OK Pygmy, Better Have a Clean Change of Undies Handy

[wildcat junkie]

The new & improved version of my 8mm-06 Ackley Improved!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 31, 2016 by wildcat junkie

[Pygmy]

GORGEOUS, Dan......WET CLEANUP@ PYGMY's Computer !!

[wildcat junkie]

Somehow, the 26" barrel doesn't look "tong" with the overall proportions.

 

It seems to be able to keep shots under 1" at 100 yds. I haven't had a chance to do a session under good conditions. I tried to post some video clips of how it smashes watermelons, but my cameraman is an iPhone/Facebook addict and can't understand old fashioned e-mail.

 

On the day at the range, it seemed ti be shooting nearly as tight as the 8X57 and that's a hard act to follow.. 

Edited October 31, 2016 by wildcat junkie

[Dinsdale]

Good looking rig.

Like the scope choice too.

[airedale]

Came out really nice, well figured classic stock with the beaded cheek piece and it sounds like she is a shooter to boot, it don't get any better for me. Are you going to have the stock checkered?

 

Al

[dbHunterNY]

looks good.

[wildcat junkie]

10 hours ago, airedale said:

Came out really nice, well figured classic stock with the beaded cheek piece and it sounds like she is a shooter to boot, it don't get any better for me. Are you going to have the stock checkered?

 

Al

I have contacted some various folks that do checkering in the past, but I can't seem to muster the courage to send one of my babies away to have checkering work done after I have gone through all the blood sweat & tears of finishing it. I approached a local guy when I had finished the 8x57 Oberndorph Classic, but when he saw the finished rifle, he became somewhat intimidated & respectfully declined my request.

 

Still, checkering is the icing on the cake so to speak. I have an old Fajen stock from the 1970s standing in the corner gathering dust. I guess it's time for me to try my hand at checkering.

 

BTW:. Thanks everyone for the compliments.

[grampy]

Wow! What an absolutely beautiful rifle! Very nice work. Curious if you will take out to hunt?

[ATbuckhunter]

That's amazing! What receiver is it built of off?

[wildcat junkie]

1 hour ago, ATbuckhunter said:

That's amazing! What receiver is it built of off?

When I was about 15 years old, a neighbor across the street died. About a week later his wife Alice, came over with a M98K that Pat had picked up on the battlefield in WWII. It  was a "duffel cut" in very nice condition with all matching numbers..She told me that Pat had wanted me to have it.

In my late teens I bought a Fajan stock & threw away the military stock & furniture. In 2000 I really went to town on it having it D&Ted for a scope, the bolt handle cut off & a Harris style handle welded on. I bought the stock you see & had the original barrel chambered & turned down.. The results weren't very good as far as accuracy. I sold the barrel & the stock spent the better part of 14 years in the gun safe.

A few years back I learned about "duffel cuts" & when I found some information on the marking, I learned it was manufactured by J.P Sauer & Sohn in 1943. If you look at the close up of the left side, you can still see the Eagle/Swastika on the receiver ring just below the front bottom corner of the scope mount base.

J. P. Sauer & Sohn Mausers are one of the rarest & highest quality types. Even though it was a late war build, it still had excellent fit & finish despite having the stamped sheet-metal trigger-guard/magazine box albeit with the milled floorplate..

 

Over the last few years I have been tinkering around with the parts, adding a M98/29 barrel that was cut back to 26", crowned, re-contoured & re-chambered to 8mm-06 A.I. I also utilized a 1904 Portuguese trigger-guard with a hinged floorplate.

Edited November 1, 2016 by wildcat junkie

[wildcat junkie]

1 hour ago, grampy said:

Wow! What an absolutely beautiful rifle! Very nice work. Curious if you will take out to hunt?

I took it out yesterday evening. It has a boiled linseed oil finish that is somewhat soft yet durable. Minor scuffs & scratches can be rubbed out with fine steel wool & more linseed oil.

[ATbuckhunter]

Your work on firearms is second to none on this forum! I can only hope to acquire only a fraction of your knowledge. 

[wildcat junkie]

14 minutes ago, ATbuckhunter said:

Your work on firearms is second to none on this forum! I can only hope to acquire only a fraction of your knowledge. 

I am just now getting to the point where I have fewer screw ups to fix/cover up than I used to. A big factor in quality work is not accepting shoddy results & taking the time to make things right. You can learn a great deal by fixing mistakes.

[f3cbboy]

very nice!

[ATbuckhunter]

8 minutes ago, wildcat junkie said:

I am just now getting to the point where I have fewer screw ups to fix/cover up than I used to. A big factor in quality work is not accepting shoddy results & taking the time to make things right. You can learn a great deal by fixing mistakes.

Understood! Each time you put a build up, it makes me want to try one

[wildcat junkie]

1 hour ago, ATbuckhunter said:

Understood! Each time you put a build up, it makes me want to try one

If you can find a good M98 Mauser action, I have an excellent take off barrel that I would sell you cheap. If you reload, the 8x57 will out perform the 30-06 with bullets of 200gr or more. You can do an 8X57 in a M48 Yugo which the military equivalent to the VZ-500 intermediate commercial action. If you find a M98K action, you could go to the 8mm-06 or the Ackley Improved version of the same. Then you are getting close to 338 Win Mag performance.

 

For the price of a new M700, you could have a unique piece with a Timney trigger, 3-position safety, nicer wood & the satisfaction of doing most of it yourself.

 

I'm going to ask for some small things for Christmas so I can finish my Dad';s Krag & then maybe I can get at the 7x57 Oberdorph Classic I was wanting to have completed by now.

