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Looking to build
- Thread starter hbhobby
- Start date
I think a 7mm Mauser (7X57)is absolutely one of the best cartridges anyone could choose. What kind of bolt action rifle are you looking for? A Mauser 98? Probably have to find one at a pawn shop or a gun show or online at gunsamerica.com, gunbroker.com, or gunauction.com. Buying a commercial action is the best bet, they come ready to rock, drilled and tapped for scope bases and often adjustable triggers. Lots of makers (FN, Interarms, Zastava, etc), and since they are no longer "cool" you can find custom rifles built in the 50's-70's at about $350-$450.
Don't try to start with a military rifle. You can buy one pretty cheap, but quality varies and you'll have a bunch of work to do to get it ready for mounting a scope (drill/tap, swing safety, trigger, low bolt handle).
Don't try to start with a military rifle. You can buy one pretty cheap, but quality varies and you'll have a bunch of work to do to get it ready for mounting a scope (drill/tap, swing safety, trigger, low bolt handle).
I'd agree that converting a raw milsurp receiver is probably not a good plan unless you are well set up to do your own gunsmithing,and even then it would be about creating something,not economics.
If you pay a gunsmith to do the work,you can just buy a new rifle for the price.
I absolutely agree that 7x57 is a perfectly wonderful hunting cartridge.Nothing wrong with sticking to that plan.
I'll suggest being open to another thought.The 7x57 is as good as ever,but the manufacturers of the modern rifles in the racks did not offer a lot of rifles in 7x57. They offered a few,for those who appreciated the cartridge.
You might check on the price of a Ruger American,for example.They may not offer a 7x57. Its up to you if a 7-08 or a 6.5 Creedmoor or a 260 or a 308,etc will do.
I think probably there are hundreds of thousands of sporterized Mausers 98's in the gun racks,safes,and closets of Old Guys. Guys who may not hunt anymore. Guys who don't particularly have anyone they care to pass them on to.
Those guys won't accept the lowball price a pawn shop or gunshop will offer for the "wholesale" buying price for Old Betsy.
When he dies,who knows where it goes.
SOME (not all) of those rifles are very well made rifles,all the work done by a good smith.Many are 7x57 or 8x57. No bolt/magazine/feedrail work necessary.
The very good question is how do you find the Old Guy? He may be very happy to pass it on to a Father/Son team.Those rifles aren't on the market.They aren't on Gunbroker,they aren't in a pawnshop.They are cased in the back corner of a closet,mostly forgotten.
Some shops,from gun to coffee shops,have bulletin boards.Maybe where Old Guys talk about hay and the price of hogs.
"If you built a good 98 Mauser 7x57 40 years ago,I'd like to buy it for my son"
See what happens. Not to insult anyones 93 or 95 rifle,I'd hold out for a 98.
Husqvarna converted a lot of military 98's to sporters. A Mark 10 is a good rifle. Some of the JC Higgins,etc rifles were built on good Mausers.
Good luck!
If you pay a gunsmith to do the work,you can just buy a new rifle for the price.
I absolutely agree that 7x57 is a perfectly wonderful hunting cartridge.Nothing wrong with sticking to that plan.
I'll suggest being open to another thought.The 7x57 is as good as ever,but the manufacturers of the modern rifles in the racks did not offer a lot of rifles in 7x57. They offered a few,for those who appreciated the cartridge.
You might check on the price of a Ruger American,for example.They may not offer a 7x57. Its up to you if a 7-08 or a 6.5 Creedmoor or a 260 or a 308,etc will do.
I think probably there are hundreds of thousands of sporterized Mausers 98's in the gun racks,safes,and closets of Old Guys. Guys who may not hunt anymore. Guys who don't particularly have anyone they care to pass them on to.
Those guys won't accept the lowball price a pawn shop or gunshop will offer for the "wholesale" buying price for Old Betsy.
When he dies,who knows where it goes.
SOME (not all) of those rifles are very well made rifles,all the work done by a good smith.Many are 7x57 or 8x57. No bolt/magazine/feedrail work necessary.
The very good question is how do you find the Old Guy? He may be very happy to pass it on to a Father/Son team.Those rifles aren't on the market.They aren't on Gunbroker,they aren't in a pawnshop.They are cased in the back corner of a closet,mostly forgotten.
