Small Ring Mauser Action build.

[Slamfire]

Let me suggest, the 6.5 X 55 Swede. I have three or four of the service rifles, and two modern sporters. One a featherweight M70 and a Classic Rem M700. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the 6.5 X 55 Swede. It is my opinion that had the US Army adopted the 6.5 X 55 Swede, it would have been better served than with the 30-06. The recoil is less, but the trajectory is outstanding all the way out to the long range distances the Army wanted. If the Army had to have a 30 caliber, than the 7.5 X 55 Swiss. Which is an outstanding round in its own right and duplicates the 308 Win. My chronograph values of Swiss ball were that a 174 grain bullet traveled 2555 fps in a K31. That is nothing to laugh at. Both the 6.5 and 7.5 have sharp shoulders, which promotes energy delivery to the primer, my 7.5 brass has a thicker rim than a 30-06, which makes it (by happenstance?) better for semi auto weapons. I don't remember the rim thickness of Swedish ball.

I don't know how a 7.5 X 55 feeds through a Swede action, nor really, how any round other than a 6.5 Swede feeds. And to tell you my experience, keeping the action in the original cartridge will always provide the most reliable feed and extraction. Changing cartridges create little, niggling un re liabilities that have to be worked out, if they can.

 

[valnar]

I assume this is a labor of love? Because buying a rifle outright might be cheaper.

 

[Mauser fan]

This is a picture of my first build.

A labor of love would be an understatement in my case. When I bought my first one to build for my homework project for the gunsmith course I took. I met a lot of skepticism that I could do it. So I told my instructor challenge accepted. Nevertheless I was successful because I did a lot more homework than he had anticipated that I would do. Research and finding the right action that fit my budget that was acceptable functional condition. So when I accepted the challenge I gave myself a speed limit of $500 and completed it for $427 which included the special tools I needed to complete the job. A set of headspace gauges and scope mount drilling jig was all I needed.

What I didn't tell my instructor until I was complete with my project was I had at the time over 21 years of armor and supervising small arms repairers experience from my service in the Army plus I already had most of the tools to complete it. When range day came for the final grade I printed a five shot group of .697" at 100 yards and earned myself an A -. I'll be honest I could've done a better job re-blueing it. So to make a long story short I have been hooked since.

 

[Thisisyourcaptin]

I assume this is a labor of love? Because buying a rifle outright might be cheaper.

Yeah I am at a point in life where I have to either shoot or build. So I build. Love it too. Shoot ‘em very little. Nobody takes on these types of projects expecting them to be cheaper then and off the shelf build. My DeLisle on a mauser build is already past 1800 bucks. Lol. Still have 5-800 more to go.

 

[Slamfire]

Yeah I am at a point in life where I have to either shoot or build. So I build. Love it too. Shoot ‘em very little. Nobody takes on these types of projects expecting them to be cheaper then and off the shelf build. My DeLisle on a mauser build is already past 1800 bucks. Lol. Still have 5-800 more to go.

Your beneficiaries must be screaming!




They are looking at your estate and are calculating the value of it in cases of Jack Daniels and cartons of cigarettes. And here you are, spending all that money on old guns that will be worth less than what you put into them.

Do more of that. Plan it so your last check bounces.

 

[Thisisyourcaptin]

Your beneficiaries must be screaming!

View attachment 1082905


They are looking at your estate and are calculating the value of it in cases of Jack Daniels and cartons of cigarettes. And here you are, spending all that money on old guns that will be worth less than what you put into them.

Do more of that. Plan it so your last check bounces.

Lol He who has the most toys wins. Lol

thankfully my family are all into what I’m doing. Between this and building cobras, custom corn hole boards, and kids furniture and a killer airline 401k, they are going to be set up nice.

 

[22250Rem]

I'm with Slamfire on the 6.5x55 suggestion. Especially on a Mod 96 action, although 257 "Bob" & 7x57 Mauser would also be neat. If no handloading is involved I'm unsure how hard ammo would be to find in those 3 chamberings. I have a Kimber Sporterized (circa 1995) Mod. 96 Swedish Mauser in 6.5x55 and love it. Although it hasn't seen any factory ammo in at least 25 years. A mod. 96 & the 6.5x55 cartridge were made for each other and have stood the test of time for well over a century. They also make for a nice, trim, sporting rifle with good ballistics that won't pulverize your shoulder. . Anyone know if 6.5x55 factory ammo is readily available these days?

 

[Thisisyourcaptin]

I'm with Slamfire on the 6.5x55 suggestion. Especially on a Mod 96 action, although 257 "Bob" & 7x57 Mauser would also be neat. If no handloading is involved I'm unsure how hard ammo would be to find in those 3 chamberings. I have a Kimber Sporterized (circa 1995) Mod. 96 Swedish Mauser in 6.5x55 and love it. Although it hasn't seen any factory ammo in at least 25 years. A mod. 96 & the 6.5x55 cartridge were made for each other and have stood the test of time for well over a century. They also make for a nice, trim, sporting rifle with good ballistics that won't pulverize your shoulder.View attachment 1082946. Anyone know if 6.5x55 factory ammo is readily available these days?

God looking build. Not sure what is available. Yet. My gut is telling me more and more either go sweed or nothing.

hoever I am also l thinking 556 now. Simlar in pressure and easy to find. Would make and interesting build too. But ………would need a lot of work to make work too.

 

[Mauser lover]

Oversized extractors used to be available for that. I’m not sure how you’d do a magazine easily. Rhineland Arms has a conversion block for M1 carbine mags, but thats too short for 5.56.

