Rebuilt My Mauser...Kind Of

The reason I say kind of...this is more like restoring a car...the body and chassis are the same, but I changed the drive line and refinished it.

The gun started out in a field behind deer camp. An old mesquite tree died and guys were cutting the limbs off for BBQ wood. I got an idea that the tree was big enough to get a stock out of it...so that was the beginning.

Set the dried blank to Richards Microfit and had a varmint stock cut. I used a M48 intermediate length action with a SS bull barrel chambered in 6mmAI.

Well now it has a full length 98 action VZ 24 BRNO with a 26" E R Shaw barrel .850 at the muzzel. They trued the action and did all the barrel work. CDI bottom metal...AI mags, I had a custom Winchester style safety made from the original military safety.

I followed their break in recommendation and below is the first group I attempted after the 15 shot break in.

Right now while we wait out the Hurricane Harvey I'm refinishing the stock. TurOil with a high gloss...I have too...the wood is just too nice.

I'm not very good shooting groups...suffer bad with target panic...even shooting a bow. But I'm working on it!



The complete gun weighs over 15lbs.

Very nice.

Steve

Mauser builds are always fun builds

C, always wanted to try a mesquite stock since there's so many mesquite trees here. I have a blank I cut 6 years ago for my grandfather's old shotgun. Great group also.

Here is one I finished a few weeks ago. I'm not a big fan of 308, but i got the barrel for $90.00 from Midway. I have done all the work on this one.

This action used to be in the stock the 300WM now calls home. I did all the work my self. I welded the tactical knob in place I made the bottom metal from a non-hinged 98 mauser to use AI mags, I head spaced the chamber, D&T the scope mount holes. And believe it or not is shoots very very good for being a bench top build. Other than the mig welder that fanciest tool I used was a coreless drill...oh and a hand grinder.

The stock is from Richards Microfit. I removed forward most part of the "roll over" cheek piece (on the left side of the stock) so it can easily be shot left handed. I'm not but I have one son-in-law who is.

Anyway it is a safe queen until I rebarrel it it to 6.5 Creedmoor...I'm going to buy a reamer so I can still say I did the entire build myself with hand tools.

Dosh...if you have ever worked wood stocks before you will really enjoy working with it. I partnered up with a guy. We cut trees all summer from a coastal lease I had. They grew huge down there...then we had them slabbed out. I think at one time we had around 50 blanks...then we were no longer friends...of course he had all them except 6 that I had in a homemade drier...

Any way it is the most forgiving wood you will ever touch. You can finish sand it with 120grit paper of you want. Almost impossible to scratch the wood very badly with sand paper. It polishes out so easily.

The laminated stock above took a week to get all the scratches out...I almost pitched it!

I have three more blanks left...one is for the wife's Colombian 98 Mauser 6.5-06 and one is for another M48 Mauser chambered in 6.5x55....I did all the work on it too. Just needs it own stock. Not sure what will happen to the last one...

That shines! I always wanted to do a mesquite stock but they just aren't large enough around here.

The area along the coast we had leased had a lot of huge mesquite trees.

Long story short: I met a guy who knew a smith and we had about 50 mesquite blanks and 15 or so Arizona Walnut blanks which were real pretty. Any way after we had all the blanks slabbed out we were no longer best friends. I was lucky to have ended up with about 9 mesquite blanks that I had in a home drier in my garage. I had one super fancy walnut picked out...trying get him to let me have it like he had agreed was were things got ugly. So I just walked away.

During the Hurricane I found that I have 4 in my storage unit and one at my house. So I might have a couple I don't need.