Mauser Action Confusion?

CoElkHunter

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I confuse easily! I’ve seen rifles here and elsewhere with Mauser actions chambered for much larger rounds than the 8mm Mauser cartridge. At a Gun show this past Saturday, I saw a Brno chambered in 8x57 with a peep sight and another German Mauser chambered in 8mm Mauser. Both rifles were priced very inexpensively. These cartridges are shorter than a .30-06 and their rim diameter is .470. So being ignorant when it comes to Mauser actions, how are these actions and bolts modified for longer cartridges with larger diameter rims? Is it cost effective? Maybe I’m missing something? Thanks!
 
image.jpg

the bolt on the right is German bolt from a 7mm the left bolt is a Yugo 8mm. Both are military, but the Yugo is a little shorter.
 
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the bolt on the right is German bolt from a 7mm the left bolt is a Yugo 8mm. Both are military, but the Yugo is a little shorter.
Cool! I’m just wondering if the .470 bolt face can be opened up to .532 and how the magazine box is extended to accommodate a longer cartridge? Maybe a different model Mauser action is used? There is/was a custom Enfield on Gun Broker fore sale chambered in .458 Lott. I was looking at my old Enfield Mark 2, and I don’t have a clue how one could get the longer Lott cartridge into that magazine and the bolt diameter looks way too small?
 
Mausers have been opened up in every direction to house multitudes of different rounds. Many are available as factory rifles in various configurations and some will have to be custom built. Look at Zastava, Interarms Mark X/Whitworth rifles. CZ, Parker Hale, Brno, and lots of others. Probably the most adapted and customized action in existence.

Not sure what you mean by Enfield Mark 2 but if you are talking about a SMLE, forget it. The custom Enfield you saw is likely a Model 1917 which is a huge action able to house just about anything.
 
Mausers have been opened up in every direction to house multitudes of different rounds. Many are available as factory rifles in various configurations and some will have to be custom built. Look at Zastava, Interarms Mark X/Whitworth rifles. CZ, Parker Hale, Brno, and lots of others. Probably the most adapted and customized action in existence.

Not sure what you mean by Enfield Mark 2 but if you are talking about a SMLE, forget it. The custom Enfield you saw is likely a Model 1917 which is a huge action able to house just about anything.
Thanks very much for the clarification on the Enfield and explanation regarding the Mauser. Being new to CRF actions in general, I’m just trying to learn about these things I read here about them and “custom “ Mauser actions in general seems to pop up frequently? Thanks!
 
It’s probably a P-14 Enfield, not a Lee Enfield.
Yes, thanks Wyatt. I need to learn more about the Enfield actions. I didn’t know about the P-14. Thanks!
 
Ok a Remington P14 action .303 rifle just popped up at a local gun shop for $508. Too much for just using the action to create another caliber? Probably?
 

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Unless it’s pristine, I think it’s probably way too much.

I’ve seen p14 actions on gunbroker in really nice shape for $300 or less a couple of times

These guys have been out of stock for a long time.. but at one point they had a bunch of actions for less than $150

https://www.sarcoinc.com/p14-enfield-action-with-303-bolt/
Thanks! I’m just looking for an action to build something (maybe?). There’s a guy on GB who wants $350 for new Whitworth actions, but they’re standard length ( .458 length cartridge?). I haven’t seen the P14s, but then again I haven’t been looking real hard. I guess it wouldn’t make sense to purchase a complete rifle if it’s going to be dismantled anyway?
 
It depends...

I’ve picked up quality Mauser actions for $300... but.. I’ve also picked up a couple of decent Mauser rifles that looked horrible (rotten stocks, rusty barrels, etc) that made people think they were valueless for $150-$200...

Sometimes if all you want is the action, picking up a gun with a solid action, but a pitted barrel might be your best option :)

I paid $300 out the door for a p14 that had been converted to 300 H&H a while back.. it looked like crap.. had a cheap Tasco scope on it, a bunch of superficial rust, etc... but, underneath all the crud was a pristine action, pristine bore, and beautiful wood... and it was obvious that the gunsmith that did all of the original conversion work knew what he was doing.. the fit and all of the little detail work was outstanding.. whoever owned it prior just hadn’t cared for it..

$300 more invested in getting the metal blasted and reblued and dropping a timney trigger in it.. and a bunch of elbow grease spent to clean up and refinish the stock... and I easily have a $900-$1000 rifle sitting in the safe now..

Sometimes old beater rifles are an excellent way to get an action on the cheap... and sometimes they are a good way to get a really great rifle on the cheap, if you’re willing to invest a little time and money to bring them back to life..
 
For what it’s worth, I picked up my 7x57 for $125... it was a terrible looking old Spanish Mauser (small ring)...

