Rechambering 8mm mauser

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steveyb4342

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So now that Ive missed out on the $230 stevens 200's. Ive decided to take the plunge and rechamber my mod 98 8mm mauser. I did a search but wasnt able to come up with too much. I was just curious what are some of my options? Think bigger. I don't reload...yet. :D

Some of you may remember some talk about this particular mauser a while back. I have yet to do anything with it, I got caught up in restoring a few iver johnson shotguns.

Sorry if this thread is repetitive of others, I put it in the precision forum because I intend to rebarrel it with the money I saved from not buying the stevens. I plan on going heavy contour and making a bit of a shooter.


Thanks Steve
 
no ideas? Is that a way of saying the 8mm is a pretty good cartridge? I'm looking for a long range shooter, to "reach out and touch" say a moose or black bear etc at 500 yards or more. Im hoping this action can be my ticket.

Thanks Steve

PS: a friend of mine just got back to me saying he recommended rechambering to .308, 7mm-08, .243 or .30-06. Those are some possibilities but Id like to go bigger if possible? .300 win mag? .338 RUM? etc. I had intented on buying a stevens 200 in 300 win mag.
 
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Years ago it was a nice conversion to make an 8mm-308 Norma Mag if the action and barrel were of very good quality .... that's when it was feasible to do it...

The bolt and extractor require alteration to Magnum, the action requires alteration to feed properly and the barrel needs to be re chambered. Sometimes a sleeve was fitted onto the barrel to make the chamber area larger. Then the bolt handle was cut and and new handle welded on, the action drilled and tapped for a scope and a low scope safety fitted. 308 Norma Mag dies were then altered for sizing and loading the 8mm bullet.

You can buy a new rifle retail for less than you will spend doing the above alterations.


.... and you will have to reload...
 
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325wsm sounds very interesting! Anyone every tried it? Anyone care to guess what would need to be done for it to work?

Point to note, if need be Im not entirely against it ending up a single shot either.
Ive yet to have to take two shots to down any game Ive hunted. I dont enjoy tracking wounded animals so I wait for a well placed shot.

Thanks Steve
 
there was a time when the easiest deal was to make it into an 8mm/06- mostly because brass was plentiful- you could get a few more fps out of it, but with the pricing and given the busyness of gunsmiths, 1 it probably isn't worth it, if it shoots well, 2 you don't know when you'll get it back, 3, exactly how far along the bubba line is it?- if it's anywhere near restoring to milspec, it's probably worth more as is
 
Not worried about the smithy situation. ;)

It doesnt shoot very well, never has. Bore looks to have seen better days.

Nah its been bastardised, some wierd type of a scope mount {not drilled} and stock has been cut down to a sport type. Id say shes not worth to much anymore.

Thanks Steve
 
Aside from 500 plus yards being too far for a moose or a bear with any cartridge, you're looking at a re-barrel job if you opt for the .325. The 8mm Mauser is 140 thou longer in case length. You really don't want to be lugging a heavy barreled rifle when hunting those beasties either.
Chamber sleeves tend to come out upon extraction too.
The easiest modification would be to turn it into an 8mm-06(2.484" long). Mind you, that cartridge won't do anything an 8mm Mauser(2.240" long) can't. Although the 8mm-06 has better long range ballistics. A 175 grain bullet drops 42.8" at 500(from a not totally reliable on-line ballistics calulator) vs the 128" a 170 grain 8mm Mauser drops(Remington).
 
sunray said:
Aside from 500 plus yards being too far for a moose or a bear with any cartridge,
Click to expand...
Really? Well last year when my father went moose hunting there was a man who took a 700lbs bull moose with a neck shot at est 475 yards {Based on the fact that it was known to be a 600 yard chopping,guides knowledge}. As for the rifle he was using Im not sure. This was in Cape Breton NS. That led me to assume with the proper shooter it was not unheard of?

I had full intentions on a rebarelling and doing a proper drill and tap for scope mounts. Which will cost a bit over what it would have to buy and ship a stevens 200 most likely. So that leaves me back at what would have been my initial investment, well a bit more.

The other idea behind this is that this rifle has been around for awhile and was given to my father by my grandfather etc, so we dont want to get rid of it. But in its current state it is not being used, so this is also being seen as its new lease on life.

Can you understand now why id like to work with this one? Had I been able to get the stevens I would have. But Im itching for another project and well this one has taken a back seat too many times. It deserves its chance as well.

Having said all that, could I ask what is involved in altering the bolt, extractor and action? I believe I have read about the action, there is some materiel to be removed from it correct? The extractor I assume is just a matter of replacing it? and the bolt?

Thanks Steve
 
Well, if the bore is bad, there's no sense wasting money with jsut a rechamber. Better to buy another barrel and then fit it, which opens up a whole range of possibilities. On a 98 action, I'd recommend a 338 Win Mag, or one of the 300 magnums for a LR moose gun. Still the same amount of work to make it work though, after you've fit the barrel. - dan
 
Steve, you have been fooling with us all along... here I thought because you missed out on some cheap Savages, you had a beater of a Mauser you were trying to fix up cheap...

Now you are talking about a new barrel - obviously money is NOT a factor in this rifle build.

I suggest building any caliber you want that will fit in that length of action.
 
Sorry guntech. What I meant by cheap was I dont want to end up with a 1500 $ rifle. I still consider $300-$350 for a barrel a cheap fix up, especially since that puts me just above my initial cost of a shipped stevens. Id like to do this for $500-600 but the cheaper the better. It seems like today that is considered cheap. {Im not factoring in smithy costs ;) } Sorry for any misunderstanding guntech, as well as anyone else who was confused.

Thanks Steve
 
Unless you are going to do the gunsmithing yourself, better factor in the labour costs.Barrel blank, perhaps $350, installation, another $200.* Replace bolt handle for scope, at least another hundred.* Drill and tap for mounts, $75.* Install scope safety, $40 up.* Look at Tradeex's modified bolt sleeve assembly for an option.* Open boltface for magnum cartridge, perhaps $50.* Open feed rails for larger cartridge, $?.** One chance to get this right, receiver is ruined if its wrong.* Alter magazine box for longer rounds, $50.* Fiddle with the magazine system until it feeds reliably, $?.* Polish and reblue, $200.* Going to leave it in the cutdown stock?
Once its finished, you will have a rifle that you might be able to sell for $350.
It would be much easier and cheaper to buy a decent used rifle in the calibre of your choice, and keep the old family rifle as is.
 
I will be doing as much of the smith work as possible but the rest will be done by a family friend at not nearly that much $$. Hence the reason Im not factoring it in. As for resale value of the rifle, it will never be sold so Im not worried about it. Its been in the family too long now. Like I said just trying to give the rifle a chance, I hate to see it not getting used.

Thanks Steve
 
Does make a difference if you do not have to pay commercial rates. I do my own 'smithing, couldn't affort even half the projects if I didn't.
Be careful with the action alterations if you go to a cartridge that is larger in diameter and longer. Once you start cutting the rails, its pretty hard to go back.
 
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