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For polishing the interior I prefer stones glued to a rod which is covered in that link I posted. Jason covered things pretty well. I do lap all my parts but I also have everything rehardened. I would not be inclined to lap lugs etc without that in mind. If you do, go slow and remove very little. Us e afine past and do not try for 100% contact. By the time you achieve that you will be well through the case hardened layer, or damn near.

HSS won't work without annealing like Don said. I just grind my own Carbide tipped bit. I got this one at HF and modified it to work. It cuts well.

Opeing up the rails with a ball end mill is best. then do whatever other work is required with a file(s).

It is basically the .338-08. A 308 necked up to 338. Technically the go gage is .002" longer but I've spoken to the reamer makers who all have said that the factories (both rifle and barrel makers) have stopped buying the federal gage and are just using the .308 gages.

I have the reamer and a barrel. A buddy and I are building a brace of them. Mine on an intermediate 98 and his on a Rem 700. The balistics are good just about 100 - 150 fps shy of the 338-06. Bassically just like the 358 Win vs 35 Whelen. I like it and it is especially good for rebarreling lite carbines that were once .308s. I had some factory test ammo but only one loaded round left. The nosler 210 partition is all you will ever need in it. the Barnes 180 or is it 185 is also a great performer. I have some of the discontinued Speer 275's for mine to take advantage of the longer magazine the mauser has.

Well, I can certainly understand wanting to build him what he wants but as a practical matter, maybe something you are reasonably sure you can build might be more practical. I think the .280 Rem is a dandy. Not really all that far behind the 7mm mag, cheaper to feed, and easier on the shoulder. So too is the 7x57

Now, we all know what that advice is worth so:

To build a mag, open the bolt face. Search the archeives where I and others posted pics of the carbide tipped lathe bit used for the purpose. Let me know if you can't find it.

Alter your extractor.

As for opening rails, I found Walsh's instructions to be near worthless. Instead, study how the factory round travels out of the magazine and into the chamber. Note where the shoulder bumps the little "ramp" on the rail and starts to jut the nose out. Then try to apply that relationship to the dimensions of the Magnum cartridge when altering rails. The feedrails by the way are the underside just above where the magazine meets the receiver. Most people think it is the top where the bolt lugs slide along. No. But, that area will need to be widened up front near the feedramp to allow the fatter cartrdige to emerge from the magazine.

Feedramp will need to be widened and blended with the altered passageway yto channel the nose of the cartridge into the chamber.

Magazine. You are attempting the correct way it is also the hard way. Oddly, the Charles Daly and related (Mk X) do not have the proper magazine geometry but do feed reasonably well. In other words, do not waste your money on the "Magnum" bottom metal being sold on eBay and else where. It is the same as the standard bottom metal, exactly. If you want hinged bottom metal don't pay the premium most seelers are asking for the magnum stuff, get the standard instead or just alter your military piece. I've seen buddies employ the issue magazine only lengthend but you will have to adjust your rails accordingly. So, decided beforehand on which magazine you want to use before turning your attention to the rails.

Follower, use the one you have.

Go slow, study how the issue cartridge feeds, go slow, study some more, go slow. And you will be fine.

Thanks Fritz.

Here is a link to a thread on our site that has a reprint of that article and some addendums. And, as Flaco pointed out, ATF (Automatic Transmission Fluid) makes dandy cutting oil for stoning and is much much cheaper than hoing oils and the like.

http://www.sporterizing.com/index.php?showtopic=1019

As for files, Jason points out a good assortment to start with. It really all depends on what you want to use them for. I don;t use files for crest removal althoughI do use them, or have, on the rear charger hump. And, as he says, stay away from the Dremel. I've seen more dremeled actions in a friends shop for repair.

It's an M43 Spanish Mauser. Like the K98k in many ways except, well, craftsmanship. Caliber is indeed 8x57.

Fritz asks a good question, what model are they? The 93-95 are less desirable than the 98's but at least some of them were German made. Like he says, if they are kept in the original chambering & fed factory ammo they are ok. However, the Spanish have a deserved reputation for poor metalurgy & perhaps even machining skills when it comes to mausers.

The receivers are prone to setback. I have three spanish 98's and the only reason I have them is that they were part of a 7 fer 1 deal which included 1 spanish M43 action, one M44 airforce action, one complete M43 rifle, one Mosin Nagant 91-30, one complete mosin action, one Argentine 1891 barrel action and finally one all matching 1914 Carl Gustoff (sp) M96 mauser which cost me the princely sum of $75. The complete M43 while a decent copy of sorts of the K98 has so much slop in the bolt from an overly large bolt bore, that the bolt nose hits the left rail just ahead of the thumbcut on its way in. The other two actions are crude even compared to the Turk made actions but relatively tight. It is their heat treat that is worrisome. With heat treatment I might consider building a beater out of them. But then again, for all intents and purposes, they were free.

