I have a Columbian FN Mauser 98 Carbine in good to excellent condition (the one with the 18.5" barrel) in .30-06 and am researching the possibilities of having it customised to .404 Jeffery.

I have found a bespoke gunsmith 9 hours north of here to do the work (They are a bit thin on the ground here in OZ) and I am now gathering information/educating myself about Mauser customization. I also realise it would probably be better to just import a CZ in .404J but hey, what fun is that ? It will be a hard wearing, 'drop in the mud' rifle.

I have four questions.

1) Is there any good reference material to help here ? (I'm old school, prefer books..)

2) I have learnt that the rear of the action has to be opened up and the feed rails modified. Does the magazine follower and box HAVE to be modified ? I realise that to fit more rounds into the magazine it does, but will the standard box, if of sufficient length, be ok for 2-3 rounds ?

3) Is this action suitable for customisation for what I want ? I know Mauser actions vary a lot and FN actions are more suitable.

4) Are there good and bad FN actions?

I'd appreciate any info from those more experienced than myself.

Cheers