M48 Mauser Sporterizing - Doing it Right

[CmdrSlander]

I am going to sporterize an M48 Mauser . I have an opportunity to pick up a barreled action from an M48 on the cheap ($50) it is in excellent condition. The stock is completely wrecked, as I understand it someone was cleaning the cosmoline off of it and used chemicals which are okay for metal but did some horrible things to the wood. It is mostly matching and is in superb shape, I have seen and handled it in person, the barrel and bore are in just as good as my modern Savage rifles after a fairly small number of rounds. Since I don't have a genuine military stock to start from I've decided to sporterize it. I don't see sporterizing as some affront to history, it is a new lease on life for these old rifles, like the WWII Era planes that are heavily modified for competition in the air racing circuit, they may not be in original condition but they see a lot more sky (what they were created to do) than their all original brethren. I do not, however, want to butcher this rifle. So I'll run what I'm going to do by you gentlemen. I also have some questions about how best to go about this.

Here's the plan:

-Remove iron sights. (gunsmith)
-Cut barrel to 20" and machine recessed target crown (gunsmith)
-Fit Boyd's walnut stock.
-Install New trigger in the 2 to 4 pound range (suggestions?)
-Refinish as necessary (finish is good, but removing the rear irons might reveal some marks or unfinished areas, not really sure)
-Mount Scope? (what is the best way to mount a scope to this gun?)

Where can I get 8mm Mauser ammo that is not corrosive?

What are your thoughts on the proposed build?

 

[rcmodel]

Mounting a scope?
1. The receiver will have to be drilled & tapped for a scope mount. = Gunsmith.
2. The bolt handle will have to be forged down or cut off and re-welded back on to clear the scope. = Gunsmith.
3. The military 180 degree safety will not work under a scope. It will have to be replaced with either a low-scope safety, or a trigger with a built-in safety = Gunsmith, or skilled amature.

4. The magazine follower will have to be ground off to a taper on the rear if you want the bolt to close on an empty magazine. = You can do it.

5. The barrel (under the rear sight sleeve) is unfinished, and will have solder flux slobber on it) will need a polish & re-blue job. = Gunsmith.

6. Timney trigger, or other. = Probably yourself if you have a few tools.

Non-Corrosive Boxer primed 8x57mm ammo is available commercially from most major name brands in the U.S..


My thoughts are, unless you are equipped and skilled enough to do most of the conversion work yourself?

A $50 buck military barreled action and a Boyd's stock and gunsmith bills will end up costing you as much as a new Ruger or Savage before you get done making a nice sporter out of it.

And you will have spent $500-$600 plus on a $300-$400 sporter when you get done.

However, you can't put a price on the learning experiance, or the satisfaction of building your own rifle!

Gofer it!

rc

 

[CmdrSlander]

Scope seems like a very complex proposition. Target sights perhaps?

 

[ssyoumans]

I picked up this Timney trigger for my M48. 2-4 lb adjustable and is very nice. Probably won't be a problem for you, but with the original M48 stock you had to hog out a fair amount of the stock. Took about 25 minutes start to finish. Best trigger I own. About every 3 months it is on sale for around $46.99 at MidwayUSA. They also have the same trigger with a safety, which may work out better for your setup.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/26...igger-mauser-98-without-safety-2-to-4-lb-blue

 

[Cap'n Jack Burntbeard]

Just curious, why would you want to remove the sights?

 

[browningguy]

When I had my custom Mauser built I used the Timney with side safety, it's been on about 10 -12 years now with absolutely no problems.

 

[451 Detonics]

I would suggest a couple things...

Barrel length 21 3/4 inch...it is the magic number for accuracy
Timney trigger
Have it drilled and tapped for the scope

PRVI makes really nice non-corrosive ammo...

 

[tahoe2]

yugo sporter

I sportered my M24/47(same gun) for basically the same reason (stock was junk).
Boyds walnut stock (finished myself), Timney trigger(installed self), Timney safety (beuler style), leupold bases & rings, Pentax fixed 6x by 42mm objective, and Rem 700 bolt handle welded on.
My total price including the rifle was about $650.00, plus reloading dies ($30.00). due to funding restraints it took approximately 16 months. Smith installed/fitted safety & drilled & tapped reciever and did bolt handle for $150.00. I coulda bought a Browning /less the scope for that money. But there's something about a mauser!! Oh yeah 1-1/4" @ 100 and 3" @ 200 yards with my handloads.
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat !!, as a matter of fact I'm working on a Spanish mauser M93 in 7x57mauser or .257 Roberts. Haven't decided on caliber yet.

 

[denton]

The receiver of a Yugo M48 is about 1/4" shorter than most other Mausers. You may have some difficulty finding a new stock that will fit.

Adding a scope is a pretty big effort. As stated, you have to do a lot to the rifle in order to get the scope to fit. It has been done many times, but my $50 Turkish Mauser turned into a pretty expensive, but very worthwhile project when I did that, and our local 'smith does really good work at a good price.

By coincidence, I just picked up a Yugo 24/47 which is very similar. Rather than mount a scope, I went for Mojo sights. For my old eyes, they are a big improvement over the standard notch and post sights. They are not as good as a scope, but with my Swede, I can do 2" groups at 100 with them. They are simple to install. You can do it all yourself. You don't have to hack the bolt handle, drill and tap, grind, etc.

If you do decide to go the scope route, there are Mauser triggers around that have a safety as part of the trigger mechanism, on the right side of the stock. All you have to do is remove the old safety and route out a little channel in the stock for the safety. IIRC, that's a Bold trigger.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

You may have some difficulty finding a new stock that will fit.

While the M48 does have a shorter distance between the action screws than a standard M98 action,requiring a different stock,the stocks aren't any more difficult to find.

 

[denton]

stocks aren't any more difficult to find

That's good news.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

The Boyd's Bold trigger and several stock designs are available from Boyd's Gunstocks. Stocks are either finished or unfinished (as you prefer). The Prairie Hunter is my particular favorite:< http://www.boydsgunstocks.com/Monte-Carlo-Replacement-Stocks-for-Mausers-s/163.htm>

 

[tahoe2]

denton

what do you have to do but drill & tap 4 holes in the receiver. Leupold bases are $29. bucks Leupold rings $29. bucks. A mere pittance compared to the rest the job. Boyds and Richards microfit offer many variations of stocks for the M48. There are plenty of other mfgs albeit higher prices. The laminate is a Boyd's Spanish Mauser small ring, the walnut is a Boyd's Yugo M48 large ring stock.
I got both of these unfinished, and did the final sanding plus 5 coats Birchwood Casey's Tru Oil finish.