Is this a good idea?

MilitaryCollectorMark

MilitaryCollectorMark

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Hey all!

I was thinking of a project.

Take a husky mauser in 6.5x55 and put a left handed stock or modify a stock to left hand use.

Possibly tap the action for bases?

Is this a good idea?
 
Was basically what is a CG63 - a Swede 6.5x55 right handed action, in a target type stock for "off hand" shooting, with check pieces on either side - for a left hand or right hand shooter. Drill and tap the receiver for scope bases is about a wash - I do not think there is right or left hand for that. Making a safety work, might be an issue, though. I know that FN and Parker Hale made "left side" two position safeties for M98 Mauser - not sure if I have seen one for a M96, though. Not sure that I have ever seen a sear blocking left handed slide safety, either?? But, in the world, there are some right handed bolt users that want a two position safety on left side of bolt shroud - so a right sided one like Timney or Triaster, could be used by a left handed shooter??
 
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It's an idea but I don't think it is a good idea, it's a safety thing... shooting a firearm from the opposite side it was designed to be shot from.

For instance how would you have liked shooting this from the 'wrong' side and getting a face full of shrapnel?
243-BLOW-UP-ACTION.jpg
 
guntech said:
It's an idea but I don't think it is a good idea, it's a safety thing... shooting a firearm from the opposite side it was designed to be shot from.

For instance how would you have liked shooting this from the 'wrong' side and getting a face full of shrapnel?
243-BLOW-UP-ACTION.jpg
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Yeah, good point. Wouldn't want that blowing up in my face.
 
If you are a lefty a left hand bolt action is a nice feature. But I don't remember any of the bolt actions from any country's military coming in left hand configuration. Being left handed did not exempt any one from serving in the military. Left hand rifles are common today but 60 years ago they were pretty rare.
 
MilitaryCollectorMark said:
Would it be a good idea if it's converted to handload reduced powder charges? Less powder means less chance of blowing up the action?
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That I know of, there is no "conversion" for reduced hand loads - is what you choose to use when hand loading rounds for it - you can vary breech pressure with bullet shape and weight, powder load and type, or the primer used. All up to the re-loader.
 
Considering the locking lugs are at the front of the bolt, I have trouble understanding your specific concerns. For me, with any military surplus bolt action rifle, its a good idea to stay a 2-3 grains below book max.
 
cosmic said:
Considering the locking lugs are at the front of the bolt, I have trouble understanding your specific concerns. For me, with any military surplus bolt action rifle, its a good idea to stay a 2-3 grains below book max.
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As guntech showed above. I wouldn't want to chance any kind of self destruction of the action, since the gasses and blown bits would be shot right, directly at my face. The original mausers were never designed for left handed use.
 
Is actually a bit unusual what is shown in pictures above - like very wrong powder used or something - that is not "normal", at all. Maybe someone was pushing a red line, and stepped just a bit too far? Or got careless with what powder was being used in hand load. Or had crap in barrel - I do not know for sure what could create the breech pressure that did that. But I have fired many thousands of centerfire rounds, including from many former military mausers, and I have not experienced that occurrence. Maybe is a "just not yet" thing ... Also, from that picture - the rear bridge - that is not a military receiver - is something commercial - is more typical that a low carbon mauser military receiver will stretch and yield in response to an over-pressure event - not "grenade" to shrapnel like that - as if the front receiver ring was fully heat treat hardened and the ring (hoop ?) burst pressure of the barrel chamber was exceeded, which then took out that receiver??
 
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That blown up action is a Sako and it was a handload... a reloading error. A rare event but s h i t happens on occasion.
 
It depends on whether you consider it worth the investment of time and money. There's not a lot of difference between right & left hand stocks. Cheekpiece, if you even have one, cast on or cast off, and toe out. Military and most commercial stocks won't have this because they don't know who will be standing behind it.

The bolt action military rifles are designed to be shot right handed because the majority of recruits were right handed. It wasn't a safety feature. Blow-ups are rare, and a non issue to me. There are lots of left handed shooters that run their right-hand bolts from the left side.
 
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9.3mauser said:
It depends on whether you consider the worth the investment of time and money. There's not a lot of difference between right & left hand stocks. Cheekpiece, if you even have one, cast on or cast off, and toe out. Military and most commercial stocks won't have this because they don't know who will be standing behind it.

The bolt action military rifles are designed to be shot right handed because the majority of recruits were right handed. It wasn't a safety feature. Blow-ups are rare, and a non issue to me. There are lots of left handed shooters that run their right-hand bolts from the left side.
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That is about it.
 
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