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Shooting & Reloading - Mausers, Big Bores and others >> Rifles

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Joshua
.300 member


Reged: 01/03/16
Posts: 248
Loc: north carolina, usa
New rifle acquisition
      #307663 - 12/11/17 02:52 PM

Was lucky earlier today to trade for an older custom Mauser 93 in .300 savage. I know the general consensus is these actions are weak, but this rifle is not meant for pushing the envelope. There are 2 issues with which I need to fix, nothing hat henders the rifle inoperable, but rather cosmetically. The rifle came with a horn butt plate and grip cap, but the bone has deteriated to a point of breaking and also by means of how the previous owner I would suspect fastened them. For some ungodly reason, they had large woodscrews holding them on.

I know NECG carries buffalo horn pieces to make the aforementioned items, and I do have plans of replacing the grip cap. I do have a few questions tho; would this style rifle look good with a steel butt plate with cartridge trap or should I replace with bone as well? Again, NECG carries the butt plate as well, but open to other ideas as well. What bullets and weights would you recommend for it?


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cordite
.333 member


Reged: 29/01/07
Posts: 341
Loc: NW Montana
Re: New rifle acquisition [Re: Joshua]
      #307668 - 13/11/17 02:18 AM

Good for you. I think a steel butt plate is fine. If you can find a good horn replacement, that works too.

The action shold be a good oNE for that chambering. As you say don't push it but they are stronger than some would have your believe. I like the 180 rn bullet in my 300 savage but a lot depends on the length of your magazine box and how it was chambered. Most factory 300 savages are short actions with space being at a premium. Short bullets rule. You may have more flexibility with the mauser. I use Reloader 15 powder.


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Joshua
.300 member


Reged: 01/03/16
Posts: 248
Loc: north carolina, usa
Re: New rifle acquisition [Re: cordite]
      #307671 - 13/11/17 03:15 AM

Thanks for the vote of confidence cordite. I was hoping the thought of the steel butt plate would be a nice touch. The horn replacement is coming from New England Custom Guns. They offer a grip cap piece of various sizes or a large chunk to be used for a variety of things. The magazine length on this rifle looks to offer plenty of room. The rifle came with a box of 180 grain and when loaded the magazine still offers over a quarter inch. I am not sure of what length once chambered, but will find that out pretty soon.

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Joshua
.300 member


Reged: 01/03/16
Posts: 248
Loc: north carolina, usa
Re: New rifle acquisition [Re: Joshua]
      #307673 - 13/11/17 03:19 AM

One thing I would also love to do is strip the original finish off the stock, as it is rather worn and greasy. What type of material would anyone offer as a good oil to refinish the stock, and a short how to

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sydney
.224 member


Reged: 22/08/13
Posts: 28
Loc: B C Canada
Re: New rifle acquisition [Re: Joshua]
      #307675 - 13/11/17 04:27 AM

Hi--Re refinishing the stock
I would use Tru oil as it is easy to work with
Strip the stock with paint stripper
Sand lightly and raise the grain sand again
Mask out the checkering to keep the oil from getting in the checkering
Apply light coats of oil
sand back to fill the grain pours
More light coats until happy with finish
Polish back to cut the high gloss
Sydney


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Joshua
.300 member


Reged: 01/03/16
Posts: 248
Loc: north carolina, usa
Re: New rifle acquisition [Re: sydney]
      #307676 - 13/11/17 04:38 AM

Thank you Sydney, that helps a lot with the refinishing. I have heard good things of the tru oil so will try it out. What grit sand would you use?

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DarylS
.700 member


Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 26413
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
Re: New rifle acquisition [Re: Joshua]
      #307682 - 13/11/17 05:02 AM

Sydney - that rouge paste you gave Taylor for final polish - where did that come from? It is amazing.

I used to to finish a Belgium Browning stock using True Oil. The rifle's stock was indistinguishable from the original plastic or epoxy finish, except the one I did, was smooth, without the ripples. Like a Grande Piano.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V


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sydney
.224 member


Reged: 22/08/13
Posts: 28
Loc: B C Canada
Re: New rifle acquisition [Re: DarylS]
      #307701 - 13/11/17 12:20 PM

Hi Joshua
I sand the wood to 400 and make sure there are no mark left by previous grits
I put on several coats then cut back with 800 to fill the pores--repeat until filled
I put on 8/10 plus the cut back with 800 to remove and dust ect
let harden for a few days and polish with pumice and rottenstone to the finish you want
if a higher gloss is needed a very light coat of checkering will bring up the gloss
contact me if more info is needed
Sydney
Daryl---I use pumice for a fast cut
rottenstone for a finer polish
car cut polish if req d
I have lots of both and will drop off some at Taylors later in the week
Sydney


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DarylS
.700 member


Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 26413
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
Re: New rifle acquisition [Re: sydney]
      #307720 - 14/11/17 05:56 AM

TKS Sydney. car-cut-polish

I used 1500 wet/dry from Cdn Tire to cut the finish back to the wood after every 4 thin coats until the pores were filled.

