent performance from the Sierra. I'd shoot an elk or moose with any day!
The original barrel on the '06 was not as finicky. My first "one-holer" came with Norma 150gr BtSpt ammo from the late 60's. I also shot my first deer with some of that ammo in Dec. 75. Still have some of that box for sentimental reasons.... I bought out a Hardware store that was going out of business. I got 7 boxes of Norma 220gr Spt-RN, and 5 boxes of 150gr BtSpt. $2.00 a box !!! Of course this was 1975........
With 52.0gr of IMR4064, or 54.0gr of BLC2, or 49.0gr of IMR3031 and 150gr Sierra FB Spt @ 3.325", It would shoot frequent 1-hole groups... Ditto 165gr Sierra's and 56.5gr of IMR4350. Before I rebarreled to .338/06, it would also do such with a Sierra, Hornady, or Nosler 180 and 60.0gr of RL22 or H4831....
Still have that barrel and often tempted to replace it.... But I have another '06.....That shoots almost as good and is 3lbs lighter......
.338 barrel is an Adams&Bennet. Shoots 2moa on average, 1.2 with ammo it "likes"...But very, very finicky...
RE; the 220gr Norma's... I chrono'd one back in '77. 2,521fps !!!! A friend had a Rem. Mod-700 in 7mmMag and he bragged about how bad it kicked w/175gr Rem CorLokts. I let him fire one round of the Norma 220's.... He only wanted to shoot ONE !! He said.. You Win !!! I've shot .300WinMags that kicked less.....
RE: the Barrels were installed by Interarms in Virginia. I'm told they were made by E.R.Shaw under contract.... Both are 4-groove and have LOOONG throats. Suprising that they shoot so well !!!!
re: roughness, both of mine with 30yrs+ use are delightfully smooth....
p.s. Forgot to mention, a friend has a later one in .25/06 (early '80's) in the "Viscount" dress. A much plainer stock and no adjustable trigger. He's added a Timney trigger.
And yes, with a Sierra 120gr BtHpt "GameKing", over 43.0gr of IMR4320 (strange load for a .25/06 huh?) it too shoots 1-holers... seen it do it on two different occasions when we were checking zero's before hunting season.....
These rifles were and are under appreciated. The biggest drawbacks to these guns are the inital roughness of the actions and they are heavy... compared to a Remington of the same era.... Also, they are "tricky" to get scope mounts to fit as the bolt handle's require some extra clearance.... A closely held "secret" is the Weaver #402 front base. Makes things lovely !!!
The other is a .270. Both of mine are in the "Classic" configuration. They have the monte-carlo stocks with white-line spacers. The .30/06 was a later production rifle without an adjustable trigger. I've added an aftermarket adjustable trigger and a Hogue stock. With my barrel, it weighs closer to 9lbs. The .270 came with an adjustable trigger. I picked it up last summer for $200.00. It was NASTY, but cleaned up wonderful. Stock shows some use, but bore is pristine. I tweaked the trigger, cleaned up the metal, de-coppered the bore, and trimmed the stock to fit me and installed a Boyds 0.50" butt pad. It too, wears a Leupold Vari-X II 3x-9x scope.
It is "finicky" about what it shoots, but shoots very well indeed. With 58.0gr of RL22 and a Sierra 140gr BtSpt it will shoot under MOA, occasionaly 0.5moa for 3-shots... It also "likes" 55.0gr of H4350 and a 130gr Speer or Comb.Tech. BallisticSilvertip. Took two deer with it this past fall... One with a 130gr BallisticSilverTip... not much penetration... and one with the 140gr Sierra BtSpt. Excellent performance from the Sierra. I'd shoot an elk or moose with any day!
The original barrel on the '06 was not as finicky. My first "one-holer" came with Norma 150gr BtSpt ammo from the late 60's. I also shot my first deer with some of that ammo in Dec. 75. Still have some of that box for sentimental reasons.... I bought out a Hardware store that was going out of business. I got 7 boxes of Norma 220gr Spt-RN, and 5 boxes of 150gr BtSpt. $2.00 a box !!! Of course this was 1975........
