New to me 308 Norma Magnum

[Shootist43]

I just picked up an InterArms Mark X in 308 Norma Mag. The gun was given to the friend of a friend by his grandfather in 1981 and has been sitting in a closet gathering dust since then. What I'd like to find out is who made the gun. Does anyone have a book showing which manufacturer made a specific rifle by the serial number? The wood has a couple of very minor scratches and dings, bluing and bore look perfect. She sports a Leopold 4 power scope mounted on a Redfield Jr. base. I paid $425 for it, hope I didn't get ripped off.

The serial number is 32603, the barrel is 62.5 cm long. See attached photos.

 

[Mekaniks]

I did a little reasearch...

And I am gonna go out on a limb. I think it's a custom gun built on a Interarms Mark X action. I could not find where Interarms made a 308 Norma and the stock pictures looks to me like it is better than standard wood.
In the late 60's through mid 70's it was fairly popular to convert resonably inexpensive guns like Springfield, Interarms etc, from 30-06 to 308 Norma and dresss them up with nice wood to make better than average rifles.
I may be way off base but I don't think so. You should take it to competent gun smith and get it checked. He will be able to tell you for sure.
There have been a couple of different threads here on AH about the 308 Norma and handloading for it. It's a really cool old caliber.
Anyway, nice gun!

 

[Red Leg]

I did a little reasearch...

And I am gonna go out on a limb. I think it's a custom gun built on a Interarms Mark X action. I could not find where Interarms made a 308 Norma and the stock pictures looks to me like it is better than standard wood.
In the late 60's through mid 70's it was fairly popular to convert resonably inexpensive guns like Springfield, Interarms etc, from 30-06 to 308 Norma and dresss them up with nice wood to make better than average rifles.
I may be way off base but I don't think so. You should take it to competent gun smith and get it checked. He will be able to tell you for sure.
There have been a couple of different threads here on AH about the 308 Norma and handloading for it. It's a really cool old caliber.
Anyway, nice gun!

Yep, I would agree. I do not believe that the Mark X was ever originally in 308 Norma. As Mekaniks suggests, a common conversion was from '06. The stock wood is much nicer than the typical Mark X and styling is sort of a California - Germanic sixties/seventies hybrid that I, at least, have never seen on a commercial rifle. Great .300 magnum caliber.

 

[ack]

Nice wood ~I doubt you got ripped,lol.

 

[Ray B]

With the serial number of the scope you may get the year it was made, which is likely the same year the rifle was built.

 

[CAustin]

It looks pretty nice to me Art. If you are happy with it......then you didn't get ripped off. Like others have said that wood is too nice for it to be just a basic off the shelf rifle.

 

[cpr0312]

Congrats on the new addition! Looks nice

 

[Shootist43]

Charlie, I'm hoping to get some ammo for it delivered to Art's house so we can try it and the 416 out this coming weekend. Looking forward to shooting with you.

 

[CAustin]

I'm looking forward to trying that 416 of yours!

 

[Shootist43]

Based on the suspicions of a couple oh AH members namely Mekaniks and RedLeg, I did some more research on the InterArms Mark X. I found an extensive publication called the History of the Mark X. From it I learned that the gun was never offered in 308 Norma Mag. The barrel is not a mark-over meaning that it was once a 30-06 with a new chamber. The barrel was replaced. Also while looking more closely at the gun, it appears that not only is the action bedded, the barrel seems to be fully bedded also. Since I normally have my barrels free-floated I'm wondering if this is going to be a problem. If any of you has experience with bedded barrels, I'd like to hear about it.

I drive right by Midway enroute to my son's house in K.C. so I'm going to order some ammo and have it ready for pickup this Friday. Range results to follow.

Pheroze, thanks for declining my offer to help you get brass from Midway. I just bought all of it for my own use.

 

[Mekaniks]

Awesome!
Yes if it does not have the old stamps on the barrel it was likely rebarrled to 308 Norma and not just "reamed out". The action was probebly a 30-06 or similar caliber originally. The bolt face had to be opened up and the magazine as well to accept the slightly larger Norma case. If it had started out as a "magnum" action there would not have been much reason to convert it to a Norma, in my humble opinion.
I dobut the full bedding will hurt anything. Unless it gets exposed to extreme climate changes I dont think there will be much difference. Lots of guns from that period were full bedded and work just fine.
So I can't wait to hear how it shoots!

 

[Shootist43]

Great minds think alike. RayB had the same thought I did, try using the serial number on the scopeto see when it was manufactured. Now I understand that scopes are easily and often moved from one rifle to another but it was worth a shot. I contacted Leupold's Tech Service Dept and asked for their help. It turns out that M-8 Leupold scopes whose serial numbers contain neither a prefix or suffix were made prior to 1974. The 4X version of that scope was not offered in till 1968. Therefore my scope was made during that 6 year window. My next move is to contact CZ since they were one of InterArms suppliers back in the day and see if they can shed any light on the subject.

 

[mdwest]

at $425 I think you probably got a great deal. If you decide you hate it, let me know and Ill give you $425 for it

I normally stick to regular/vanilla calibers like .308, .300WM, etc..

But I ended up with my 7mm WSM (Win 70) in a similar way you did this .308 Norma Mag... a buddy had one that he had literally never fired.. and offered me an excellent deal on a trade that I couldnt pass up...

Finding ammo is a PIA.. I had to invest in dies and start reloading for it just to be able to shoot it without having to pay a fortune for ammo.. but its far and away the most accurate rifle in my arsenal now, keeping sub 3/4" groups @ 100 all day long..

Here's to hoping you get the same results out of that Interarms Mark X!

 

[cash_tx]

@Shootist43 , I know this is an older thread; but that is a beautiful rifle, and I am a huge fan of 308 Norma Magnum (I have a Browning Safari Grade in that caliber). I might be able to help you with figuring out the age of your Interarms Mark X action that was used to build that rifle. I have an Interarms Mark X Cavalier in 7x57 that is marked "0575" on the right rear portion of the action, just forward of the bolt handle. As I understand it, this is a two digit month code; followed by a two digit year code, meaning that my rifle was made in May 1975. I don't know if this has been done for all Mark X rifles manufactured, but I believe it was a pretty standard practice for that time period (and perhaps yours is the same). Regardless, you got a heckuva a deal on what should be a fantastic rifle. I'm curious to know how it shoots. Cheers!

 

[Shootist43]

cash_tx, I usually show photos of targets shot with the "new to me" rifles that I purchase. Why I didn't post targets for this one is a mystery to me. As I recall, it shot under an inch. I wasn't surprised. The next time I look for it, I'll see if the four-digit code you mentioned is stamped on the action. Thanks for the post, I'd forgotten just how pretty that rifle actually is. I hunt in the Michigan woods and have no need for a magnum caliber rifle. Consequently, it sits in the safe with several other 300 Win. Mags.