cut your own chamber??

[tahoe2]

my spanish mauser( M93 )needs a barrel. Midway has an Adams & Bennett barrel in "257 Roberts" that is short chambered by .050" and I was looking for guidance.
Chamber needs to be reamed out & polished. Is a barrel vice needed? This seems like an overwhelming undertaking, or am I overthinking it?
I have tinkered with guns for years, but never this serious before. Should I go "Ackley Improved" in that action?(Not a 98!) or just stick with the standard round?
Anybody out there done this? or should I just take to a smith?

 

[rcmodel]

Take it to a smith.

You will need a Barrel Vice and Action Wrench to get the old barrel off and the new one on.

Then you will need a Finish Chamber reamer, a T-handle for it, and at least a GO Headspace gage. Having a NO GO gage would be good too.

It would not be cost effective to buy it all for a one-time job.

rc

 

[Zeke/PA]

It's not a job that can be properly done by using only a bench vise.
Engine Lathe, Steady Rest , Chambering Reamer(s), Headspace Gauges is more like it.
A good smith can handle it however.

 

[PRD1]

It is possible...

to finish-ream a short-chambered barrel by hand, if you have the proper reamer, a tap wrench to hold it and turn it (and an extension if you ream the chamber to final depth after installing it in the receiver), cutting oil, and proper headspace gauge.
To remove the old barrel and install the new one, you will also need a barrel vise with properly-sized bushings and an action wrench to fit the Mauser 93 action.
Polishing the finished chamber is not (usually) necessary, if the reaming is properly done.
Having said all that, I'd recommend that you do not re-barrel the '93 to .257 Roberts - original or AI, because the action is not really a good choice for the purpose, due to the design, material and manufacture of the typical '93. I generally recommend against rebarreling '93 and '95 Mausers, having seen too many of them with poor metallurgy (particularly the Spanish ones), and a fair number with actual setback of the locking lug seats in the receiver. The only one I've done in recent years (for a friend, and against my better judgement and recommendation) was in 7.62x39 - it was an Oviedo ca. 1920, and in firing only 200 rounds of Wolf factory ammunition, set the lug seats back enough to make opening the action difficult after firing, and create severe excess headspace.
The .257 Roberts cartridge is an excellent one, but you would be far better-off with a good '98 Mauser action for the project.
And the comments about cost effectiveness are valid: unless you plan to continue such projects, the investment in equipment will exceed the value of the result, in which case you should rely on a good gunsmith who already has the equipment and expertise to do the job properly.
PRD1 - mhb - Mike

 

[tahoe2]

it's a 1932 Oviedo in 7x57 mauser,(how was the metallurgy in 32?) but corrosive ammo was used and then not properly cleaned.
lots of rust in the barrel, to dangerous to shoot because of excessive pressure.
so if the rifle was originally chambered for 7mm mauser why would it be unsafe with the "roberts"?

 

[PRD1]

The metallurgy...

of the pre-M43 ('98 type) Spanish Mauser rifles was uniformly pretty mediocre, in my experience.
I didn't say that the conversion would be unsafe, per-se; only that the Spanish Mauser of '93 or '95 type is not a very good choice for a custom rifle, when there are so many better actions available.
When asked to re-barrel any MILSURP (or sporting) rifle action, I always recommend the most satisfactory action types for the purpose: the earlier types of Spanish Mausers are not on that list (in my - not inexperienced - opinion), and refuse any that I don't think are a safe or suitable candidate.
Remember, too, that modern factory ammunition (to say nothing of handloads) may operate at higher pressures than the action was intended for, and that the earlier designs lack safety and functional features that the later ones do have.
In the case of the .257 Roberts, there is modern factory ammunition available which is loaded to significantly higher pressures (and rated '+P'), which leaves little or no safety margin to be relied on in the early actions.
Even if you know and respect the limits of the '93, you will not always own the rifle, and the next owner may not understand the risk.
Do what you think best.
PRD1 - mhb - Mike

 

[Clark]

I see I have a 1908 Oviedo with short barrel and good bore and a 1928 with long barrel and crummy bore.

They share a bolt.

I got them 2/$12
I think they were asking $35 each.

I can see I have drilled and tapped them, but have not bent their shared bolt.

These don't look like good enough rifle to spend a lot of time on. I don't think I have every bothered to shoot them.

I put barrels on rifles all the time, and the deer hunting rifle you want is a 98 Mauser with a premium barrel that is factory lapped so it does not Copper foul so fast.

 

[Gunnerboy]

Just finished this exact project with the adams n bennet barrel in 257 roberts

 

[tahoe2]

Gunnerboy !

Status report please! with pic's if you got em!

PRD-1;
I have plenty of rifles to hunt with, I just happen to have that M93 gathering dust and thought a
lightweight sporter deer/varmint (.257) gun would be fun without spending too much, the gun was free!

Also I reload and if it ever left me, it would be in the hands of my son, who also reloads and understands
the care required for these old mausers( we have 5 of them).

We have a 1931 Oviedo carbine in 7mm mauser in a Boyd's stock that we load to just above 30-30 pressures
and it provides 2"-4" groups @ 100 with military sights (not scoped).

In the dense woods of western washington it's a great little gun.

 

[rcmodel]

Send it to E.R. Shaw and have them put a barrel on it.

http://www.ershawbarrels.com/scb-price-list.php

About as cheap as any place, and they do pretty good work.

rc

 

[Gunnerboy]

thats just why i built it for the lovely brush that inhabits our coastel rainforest here in washington, i dont have pictures of me building it but i can get some of another rifle.

 

[Old Dog Man]

Cutting your own chamber

I have a complete gun shop for sale, you could do all kinds of things with it. Al

 

[St8LineGunsmith]

Send it to E.R. Shaw and have them put a barrel on it.

http://www.ershawbarrels.com/scb-price-list.php

About as cheap as any place, and they do pretty good work.

rc

Beat me to it