The stock became firewood.. the barrel became scrap metal.. the only thing I kept was the action, bottom metal, and the bolt..

But I’ve got an AWESOME little 7x57 in the safe now :)
 
For what it’s worth, I picked up my 7x57 for $125... it was a terrible looking old Spanish Mauser (small ring)...

The stock became firewood.. the barrel became scrap metal.. the only thing I kept was the action, bottom metal, and the bolt..

But I’ve got an AWESOME little 7x57 in the safe now :)
I REALLY appreciate this information! I have no one in my hunting circle or anyone I know who even would know what a Mauser action is! They all have push feed modern rifles for deer/elk hunting. I went to a gun show a couple of weeks ago, and saw a 8mm Mauser rifle for $275 and a Brno actioned in 8x57 for $450? They both seemed in decent shape. But when your not familiar with these actions, you don’t know what to look for, so you keep walking? I guess I’ll try and find a book on Mauser actions and go from there? Thanks again!
 
The VZ24’s made by BRNO generally fetch a premium.. they are among the best K98 military actions ever made..

Whether or not you NEED a pre-war German made or a BRNO, etc really depends on what you want to do with it..

If you’re wanting to go big bore or a super high pressure cartridge, a lot of gunsmiths will only do that with one of the well known higher end manufacturers...

If you’re wanting a common “hunting caliber” like 270, 30-06, 7x57, etc.. honestly any K98 action will do you just fine and can be the foundation of a beautiful rifle..

I’ve got rifles built on Spanish, Brazilian, Argentine, German, and Czech made mauser actions... all of them are great FWIW..

My 416 Taylor was built on an Argentine action that was in perfect condition that I purchased from another AH member for an incredibly fair price..
 
With German made actions you have to be a little careful...

Most pre-war actions are excellent (assuming they were cared for)...

By the end of WWII quality control had gone out the window (for obvious reasons)...

Send me an address by PM... I’ve got a book on military mausers and the processes required to turn them into sporting rifles I will send you.. it was a wealth of knowledge for me when I first started building guns a few years back..
 
I have a Mauser 98 made in 1934 and my father has one made in 1944. Both are German and left in their original military condition, but the quality difference is huge. They were just cranking out rifles in WW2.
 
There are 2 main variants of Yugoslavian Mauser actions. The molitary actions were designed only to accommodate X57mm cartridges in general and the 8X57mm JS cartrudge specifically.

The other is the M70 action which is most similar to FN commercial Mauser actions. These accomodate longer cartridges like .30-06 Springfield (7.62X63mm) and 7X64mm Brenneke for example. FN is a common abbreviation for Fabrique Nationale in Belgium FWIW.

You can download a catalog here to see all the different cartridge options currently available from Zastava in their M70 civilian / commercial rifles. Only a limited list is on this current exclusive Zastava importer's website available or planned to be available for sale in the USA.

https://zastavaarmsusa.com/catalog/

To add to the confusion, there are rifles currently manufactured with the Mauser banner stamped on the action that aren't CRF design, the Mauser M12 is an example.

And, various manufacturers such as Browning and Sako as examples used commercial CRF design Mauser style actions in rifles marketed under their brand.
 

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Cool! I’m just wondering if the .470 bolt face can be opened up to .532 and how the magazine box is extended to accommodate a longer cartridge? Maybe a different model Mauser action is used? There is/was a custom Enfield on Gun Broker fore sale chambered in .458 Lott. I was looking at my old Enfield Mark 2, and I don’t have a clue how one could get the longer Lott cartridge into that magazine and the bolt diameter looks way too small?
CoElkHunter
The bolts The M17's and P14 are very similar. The P14 bolt is for the 303 British and surprise surprise it is the same base diameter as a standard magnum round so no mods needed for the bolt. The M17 requires very little to open up to magnum. Both are almost magnum length to start with. Very little mod to change to the 375 lengths
Cheers mate Bob
 
The VZ24’s made by BRNO generally fetch a premium.. they are among the best K98 military actions ever made..

Whether or not you NEED a pre-war German made or a BRNO, etc really depends on what you want to do with it..

If you’re wanting to go big bore or a super high pressure cartridge, a lot of gunsmiths will only do that with one of the well known higher end manufacturers...

If you’re wanting a common “hunting caliber” like 270, 30-06, 7x57, etc.. honestly any K98 action will do you just fine and can be the foundation of a beautiful rifle..

I’ve got rifles built on Spanish, Brazilian, Argentine, German, and Czech made mauser actions... all of them are great FWIW..

My 416 Taylor was built on an Argentine action that was in perfect condition that I purchased from another AH member for an incredibly fair price..
254A9ACA-AF28-4748-9CF6-3886416C7771.png

This just popped up in a local store. .30-06, threaded re barrel with 6x18 Nikon scope. Says it’s a VZ 24?
 

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