Turk Mauser Conversion questions

[The_Antibubba]

I've developed interest in a pre-'99 Turkish Mauser. Many of these were heat-treated and rechambered for the 8mm Mauser round. Trouble is, i don't want another caliber I have to look after. I have a few Mosin Nagants, so a switch to 7.62X54R is ideal. Does anyone know if the Turk can handle the Russian round?

 

[Jim Watson]

It could hold the pressures, but I wonder if it could handle the cartridge. It would at least be a large gunsmithing project.
Brownell's doesn't sell nearly-ready-to-shoot Mauser barrels for 7.62x54R so you would have to find a .310" blank or conclude that a .308" would work. Then thread and chamber it to suit the combination.
Then alter the bolt face and extractor for the large diameter rim.
Then (try to) make the magazine work with rimmed cartridges.

Maybe it has been done; if so, somebody will be along shortly to say how.

But unless you have the equipment, know-how, and time to do all that yourself, the price of hiring it done would buy an awful lot of 8mm ammo or bullets.

 

[The_Antibubba]

OK, how about Swedish 6.5?

 

[Jim Watson]

I would expect a 6.5 SE to be a straightforward conversion from 8mm. The bolt face will be close enough and the magazine ought to work (Ought to, but I can't say for sure.) So all you need now is a barrel. A Shaw is $150 for a threaded C.M. barrel, $70 to install and testfire, plus $90 for a bead blast blue, plus the price and installation cost of sights (or money to drill and tap for scope and bend bolt handle.)
http://www.ershawbarrels.com/normal.asp#


A google on turkish mauser found another approach. Assuming you get one of the early small ring actions, it is possible to put on a real Swedish Mauser barrel with less fuss and expense, if you can still get a bare barrel.
http://www.turkmauser.com/gunsmithing/93s/default.aspx

 

[Clark]

I have converted 91/30s to 45/70 and 30-30, both single shot.
Both are rimmed.

I have converted Mausers to 223 [single shot], 243, 257RAI, 7x57, 7.62x25mm single shot], 308, 45acp [single shot], and 300WM [It feeds].
All rimless.

The effort to get a mismatch case head to work is big.
Getting a 300WM, .223 or 7.62x25mm to shoot and extract from a Mauser is lots of extra work.

Start out small.
Convert to a likewise .470" rimless case head for the first project.