Mauser 98 500 Jeffery Info needed

Guy.G

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I am after some information and pictures of 500 Jeffery rifles build on 98 mauser actions, not magnum actions. Things of interest are barrel profiles, number of cartridges in a single stack mag 2 or 3, floor plate configuration, Rifle weight. Pictures of feed ramp and the rear bridge - has the right side been removed in front of the charger slot or just opened up on the inside. Looking forward to some feed back.

Cheers Guy.
 
Hi Guy - thanks for this.

I'd also be keen any info from the AH collective minds on this.
 
Are you building one from scratch yourself or getting a gunsmith to do it for you ? There is some good info on a thread on this forum about mauser action magazine widths. It discusses the maths of cartridge diameter vs magazine width. That is going to be a big headache with the 500 Jeff. I believe the receiver will be narrower than ideal for the cartridge, so you need to work around that for correct feeding.
 
Thanks Nhoro - I'm toying with having a 'smith build one on a 98. I'm pretty sure he's on 500J on 98s before. I have read up a bit on the feeding and double / staggered mag set up.
 
Are you building one from scratch yourself or getting a gunsmith to do it for you ? There is some good info on a thread on this forum about mauser action magazine widths. It discusses the maths of cartridge diameter vs magazine width. That is going to be a big headache with the 500 Jeff. I believe the receiver will be narrower than ideal for the cartridge, so you need to work around that for correct feeding.

I will have the barrel chambered and fitted by a gunsmith. I will do the rest myself. I have searched the web for info and pictures, which there is not many. The video Von Gruff has put up is one I have watched many times. I have the math theory for the mag stagger, the 30 degree (0,866) theory. It would be handy to have a look at a sako mag. I have seen a couple of single stack mauser rifles which are a 2 round capacity. This would be the easy option. I have spoken to a couple of gunsmiths which get the 500 jeffery feeding with a single stack and some that won't take it on. Dwane Wiebe seemed to have the mag stagger worked out and, he likes the widest point of the rails to be 20.625 mm on his work. I am experimenting with some double stack mag boxes to see what I can work out. I am not in a rush to finish this project so I can take as long as I need to work out the feeding.

BUT a few pictures of the points in my first post would be very handy.

Any other feedback is much appreciated.

Cheers Guy.
 
What I found with 458 win mag/lott was that the magazine box is not the only issue (with a CZ magnum action) The reciever just under the rails is essentially the top of the magazine. The top bullet sits against the receiver wall and often the second round also touches the reciever on the opposite side. And you are limited as to how much you can adjust the reciever under the rails. I would suggest that you play around with the magazine width-I would guess that the box needs to be wider so that you get the correct stack angle on the top round. I believe that is why many people go for a single stack magazine-no angles to worry about. Have a look at this-principles are the same but your situation is more extreme !
Mauser Action Feeding Work - CZ 550
 
What I found with 458 win mag/lott was that the magazine box is not the only issue (with a CZ magnum action) The reciever just under the rails is essentially the top of the magazine. The top bullet sits against the receiver wall and often the second round also touches the reciever on the opposite side. And you are limited as to how much you can adjust the reciever under the rails. I would suggest that you play around with the magazine width-I would guess that the box needs to be wider so that you get the correct stack angle on the top round. I believe that is why many people go for a single stack magazine-no angles to worry about. Have a look at this-principles are the same but your situation is more extreme !
Mauser Action Feeding Work - CZ 550

Some handy information there.(y)
 
Thanks
 
Look up the Schuler made .500’s.

It looks like they used a stagger magazine to get the 3 down as the belly of the rifle looks standard depth to me. Also handy info. (y)
 
It looks like they used a stagger magazine to get the 3 down as the belly of the rifle looks standard depth to me. Also handy info. (y)

images
 

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Thanks for the picture of the jumbo, obviously not the the picture I was looking at.
 
I prefer the look of the Schulers to the WJ Jeffery’s, personally. Sorta like a .425 WR on steroids :D

I guess you can stagger or single stack when building the gun, each just requires a different course to achieve?
 
Make sure you machine the magazine follower to be tailored to the 500 Jeffery case. Often overlooked it's why my 500 Jeffery had feeding issues to start with. Took awhile to figure that out.
 
Not sure if the original poster got this all sorted out but I just picked up a 500 jeffery built by sterling davenport on a M98 standard length action that is astoundingly done. Has internal mag "lips" to convert to center feed, 3 round down capacity, feeds and ejects flawlessly and has plenty of OAL room in mag, feed ramp is irrelevant and unchanged as the rounds slide right straight up under the extractor and straight in the pipe. Oddly the bottom metal won't open, assuming this is by design to accommodate the internal workings of the mag well. I'm trying to figure out how it comes apart as I want to travel with short case.
 
Thanks for the reply.
I would really like to see a picture of your rifle, feed lips and depth of mag.

Are the magazine lips similar to the wesly richards clips.

Is the floor plate the standard 98 bottom metal.
 
Glad to help. This rifle is really well done. I know he did 3 for sure. the owner of swift bullets had one that was the same gun as I have here with darker wood and the same 24" barrel that was in an article. And I have also read of a 22" barrel of the same configuration. I think in his day Davenport liked building the big rifles, and they aren't over embelished which make them almost affordable for a working man. I have a fair bit of load data as well if you need help there when the time comes, been shooting it quite a bit.

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Thanks for the pictures, much appreciated. This would be the 4th different arrangement I have seen for 500 j. The flat follower and internal single stack box are unique.
Are the cartridges feed into the magazine straight down like a standard 98 or are they inserted ford of the thumb cut and slid back toward the bolt face.

Cheers Guy.
 
Inserted forward and slid back. Its pretty slick, maybe not quite as fast as the traditional method but as a paying hunter if I make it through the first 3 and am trying to load fast, I'm probably already mush on the ground.. They stagger ever so slight when stacked 3 down in the mag but they pop straight up under those lips and straight up under the extractor as you work the action and straight in. I like the straight angles lol
 

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