If it was a decent sporting job, I'd say possibly depending on price. But when you say poor, I say walk away and find a better donor to start with.

It's funny, I was just talking to one of the editors of Shooting Times at lunch. He was telling me that Danny Pedersen noted that more people were requesting barrels in the stepped profile. Many were having theirs rebored but I think he had a fair amount of requests for new barrels cut to the stepped profile. These were for sporters, not milsurps. Seems to be the new "In" thing.

They are quite handy on the stainless because: First, the stainless is pretty thin. Second, they are very portable. Third, they run on 110 V.

Brownells doesn;t carry them. They don't even list receiver mandrels anymore.

Pilot of .256" to .258", mine is .256" and a counterbore of .400". A .258" pilot I believe is more common and would make no real difference.

No, Everyone deserves one nice rifle. Take your time, do it right. It doesn't take a lot of money to make a nice rifle. You wouldn't believe how inexpensive some of mine have been.

What do you have in mind? What receiver do you have? What have you done so far?

The crests are remarkably thin. A couple thou. The case is generally thicker than that.

Just because you don't mess with the seat area doesn't mean they are right. Many, as supplied, were soft. Many weren't. If I'm taking the time to build a rifle I just have it "heat treated". Many don't, the arguements over this subject are as long as they are many. Suffice it say that it is a matter of personal preference. My prefernce being German is to do it right.

Leter models tend to be a bit harder than earlier one.

That said, I just fixed the scope base holes on a Zastava action and I've never seen a drill bit cut as quickly as in that receiver. The part that really scared me was how easily the 8x40 tap just "screwed" right in.

It is the interior surfaces that "must" have their case (hardness) intact. You can clean the exterior all you want without material loss of strength. It is the places you cannot get to like the locking lug webs that must be hardened the catch is you cannot measure the hardness without cutting the receiver in half. Yu cannot assume that just because a receiver is Hard in one area that it automatically is hard elsewhere. Various methods were used to apply the so-called case hardening. The oldest and most used method was called pack hardening. the Germans packed a material into the areas they wan't to harden. New material was used where they wanted the depth and hardness greatest, re-used material where they still wanted some hardness but depth wasn't as critical.

All that said, I like to have mine re-hardened afetr surface grinding because it makes the finish more durable less susceptible to wear & scratching. AND, I KNOW that it is the proper hardness throughout when it is done. Blanchards or Industrial Heat Treating in SLC are good choices.

You can make them out of a military shroud too. It's no different. I kinda like the Military one because the flange is larger, a better gas shield. But that's me.

My first was a chicom and I love the darn thing. Mine is milled with screw in barrel and is pretty darn accurate. i can hold three MOA as fast as I can pull the trigger. Maybe 1.5 when I try and take my time.

My other is a Yugo with the grenade launcher. I removed that and the blade but never made it to the range. Still don't remember how any rounds they hold but all the stripper clips I have are made for ten rounds.

If I could get a $90 SKS I would in a second.

I thought the High Freq was worth it so I got the SD-185 whch I gather is the equivilent of their new synchrowave 200. Just makes welding small part sthat much easier. Fritz might could do it but I'd hate to try to weld some of the small stuff using a scratch start. You won't believe how often you will use a welder.

It's been so long since I've played with mine, how many do they normally hold? Is this the detachable or fixed? All mine are fixed.

It's certainly neat but aren't the Hein actions basically Model 70 copies? If they have one that fits a 98 it would certainly dress up a rifle for sure.

What is it you want to know about the 3 POS safety? Ed lapour's is the best on the market now. Not any harder to install that the 2 position side swing. I like the old fn left side safety myself.

Straddle floorplate is easy, if you can find one. Jim Wisner makes them from time to time. Don Markey used to have some for sale, he may still. I have three of Jim's set aside for my projects. Fitting them is relatively easy but you do have to ream new holes. The original pins are 3mm but to ensure a tight fit you use 1/8" pins. I'm sur ethere are other makers. I bet Stuart Satterlee can make one. But, depending on what caliber you want to build a new triggerguard may be more cost effective. Most already come with straddle floorplates. the good ones anyway.

Here ya go since you seemed to question my statement.

??

We couldn't carry it at school because the teachers would either keep hitting you up for it if they dipped or would make you eat the whole can if you didn't.

Sounds like my shop teacher. Always wanted a pinch. He was a good guy. Hell, now they don't even offer shop. We even had a smoking area. Now, they shoot you on sight if you lit up. Damn, what a mess this world has become.

Heck, I remember way back in High School, every male wearing jeans had one of those "condom" rings, well, except for the stoners.

My wife got the joke, she loved it.