With 52.0gr of IMR4064, or 54.0gr of BLC2, or 49.0gr of IMR3031 and 150gr Sierra FB Spt @ 3.325", It would shoot frequent 1-hole groups... Ditto 165gr Sierra's and 56.5gr of IMR4350. Before I rebarreled to .338/06, it would also do such with a Sierra, Hornady, or Nosler 180 and 60.0gr of RL22 or H4831....
Still have that barrel and often tempted to replace it.... But I have another '06.....That shoots almost as good and is 3lbs lighter......
.338 barrel is an Adams&Bennet. Shoots 2moa on average, 1.2 with ammo it "likes"...But very, very finicky...
RE; the 220gr Norma's... I chrono'd one back in '77. 2,521fps !!!! A friend had a Rem. Mod-700 in 7mmMag and he bragged about how bad it kicked w/175gr Rem CorLokts. I let him fire one round of the Norma 220's.... He only wanted to shoot ONE !! He said.. You Win !!! I've shot .300WinMags that kicked less.....
RE: the Barrels were installed by Interarms in Virginia. I'm told they were made by E.R.Shaw under contract.... Both are 4-groove and have LOOONG throats. Suprising that they shoot so well !!!!
re: roughness, both of mine with 30yrs+ use are delightfully smooth....
p.s. Forgot to mention, a friend has a later one in .25/06 (early '80's) in the "Viscount" dress. A much plainer stock and no adjustable trigger. He's added a Timney trigger.
And yes, with a Sierra 120gr BtHpt "GameKing", over 43.0gr of IMR4320 (strange load for a .25/06 huh?) it too shoots 1-holers... seen it do it on two different occasions when we were checking zero's before hunting season.....
These rifles were and are under appreciated. The biggest drawbacks to these guns are the inital roughness of the actions and they are heavy... compared to a Remington of the same era.... Also, they are "tricky" to get scope mounts to fit as the bolt handle's require some extra clearance.... A closely held "secret" is the Weaver #402 front base. Makes things lovely !!!
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cal30_sniper
Member
I've always read about the FN Mausers getting to be less and less of a true Mauser 98 design as time went on. Apparently a lot of simplifications were made for production cost reasons that also "cheapened" the actions, at least from a purists standpoint. Did the Interams rifles also incorporate these simplifications, or were they true 98s?
Does anyone even know what these simplifications were? I know the H-action cut came out in the early 50's, as my Husqvarna built FN action has that. Supposedly a little worse for receiver strength and gas handling. What else was changed later on?
Does anyone even know what these simplifications were? I know the H-action cut came out in the early 50's, as my Husqvarna built FN action has that. Supposedly a little worse for receiver strength and gas handling. What else was changed later on?
sage5907
Member
My opinion of the Interarms rifle is that sometime before 1950 FN started producing the "DeLuxe" version of the original Mauser design. It was made of high quality steel and long enough to handle the 30-06 length cartridges. It had a floor plate with a button that allowed then entire floorplate to be removed to remove the cartridges from the box magazine. The safety was a lever on top of the left side of the bolt shroud that when lifted locked the firing pin. Sometime in the late 60's FN changed the design to the "Supreme" version which had a streamlined bolt shroud which required the incorporation of a trigger safety. The floorplate was hinged with a small lever in front of the trigger guard. The 1960's and 1970's rifles marketed by Browning had the FN actions produced in Belgium. The action as shown by jmr40 looks like the FN supreme but was made at the Zastava plant in Yugoslavia. I have owned two of the FN versions and have seen the rifles made at the Zastava plant. Although the FN version may have been better finished the Zaztava version is very close in looks to the FN supreme action. As vaupet indicated, the actions may well have been made on machinery purchased from FN Herstal.
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