Mauser 98 chambered in 30-06 length MAG cartridges (7mm REM MAG, 300 WIN MAG ect.)

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Omenator

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I've been pondering building a Mauser 98 type in some of the following cartridges: 7mm REM MAG, 300 WIN MAG, 338 WIN MAG, 375 Ruger and 458 WIN MAG.
I'm having trouble finding an action to use, as converting from a .473" to .532" boltface and changing the feedrail geometry means lots of $ spent at a good gunsmith. By the time I get the action modified I may as well get one of the custom made actions.
So far I've found Zastava makes a long action (3.34" or thereabouts) magnum M98 type and Parker Hale Hussar (made with Brno ZG 47 action) came in 308 Norma, but those are super rare. I'm not a fan of the Zastava as they are pretty rough and I'd rather spend more to start with and get a nicer rifle.

I know the Winchester M70, CZ550, Husqvarna 1600, Dakota M76 & M97, Ruger M77 MKII and some others offer CRF in a 30-06 length action, but there doesn't seem to be many Mauser M98 other than the Zastava.

I'm open to action suggestions and would really like to hear about any actions similar to what I'm looking for, custom actions are fine and would like to see those too.
(please no CRF vs push feed, I have and like both and am just sitting around bored due to a busted shoulder)
 
Maybe try building on a P14 sporter....bolt face is already the right size, and they have been converted to many different magnums successfully.
 
I would find an excellent condition FN98 action and just pay the man to open the bolt face and make it feed. It's going to the smith anyways for the rebarrel.

I had a 7mm Rem Mag on a FN 98 action. Worked very well and I miss that rifle.
 
I've done what you are contemplating. Mine is a .375 Ruger on a FN 98 action that started as a .270 Win. There is a fair amount of action modifying required(rails, feed ramp, bolt face, extractor). Besides finding the right action, an even bigger challenge is to find a gunsmith that knows his way around a M98. Bill Leeper did mine but he's retired now.

If I was to do another, I'd check out TradeEx for one of their FN98's in .30-06 or better yet, a magnum cartridge. This would pretty much ensure a 3.34" mag box length.
 
That's the crux of the issue, finding a good smith who can make it feed.
For the time being I'm going to look for a Howa 375 Ruger and see if I like the cartridge. My biggest now is 30-06 and 7mm REM MAG, so likely not the best idea to jump to the 458 WIN MAG right away.

Mauser 98: If you have some details or pics of the 375 Ruger, would you mind sharing?
 
Omenator said:
That's the crux of the issue, finding a good smith who can make it feed.
For the time being I'm going to look for a Howa 375 Ruger and see if I like the cartridge. My biggest now is 30-06 and 7mm REM MAG, so likely not the best idea to jump to the 458 WIN MAG right away.

Mauser 98: If you have some details or pics of the 375 Ruger, would you mind sharing?
Click to expand...

Sure.

The barrel is a 21" McGowan. Other stuff is a Pachmayr pad, Timney trigger, Talley barrel band, Leupold VX II 2-7 with Talley rings and bases. I had Bill cut off the FN bolt handle and replace it with the straight Talley style(much easier on the knuckles). Rifle/scope weighs about 9 lbs.

Nice accurate rifle. The other day I shot a 3 1/4" group at 300 meters

This is how the rifle turned out. I made the stock and did the rust blueing.
6837DAEB-75AE-437B-83D6-1A53E77BEE6B-1822-000001F594A0103D.jpg


This picture shows the amount of metal to be removed from the rails. Top is the .375 Ruger. Bottom is the .270 Win

P2100130.jpg


This shot shows a subtle mod to the follower. It helps the smooth feeding.

P2100132.jpg
 
@Mauser98 did the stock come like that or did you sand of the checkering because it was buggered? So, the "bend" in the follower does help the feed?
 
I will second the FN action, have one in .30-06. Also have a Churchill in .30-06 based on commercial Mauser Action.

The Norwegian Modified German Leftover K98's has a notch carved for the longer round.

Kongsberg of Norway also produced some mag ones, scarce in North America.

Might even be some Husqvarna/Carl Gustavs around.
 
Omenator. It's just a basic hunting rifle - mainly elk. Favorite load is the 270 gr Barnes ### in front of a case full of RL17 for a mv of around 2750 fps.

Riversrest. I carved the stock from a blank. The follower mod makes feeding the last round smoother. I've tried a stock follower from another FN and there is definitely a difference in smoothness.

Forgot to mention that the rifle holds three down plus one in the chamber. When Bill modified the extractor, he did so in a way that allows it to snap over the rim so if necessary, I can just drop a round into the chamber and close the bolt.
 
A standard-length (actually, the original short magnum) magnum isn't much of a trick to do on a Mauser 98. Sure it involves some work, but it's hardly virgin territory. Now to see a rifle like Harry Selby's 416 Rigby which was built on a standard M98, well, that's some serious 'smithing.
 
Mauser98 said:
Forgot to mention that the rifle holds three down plus one in the chamber. When Bill modified the extractor, he did so in a way that allows it to snap over the rim so if necessary, I can just drop a round into the chamber and close the bolt.
Click to expand...

That's one of the smartest mods that can be done to the old M98. And if it's well done there is no downside to it.
 
What is the modification to allow the extractor to snap over a chambered cartridge? Any pictures of such a mod?
I've always wondered about the guys that say 5+1 capacity when they have a Mauser 98 as I've never figured out the trick to having a full mag plus one in the chamber. No problem on a push feed though, just hold down the cartridges in the magazine while sliding the bolt forward on a cartridge dropped into the chamber.
 
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