Some shops,from gun to coffee shops,have bulletin boards.Maybe where Old Guys talk about hay and the price of hogs.
"If you built a good 98 Mauser 7x57 40 years ago,I'd like to buy it for my son"
See what happens. Not to insult anyones 93 or 95 rifle,I'd hold out for a 98.
Husqvarna converted a lot of military 98's to sporters. A Mark 10 is a good rifle. Some of the JC Higgins,etc rifles were built on good Mausers.
Good luck!
Last edited:
Remington74
New member
I found some listings on several sites such as Armslist but the prices ranged from $175 and up, mostly up. In my area there are several Mauser Mark X rifles for sale for $350 to $400, all in good shape, already drilled and tapped, two with scopes mounted. All are in 30-06. I don't know if that is in your desired price range but maybe if you look around you could find a deal. The ones I mentioned have been on the rack for a long while, not tacticool, heavy, wood stock not composite, etc. If I was looking for one I believe cash would talk.
Any used .30-06 will do. The 7mm has the same case head diameter so there'll be no fiddling with the bolt face. OAL is a bit shorter than the '06 but a bit longer than the .308 with like bullet weights.
There are a few Ruger M77's chambered in the 7mm on Gunbroker. Running close to a grand though. Building one will probably cost that much by the time you're done. And if you're paying to have any of it done for you, you'll be waiting for months.
There are a few Ruger M77's chambered in the 7mm on Gunbroker. Running close to a grand though. Building one will probably cost that much by the time you're done. And if you're paying to have any of it done for you, you'll be waiting for months.
There is no such thing as a P17. The P (as in P14) means "pattern", and was used by the British to denote the year of introduction. The US M1917 rifles are big, heavy, and a pain in the rear to modify for anything (mill off the rear sight, drill/tap, replace bolt handle, convert to cock on open, replace trigger, replace barrel), and are worth more in original condition than modified. I don't see why anyone ever used them for standard head sized cartridges, although they can be made into nice 375 H&H magnums. A Mauser 98, on the other hand, is substantial yet graceful and can even be construed as light.
A Mark X or other commercial Mauser will still run several hundred dollars to turn into a 7X57. As long as you are comfortable with the cost, that is a good option. After all, they come drilled/tapped, side safety/adjustable trigger, and a fairly good stock.
The idea of a modern rifle is a also good one. I recently bought a Remington 700 Classic in 7X57 for a customer, I believe it was from 1987 or so. Nice lines, nice shooter, and very light. You could also look at 7-08 rifles, but it really isn't a 7X57. If you wanted a modern Mauser-style rifle, the Kimber 84 is a nice rifle.
A Mark X or other commercial Mauser will still run several hundred dollars to turn into a 7X57. As long as you are comfortable with the cost, that is a good option. After all, they come drilled/tapped, side safety/adjustable trigger, and a fairly good stock.
The idea of a modern rifle is a also good one. I recently bought a Remington 700 Classic in 7X57 for a customer, I believe it was from 1987 or so. Nice lines, nice shooter, and very light. You could also look at 7-08 rifles, but it really isn't a 7X57. If you wanted a modern Mauser-style rifle, the Kimber 84 is a nice rifle.
The comments on the cost of a military conversion are quite valid. Surprisingly, I still get a fair number to do. The 7x57 and 257 Roberts are the two most requested cartridges. My advice, if you are going for a military conversion, is to pick a GOOD action (1909 Argentine, good 1908 Brazilian, good BRNO action, etc.), then couple it with a GOOD barrel (at least a Douglas or Shilen quality tube). Spending an extra hundred dollars on an action and the same on a barrel is pretty cheap compared to the labor cost of converting a military action.
What you do end up with is a one-of-a-kind hunting rifle that is better machined and made than virtually any factory rifle. It costs between $1500 and $3000 (and up) to get there. Unless you do virtually all the work yourself, you won't be able to cobble together a decent rifle for less than a factory gun.
Bill Jacobs
What you do end up with is a one-of-a-kind hunting rifle that is better machined and made than virtually any factory rifle. It costs between $1500 and $3000 (and up) to get there. Unless you do virtually all the work yourself, you won't be able to cobble together a decent rifle for less than a factory gun.