 

[Fooey]

Ford, Chevrolet, and Chrysler made a lot of cars without safety belts, or front brakes! They don't any more, safety standards are different today. Is Husky still making rifles on old military actions?

by the time I get these pictures, the story has been separated from the event. However, a small ring Mauser, the gas vent hole is consistent with a Swedish small ring.

View attachment 1082560

View attachment 1082561

View attachment 1082562

View attachment 1082563

What we can tell is, new barrel, altered bolt handle, drilled and tapped for rings, new stock, glass bedded. Someone put a lot of money into this rifle.

Now understand, the Swedes built their rifles for a 43,000 psia cartridge. That was the service pressure. A higher pressure cartridge could, and probably did, set the receiver seats back. That blown ring, with the case still in the chamber, I am going to claim that is very good evidence of a blown case head. I wonder if the turned down bolt handle, with the stock inlet, is why the bolt stayed in the receiver. Or whether it was just luck.

Also, with all that work done he was probably a reloader. Did he get the IMR4831 mixed up with the W296 he was putting in his 300 BO the day before? May be an ammo problem and not rifle problem. I also think drilling a couple scope mount holes in small ring may not be good idea, especially if using higher powered modern ammo. I bet his ears are still ringing!

 

[Roverguy]

Since you specify that you don’t want to hand load for it, I think it best to move the receiver along and look for another project.

Many posters above have, with well-reasoned explanations, correctly argued that you should build for the 6.5x55. Several people have correctly noted that the cost of a custom gun can be quite steep. The problem wit the Swede is that SAAMI spec 6.5x55 is anemic. Going to the expense of building a custom rifle and then having to use wimpy 6.5x55 ammo is like restoring a 69 Camaro and putting a V6 in it

Since you have a couple of rifles in 35 Whelen, why not look for a 30/06 length receiver and build a 25-06? Same family, different ends of the spectrum, a classic cartridge, and factory loads available.

 

[stillquietvoice]

There are some foreign ammunition manufactures that load a bit higher pressure rounds. Iirc plus, seller and ballot, Lapua to name a few I'm sure there are others as well.

 

[Archie]

You did say a '96 Mauser action. If so, the bolt face in that action is machined to fit the 6.5x55mm cartridge. That cartridge has a wider head (base) than the .30-06, .308 and cartridges derived. According to the schematics, the difference is only about .006" difference, but that seems to make a difference to some.

From my standpoint, the '96 Mauser action is made from and has the same locking lugs as the '98. So on that basis, it should be able to handle the same pressures. However, the '98 has the third 'safely' lug to prevent bolts from flying out of the action in the event of a catastrophic failure. That seems to be the biggest reason for the 'official' (SAMMI in the U. S.) decision to rate the earlier action at a lower pressure rating.
I've seen '96 rifles chambered for .30-06 that seem to hold up. Never had one, never fired one.
Then, it is a cock on closing rifle. The Brits thought it was faster in operating the bolt. Most in the U. S. view that feature as less than satisfactory.
Shooting pigs? The 7x57mm Mauser should work and the original load level was made for that same action. 7.62x39mm would probably work, but I'd prefer the 154 grain bullet for hunting anything. I must confess I've read a number of shooters who say the 123-125 grain rounds work just fine. (I haven't been present for either in real life.)

 

[Slamfire]

Also, with all that work done he was probably a reloader. Did he get the IMR4831 mixed up with the W296 he was putting in his 300 BO the day before? May be an ammo problem and not rifle problem. I also think drilling a couple scope mount holes in small ring may not be good idea, especially if using higher powered modern ammo. I bet his ears are still ringing!

Anything made by man, can be unmade by man. God save us from mistakes like this:

There are some foreign ammunition manufactures that load a bit higher pressure rounds. Iirc plus, seller and ballot, Lapua to name a few I'm sure there are others as well.

In Europe all firearm transfers have to go through a Proof House before change of ownership. This system was explicitly put into place to weed out old relics. Unlike the American factory proof test, where the manufacturer loses money if a firearm fails a function test, a European Proof House cares not one whit if the firearms passes. And, every change of ownership, new barrel, the firearm gets proofed again. According to my Proof Law book, prior to 1968, German proof houses would destroy the whole firearm if it failed some particular inspection. Proof Houses also gauge dimensions, I don't have the list, but if the firearm was out of tolerance, they chopped it up. The guys in the German Proof Houses must have been having too much fun, as the law was changed that they could only destroy the defective part, not the whole firearm.

Imagine a custom rifle getting chop sawed into chunks, stock included, because the scope ring mount was loose, or something trivial.

Anyway, using the excuse that it is OK to hot rod an old military action, because Norma ammunition is hotter than United States ammunition, shows an ignorance of the different attitudes and systems between the US and Europe. Americans all assume that they are the ultimate experts on everything, know everything, and they can’t be told nothing. Europeans start off with the assumption that the masses are dummkopf’s

 

[stillquietvoice]

Anyway, using the excuse that it is OK to hot rod an old military action, because Norma ammunition is hotter than United States ammunition, shows an ignorance of the different attitudes and systems between the US and Europe. Americans all assume that they are the ultimate experts on everything, know everything,

I'm not suggesting any hotroding just using ammunition at or near the pressure it was originally ally designed for instead of the diminutive saami spec stuff made here.

 

[1-12 INF (M)]

If you're gonna go .308 or any of the higher-pressure short actions, might as well buy a modern rifle. But that's kind of getting away from the fun of it. I have a sporterized 1895 Chilean in 7x57 which is very nice, if you don't mind cock-on-closing.,
For your project, 257 Bob and 6.5x55, 250 or 300 Savage are all excellent choices.

And we have all those calibers in stock too! www.cavalryammunition.com

 

[wbm]

I'd stick with the 6.5x55

Of course!