 

 I'm not getting any younger & I have 3 more 98 actions to build. before I run out of time

 

1. VZ500 with a Shaw barrel in 7X57 
2. Oberndorph M998K action with a M98/29 barrel in 8X68S
3. 1936 Mexican small ring 98 in 6.5 x 55.

Edited November 1, 2016 by wildcat junkie

[ATbuckhunter]

12 minutes ago, wildcat junkie said:

If you can find a good M98 Mauser action, I have an excellent take off barrel that I would sell you cheap. If you reload, the 8x57 will out perform the 30-06 with bullets of 200gr or more. You can do an 8X57 in a M48 Yugo which the military equivalent to the VZ-500 intermediate commercial action. If you find a M98K action, you could go to the 8mm-06 or the Ackley Improved version of the same. Then you are getting close to 338 Win Mag performance.

 

For the price of a new M700, you could have a unique piece with a Timney trigger, 3-position safety, nicer wood & the satisfaction of doing most of it yourself.

 

I'm goinfg to ask for some small things for Christmas so I can finish my Dad';s Krag & then maybe I can get atbthe 7x57 Oberdorph Classic I was wanting to have completed by now.

 

 I'm not getting any younger & I have 3 more 98 actions to build. before I run out of time

 

1. VZ500 with a Shaw barrel in 7X57 
2. Oberndorph M998K action with a M98/29 barrel in 8X68S
3. 1936 Mexican small ring 98 in 6.5 x 55.

I appreciate the offer and I just might take you up on it! Ill probably go the M48 route due to the ease of me finding quality receivers for it. I appreciate the advice by the way. 

[wildcat junkie]

1 hour ago, ATbuckhunter said:

I appreciate the offer and I just might take you up on it! Ill probably go the M48 route due to the ease of me finding quality receivers for it. I appreciate the advice by the way. 

M48 would be excellent for 8x57, 7x57, .257 Roberts, 6mm Remington (the last 2 being better suited to the intermediate length Mauser than the "short" commercial actions they are usually chambered in) and 6.5x55.

 

The intermediate length M98 action is tailor made for those cartridges.

 

Here's my VZ500 action with a Dennis Olsen contour on a 98K barrel for some inspiration.

 

Edited November 1, 2016 by wildcat junkie

[bugsNbows]

Awesome rifle... digging the scope too! 

[ATbuckhunter]

19 hours ago, wildcat junkie said:

M48 would be excellent for 8x57, 7x57, .257 Roberts, 6mm Remington (the last 2 being better suited to the intermediate length Mauser than the "short" commercial actions they are usually chambered in) and 6.5x55.

 

The intermediate length M98 action is tailor made for those cartridges.

 

Here's my VZ500 action with a Dennis Olsen contour on a 98K barrel for some inspiration.

 

Some interesting calibers there! Ill have to do my research to figure out which one I would want to do. 

[wildcat junkie]

14 hours ago, ATbuckhunter said:

Some interesting calibers there! Ill have to do my research to figure out which one I would want to do. 

Any short/medium length standard cartridge will fit.

Bear in mind that '06 length cartridges won't fit.

Maximum COAL for intermediate length M98 actions is about 3.20", and '06 length is 3.40".

Unlike the M98K action, the intermediates are already maxed out in length. M98Ks can be expanded to 3.420" by merely using a file on the front & rear of the box.

 

[ATbuckhunter]

Any short/medium length standard cartridge will fit.

Bear in mind that '06 length cartridges won't fit.

Maximum COAL for intermediate length M98 actions is about 3.20", and '06 length is 3.40".

Unlike the M98K action, the intermediates are already maxed out in length. M98Ks can be expanded to 3.420" by merely using a file on the front & rear of the box.

 

At this point I'm not interested in an 06 since I already have one. I want to start reloading as well so I'm thinking about a uncommon cartridge. The 6mm caught my eye a little as well as the 7x57 and 6.55. Now I have to get good at assessing the condition of a receiver. I can find plenty of M48's when I go back to Europe and as far as I know they're all in good condition from what I can tell.

EDIT: the more I think about it, the more I'm thinking of cartridges like 6.8 or 7mm-08.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wildcat junkie]

if you stay with a 7X57 or an offspring of same (.257 Bob, 6mm Rem) you will have the proper magazine geometry for an accurate 30* stack that will keep the cases in full contact with each other & the magazine sides/follower.

Gong to a .308 based cartridge will require some minor modifications to the sides of the box & the follower for flawless feeding.

6.5x 55 will require a slight enlargement of the bolt face & magazine width dimensions.

Again, if you want an ,06/.270/.280, etc, you will need to find a M98K receiver.

[ATbuckhunter]

7 hours ago, wildcat junkie said:

if you stay with a 7X57 or an offspring of same (.257 Bob, 6mm Rem) you will have the proper magazine geometry for an accurate 30* stack that will keep the cases in full contact with each other & the magazine sides/follower.

Gong to a .308 based cartridge will require some minor modifications to the sides of the box & the follower for flawless feeding.

6.5x 55 will require a slight enlargement of the bolt face & magazine width dimensions.

Again, if you want an ,06/.270/.280, etc, you will need to find a M98K receiver.

Well if I go with a 7x57 cartridge it will either be the 7x57 or .257. If I go the .308 route is the work something that can be done at home or is it something that should be done by a gunsmith? 

Edited November 4, 2016 by ATbuckhunter

[Trial153]

Nice work!

I just sold my last sporterized m98...can't say I wasn't glad to see it go.