Clemson

Progress report: Got the Shilen barrel. It is now threaded and chambered. The fun part of the indexing and breech cuts is yet to come. I had to travel out of town to find a box of .250 Savage cartridges. Even Brownells is out of stock. Clemson

Hmmmm...... How about one of every BRNO action converted to .280?? Clemson

Well, we got reamer and gauges ordered for .250 Savage. I need to get a barrel ordered and get started on the project. I will do that this week. Brownells has a Shilen #1 in Chrome moly for $171. I have an old Bishop stock, but it is set up to use the action without the extensions on the tang and trigger guard. I actually like the looks of those pieces. I may call Richards and GAG to see how they cut Type 38 stocks. Meanwhile in barrel fitting, we did a Mauser 93 and started on a Ruger #1 Clemson

Agreed. I did show the guy the Graf's site while he was in the shop. He was not a reloader, nor did he know much of anything about the rifle or its ballistics. He wanted cheap ammo to hunt with. Given that firing a box over 5 years was unlikely with this fellow, I think he can do nicely with Grafs. Clemson:)

I did a simple Drill and Tap job and forged the bolt handle on one of these guns for a fellow about a year ago. He wanted to maintain the military look, but he needed a scope. I don't often forge bolts, but this one looked quite good when done. There was a small modification required on the handguard to fit the front mount, but it turned out looking proper also. Clemson

I'm teaching barrel fitting this semester at the gunsmithing school. For a different class project, I think I am going to sporterize a Type 38 carbine that I had sitting around. It is missing the upper handguard and has a chunk out of the stock, so collectability is nil. We pulled the barrel last night. The breech end of that barrel is going to take some serious machine work to replicate. The 6.5mm barrel is pristine, but, after all, it is a barrel fitting class, so I am going to order a new tube. I am thinking either 250 Savage or 300 Savage, ending up with a woman's or kid's rifle. Any suggestions? Who cuts stocks for the Type 38? Clemson

I had a customer to request a rechamber of his Type 99 sporter from 7.7 to 30-06. I refused because of the difference in cartridge diameter at the base (7.7 is .005" larger) and the likely miserable accuracy of the .308 bullet in a .311 bore. I did wonder, however, how often this may have been done. Anyone know?? Clemson

Good score, Ralph! Now you will have plenty of funds left over for the rebarrel, drill and tap job, etc.!! Clemson

Thanks, guys. That's really helpful. The same collection included a couple of 99's, one a long rifle and a second, short rifle. Both have AA sights. The short rifle has monopod, dust cover, and intact Mum. Also included was a Type 38 carbine with dust cover and intact Mum. There were two bayonets, one with hooked quillion and the other straight. Quite a haul! Clemson

I knew something had changed. Yesterday I got the first email notice of a reply to a post that I have ever gotten from the board! Clemson

Barrel length will not affect accuracy to any meaningful extent. Shorter barrels, in fact, tend to be more accurate than longer ones because of their relative stiffness. What WILL be affected is velocity. Still, for hunting, a short barrel generally gives up little in practical terms. Clemson

The K98 bolt would fit, but........ Reading between the lines, I assume you would want to install a bent bolt for scope clearance. A Mauser bent bolt like that of the K98 will not provide adequate clearance for a scope. Your best bet is to either forge or cut and weld the VZ24 bolt that you have. Clemson

How common is the Type 44 carbine with the folding bayonet? I got one as a part of a collection that I bought the other day. Nothing remarkable, ground mum, no dust cover, but the rifle is very well made with good blueing and a good stock. Clemson

Doggone! The checkering on that rifle is worth $300 alone! Good score. Clemson

Looks good to me! Clemson

Nice looking rifle. I'll bet the muzzle flash is impressive! Clemson

Great job, Roger!! Clemson

Good score and great trade! Clemson

I am not personally a fan of cock-on-opening conversions, Ralph. The problems are (1) in getting the right helix cut for the cocking cam and (2) in the fact that the cocking cam is going to be much narrower than a Model 98 cam, thus prone to wear. That said, I have seen successful ones, but for every one of those, I have seen folks looking for bolts to go back to COC operation. Clemson

I have never done an Arisaka, Jeff, but I am willing to try it. Clemson clemsongunsmith@hotmail.com

Looks great, Ralph! Congrats! Clemson

I have come by a few bayonets that I could use help with. Three are 16" 1905 U.S. bayonets, all with scabbards. I have a 1910 Springfield, a 1919 Springfield, and a 1943 O.L. (Oneida, I think). I also have a 10" (cutdown from 16") 1942 Oneida. I am curious about the rarity of any or all of them. The 1919 has wooden grips; the rest are plastic (bakelite??). Thanks, Clemson

Yessir!

Ha! I forgot about the 375 Ruger, and I even have that reamer! It is a real thumper! Clemson

There are a lot of potential candidates for your magnum Santa Barbara actions. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it is representative of cartridges that should work with a minimum of fuss: .264 Win Mag 7mm Rem Mag .300 Win Mag .338 Win Mag .458 Win Mag The other cartridges you mentioned use a "standard" bolt face. Most do not require a "short" action. A standard length Mauser action can be made to work for any of them. Clemson