Bill Jacobs
I would look for a sporterized P-17.....but I hear barrels are hard to remove.
The P was a way for the British to identify a pattern, when we decided we were going to war and short on rifle we decided with a little effort we could open a few plants if we modified the plants' equipment. We were already into the 30/06 cartridge so we started manufacturing rifles. The P does not work for us but the M had a good sound as in 'MODEL' and the year was 1917.
And then they had to open paint shops because of the inability of troops to distinguish the difference between the a P Enfield and a M Enfield. I no longer advise on the paint scheme because I have owned and or seen P and M rifles that have had paint schemes no one else has ever seen.
And then I thought about the day I was behind a driver trying to cross an intersection. The driver would look left and then right and could not remember what they saw coming from the left.
F. Guffey
There is no such thing as a P17. The P (as in P14) means "pattern", and was used by the British to denote the year of introduction. The US M1917 rifles are big, heavy, and a pain in the rear to modify for anything (mill off the rear sight, drill/tap, replace bolt handle, convert to cock on open, replace trigger, replace barrel), and are worth more in original condition than modified. I don't see why anyone ever used them for standard head sized cartridges, ....
I agree, but there are 10's of 1000's of these things in the wild with some or all of those things completed.
To finish one into a workable 30'06, 280 or 7x57 is not unheard of. I cut my teeth on one that weighed in at 12 lbs with a military sling, 4x Weaver and a decent stock. It was my dad's project from middle/high school. It has killed a lot of deer to be so quickly dismissed.....it holds 6+1, which can be nice.
I agree, but there are 10's of 1000's of these things in the wild with some or all of those things completed.
I started to build 2 bench rest type rifles so I started on two M1917s,, I have 4 P14s that are well on their way to becoming something else. I also have a P14 that is chambered to 30/06 and a M1917 that is chambered to 308 Norma Mag.
And I also have the ugliest rifle ever sporterized; It is a Remington M1917m I purchased it from a Gun Broker auction for $120.00. Reloading forum members had an extended field day with all of the tacky talk.
ME! I could not believe anyone could build anything that ugly without knowing what he was doing so I bid and then won. I asked forum members to hold it down because I was concerned the attention could drive the price up.
I started out with a plan that was for the sum of the parts. But first I loaded up some ammo and headed for the range. There was not much I could do to improve on the accuracy. No flyers and groups did not open up. They moved, I used 12 different loads with 10 rounds each with new, once fired commercial, military cases and different brand cases. No group was larger than a quarter.
So much for the plan that included the sum of the parts, I applied the leaver policy and lefter the way I founder.
F. Guffey
Don Fischer
New member
I had a 6.5x55 put together for my ex on a Parker-Hale 1200 I got at a gun show for something like $200. Got a Shilen barrel for it. Had the stock cut to fit her. She quit using her 6mm!
Thank you all for the suggestions. I went to LGS and picked up Rem 700 ADL in .270 Dropped it off today to get barrel chambered, fitted, contoured and fluted, ordering stock blank tomorrow. Should have all the pieces just in time for the miserable heat (live in Az.) so will be nice to have indoor stuff to keep us busy
I should be able to complete the gun (no glass) for about $1500. The time spent/memories with the boy building and finishing the stock then going shooting with a gun “we built” will be more than worth it! Plus after I am in the pine box he can have something to pass on to his kiddos.
I should be able to complete the gun (no glass) for about $1500. The time spent/memories with the boy building and finishing the stock then going shooting with a gun “we built” will be more than worth it! Plus after I am in the pine box he can have something to pass on to his kiddos.
How much are you willing to pay for a build and how does that compare to this?
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/762168916
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/762168916
Savage is by far the best way to go with these (easy off easy on)
Anyone that knows the Model of 1917 knows the P17 and the only people that have a problem are the ones that knew what an adverbial phrase was back in English class (LOL)
here is no such thing as a P17. The P (as in P14) means "pattern"
Anyone that knows the Model of 1917 knows the P17 and the only people that have a problem are the ones that knew what an adverbial phrase was back in English class (LOL)