New Mauser Actions

[Roobydo]

Hey guys, I'm a first time poster here, just a quick question:

I'm a young rifleman, and I'm planning on building a custom sporter. I've been doing some research, and people seem to think Mauser 98s work well. I know you might suggest it would be cheaper to buy something of the shelf, but I really enjoy hunting for bargains, and knowing that I found and chose every part of my rifle. Not to mention having one that looks and feels exactly how I want. Now, I want something that won't break the bank, and I seem to be able to find plenty of "good" or "great" quality old Mauser actions for cheap, but I wouldn't mind the reliability of a new action. I've found plenty, but why are they so damn expensive? Is there anyone who makes or imports affordable Mauser actions? If so, would it be worth the extra cost, or should I just get an old one in good shape?

 

[rcmodel]

but I really enjoy hunting for bargains,

I want something that won't break the bank,

Then you are on the wrong track.

Unless you are able to do all the gunsmith conversion work yourself, building a nice 98 Mauser sporter from a military or commercial action will cost you about two - three times the price of a brand new CZ-550 Mauser, Rem 700, Savage 110, Ruger 77, etc. rifle.

A GI action will need forging the bolt handle down for a scope, drilling & tapping the receiver for mounts, threading, chambering, and headspacing the barrel, adding a good trigger, adding a scope safety, inletting, bedding, finishing, and checkering a stock, bluing the completed barreld action, etc.

A commercial action already has this work done, if you can even find one, and that's why they cost so much.

rc

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Do it because you want to but forget the bargain part. I have built MANY Mauser sporters over the years and very few could be called bargains.

 

[NCsmitty]

Welcome to THR, Roobydo.

Do you plan on doing the work yourself, or having it done by a good builder?

The other posters are right, it is not the cheapest way to get a nice firearm.


NCsmitty

 

[Roobydo]

Wow, that was quick, thanks guys. I know it's not going to be the cheapest route, that's not really my goal. I've found old mauser actions refurbished ready to be barrelled around $200-$250.

I mainly want to know if anyone knows of any affordable new actions around (I can't seem to find one cheaper than $500-$600), or if an old action would do me just as good.

 

[brian923]

first thing first, what caliber are you intertested in?

second, heres what i did for my first rifle build, and i have said this before here, so sorry if its re-dundant.

i found a nice savage 110 long action, (pre-accu trigger )for a good price. the great thing about these rifle is that the barrels can be changed by you, really easily.all you need is a barrel nut wrench, a barrel in a caliber of your choice, and a headspace go-gauge. purchase your barrel from a manufacture that offers prethreded and chambered barrels. midwayusa.com, and ER shaw barrels offer these for around $150.00 to $250.00 depending on what you want. use the barrel nut wrench to take the nut off the old action/barrel asembly. remove the old barrel. screw on the new barrel with the origonal or aftermarket recoil lug. (youll probably need a recoil lug alinger tool. about 17.00$ from midwayusa. it holds the recoil lug straight while you tighten the barrel nut.) place go-gauge in the boltway and close the bolt. screw down the barrel until it bumps the headspace gauge, and tighten the barrel nut. put it in a stcok of your choice and you are done.

the nice thing about doing this is that you can learn a lot about gun building, you can pretty much rebuild the whole rifle, and you can learn how to bed the action to the stock. if you want to change the rifle to another caliber, you have all the tools and now have the know how. another cool thing about these rifles is that the bolt head on the bolt can be changed out to different sizes. if you have a long action 30-06, and want to make it a 7mm remmag, you can buy magnum bolt head and fireing pin, and replace the 30-06 head and pin, replace the barrel and you good to go. a good book out there is "GUNSMITHING: RIFLES" written by patrick sweeny. it has some info on headspacing and working mauser actions, but its all done with lathes, so unless you have one, its kinda hard, and you will have to pay someone to do the work for you. i find them at every borders i have been to, so maybe theres one out by you. this book runs through a lot of info that is usefull in terms of accurizing and terminology. a good book to read. it wont tell you everything, but its a good book.

i hope this helps, and good luck.

 

[natman]

If you can do the work properly by yourself and have the tools then you can build a Mauser sporter relatively cheaply.

However considering that you can buy a Marlin xl7 for $300 brand new with a warranty, it becomes very inefficient very fast to pay someone to do the work for you.

If you want a good Mauser, find a Sears J.C. Higgins Model 50. FN commercial action, decent stock and a chrome lined barrel by High Standard. Very high quality, very accurate and comes in any chambering you want as long as it's 30-06 or 270. If you find one, don't change the barrel, the factory barrel is as good as they come.

 

[dirtyjim]

Roobydo, if your patient you'll find a commercial mauser for under $300. it may take 6 months you just have to keep looking. then change out the stock & other parts to suit your taste.
i've seen several parker hales & a few other commercial mauser slip through on gunbroker for $200-250 in the last year.

 

[Roobydo]

Thanks guys, thats all really helpful, way more than I expected. I'll keep you posted on any developments.

 

[greyling22]

you might call cdnn and see what they have in their warehouse. I bought a mini mauser barreled action off them a while back.

or try gun broker for an interarms mk x. the whole rifle should be there pretty cheap.

as a side note, I'm much farther along in my project than you are, and if I had it to do over again I think I might just have bought a complete gun. inleting a stock takes a long long time.

 

[Pokyman]

The comment about why the new Mauser style action being so expensive can be answered easily.
By the time you buy a good military action and have all the work done to it to turn it into an excellent sporter action you will have about the same amount of money in it as a new action.

 

[lefteyedom]

Cost is a poor reason to base a firearm decision on.

If you can work the overtime to cover the price of doing it then go for it. Hunting is not a cost Effective way to put meat on the table. You can always buy a cheaper rifle than you can build.
BUT

It is said that money can't buy happiness but it can rent it.

Shrinks start a $150 an hour, Painted ladies run about $50 for 20 minute. Preachers want 10% of your income for 4 hours a month. Beer at the bar is $3.50 a bottle which with tip run $20 a hour.
Guns are cheap therapy build what makes you happy