This paper felt more like an 800 or 900 than 1500, but that is what they called it, and it cut, rather than heat up the oil and burnish it, like crocus cloth does/did.

The package of crocus cloth I have is marked 800 grit, but of course crocus is for polishing steel, not cutting an oil finish. I was surprised how well the wet/dry 1500 cut the hardened finish back to the wood.

Due to the large pores of the soft Claro that Browning used for the stock, it took 55 coats to fill them. I never did use a slurry as I wanted clear finish in the pores with no black areas, just clear finish. It worked, a polished shine that looked a foot deep, but only had 3 coats on top of the wood's surface, like a mirror, almost.

The red-polish brought up the shine so nicely - it was absolutely beautiful & looked brand new, but was oil, not plastic or epoxy.

That stock was a one-off. I do not finish like that any more as it took almost 6 months.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V


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szihn
.400 member


Reged: 24/06/07
Posts: 2100
Loc: Wind River Valley, Wyoming
Re: New rifle acquisition [Re: DarylS]
      #308651 - 04/12/17 01:21 PM

93,94 and 95 Mauser can be a bit soft sometimes, but they are not always soft, and not weak as most "experts" seem to think.
I have seen plenty of them made into rifles in "modern" calibers like 22-250 and 308 Winchester. Some need to be case hardened or heath treated, and that can get a bit involved, but I have made several in my 50 years of gunsmithing in modern calibers and I have never had a single one set back or give way.

We read a lot of tripe on line and in magazines about the 91,93 94 95 and 96 Mausers having no 3rd "safety lug".
Ok----- if that's important please show me that 3rd lug on a Remington M700, or a Howa, or a Ruger M77 or a Savage 110, or about 95% of the modern bolt action.

Men, if a 93-96 Mauser has good steel (most do) and if the Heat treatment is done well, (Which is sometimes needed) they are about as strong as most modern bolt action. Not all, but most.
Why would they not be? If they have about the same amount of contact between the back of the lugs and the abutments of the action as a modern gun, and if the steel is up to snuff there is NO reason they would be weak.

And with the shorter magazine of the 91-95 Mausers it's not common for people to succumb to the idiocy of trying to make super magnums out of them anyway. These actions work well with the standard Mausers 6.5X57 6.5X55Swede, 7X57, 8X57, 9X57, and 9.3X57. They work just as well with the Mauser-based 257 Roberts, and 6MM Remington. They work very well in 22-250 and 250-3000 Savage as well as 300 Savage. In many cases they convert easily and well to 243 Win, 260 Rem, 7-08, 308win, 338 Fed and 358 Winchester. Note the lack of Super-Magnums? but also the lack of need for a super magnum in that list, which has shells that cover 98% of all hunting.

This post "grabbed me" because I am in the process of making a 300 Savage right now on a Belgian FN-95. I have converted it to cock on opening, fitted it with a Bold Trigger, welded on a nice sporter bolt handle, installed Redfield bases. When it's done it's going to be a very nice light weight fast handling hunting rifle. I am going to put on a 110" twist 30 cal barrel and turn it to a nice 1920s style contour.

I also have a 94 that I will case harden to make a nice 7X57 or 257 Roberts soon.

These are "riflemen's rifles" and not for the foolish. I make them and they are safe with any SAMMI spec load, but are not to be used by those that want to make "magnums" out of them. If you want a magnum you should buy a magnum. Of build a magnum. I have nothing against magnums and I own a few myself. Magnums are cool at times.

But most avid hunters see these small ring Mausers as "just right".

Fast handling, light weight, super reliable and very accurate, in calibers that cover the needs they purchase them to cover.
(if such a rifle is in your future plans, please feel free to PM me)

The short box small ring Mauser is an action that is often under-appreciated by the modern gun builder, but if you are old (like me) you'll remember those rifles made in the 20 and 30s as well as those made in the 50s & 60s on such actions by the old masters that were in the era of hand work and fitting. I do not choose the 93-96 Mausers for most of my custom builds. I choose the 98 for most. But that is not to say I have a thing bad to say about the earlier Mausers. I don't.

In fact, I would FAR rather build a nice custom rifle on a 94 or 95 Mauser then a Remington M700, or a Howa, or a Savage.
Sure, some of the new actions are longer and may be stronger (as if that matters in the calibers we are talking about here) but they are simply not as classy. If cutting-edge technology is the only goal, then I see the more modern actions as a good way to start, with an AR10 being one of those to look at real hard.

But for the old classic art-form of rifles the Mausers, Springfields, Mannlichers and Enfields are just "cooler".

Edited by szihn (05/12/17 01:47 AM)


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