Guest buck98k Posted February 25, 2006 Report Share Posted February 25, 2006 will a 8x68 fit into a standard 98 action if so what all work does it take also has anyone ever tried a 8mm with a 300 winchester mag case do not know what they call this wildcat thanks buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roscoedoh Posted February 26, 2006 Report Share Posted February 26, 2006 Buck, I have had an 8x68s project started and put on the backburner for a while now. Z1r and BradD both have designs on building an 8x68s too. For starters, if you want to build one, you'll need to get the boltface opened a little bit. Its not much bigger than the 8x57 but it still needs opened. After you get the boltface opened, you really ought to install your barrel. You'll want the barrel installed so you can work out the feeding issues you're about to address. The fastest way to get into the 8x68s barrel business is to order a Lothar Walther 8x68s barrels (~$200), install it and headspace it. You'll also want to get your hands on a set of reloading dies and some RWS or Horneber brass. You can find both of these at Huntington's and other places if you look hard enough. To date, there is no commercially loaded 8x68s ammunition available in the United States that I know of - and I've scoured the Internet looking for it. The reason you'll want to have your reloading setup is that you'll need dummy cartridges to work out feeding. Now that you've get your barrel on, you'll need to lengthen and widen the magazine box to properly fit this cartridge. I have in my notes a mathematical formula that I'd be happy to share with you to help you figure these dimensions out. Drop me a PM and I'll see if I can find them. Once you've got the magazine opened to the proper dimensions, then you'll have to work on the receiver to make it feed this cartridge smoothly. This is where things get hazy in my mind because I have not had to do this with any of my projects yet and can't share any personal experiences. I can tell you that finesse and patience are required because if you take too much off, you're done and have to start over with a new receiver. Lastly, you will probably want to reshape the follower a little bit to account for the increased width of the new cartridge. All I can tell you there is that you'll probably have to grind it and resmooth when you're finished. Followers in my experience are harder than woodpecker lips and files glance off them like glass. I think this covers the majority of what needs done. You'll need work out any other particulars like sights, scope mounts, etc to meet your tastes. I plan on building mine to look as closely to a continetal europeon Mauser sporter as I can and I *hope* to have the metal work finished by late summer. With regards to an 8x300 Win Mag, yes its been done before. Another popular variant is the 8x338 Win Mag. If you're interested in one of these wildcats, what I would recommend is getting in touch with Dave Kiff at PT&G or one of the other reamer manufacturers and asking them to make you a reamer. I am sure that since there are enough of these wildcats around, the reamer maker will have a set of prints available to make a reamer from. Ask him to send a copy of the prints along with the reamer so you can supply them to the die maker when you order your custom wildcat dies. Once you get your reamer and dies in hand, the feeding issues and rifle making process ought to be about the same as 8x68s. I will add though, that I do not recommend the original issue Mauser barrel for rechambering to a magnum cartridge and for three main reasons: 1. I don't like stepped barrels on sporter rifles. 2. Lord knows how old the barrel is and if its accurate or not. 3. Most importantly, the gunsmiths I've visited with all pretty much agree that you may not have enough meat left around the breech end of the original barrel after rechambering to have a comforatble safety margin *or* to really be accurate. Essentially, they all recommended a new commercial barrel, even if it was a really cheap one. And since you'll probably be shelling out a fair amount of money in other areas, why not upgrade the barrel too? Sorry I wrote you a book, but I have tried to give you best answers to your questions that I can. Good luck with your project and keep us updated. Also, you have to show and tell when you're done! Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest buck98k Posted February 26, 2006 Report Share Posted February 26, 2006 thank you for the information .I was going to buy a winchester in the new 325 short mag but since winchester is gone i am looking for other options im looking for some thing that shoots flat like a 300 winchester mag but hits like a 338 win mag ( for moose and elk hunting) i like the 8mm remington mag but cant find a long mauser action or a long winchester action with out spending a fortune and from what i read getting a 325 to work in a mauser action is a real pain in the axx any other sugestion ? thanks buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z1r Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 Browning still makes a WSM action and I bet they have it in .325. that said, for a mauser the 8x68 is very hard to beat. Like you said, shoots flat like a 300 Winnie and hits as hard as the 338 winnie. Only a wee bit behind the 8mm Rem Mag. Jason pretty much covered the bases. It is not that hard to do but certainly not a drop in and a heck of a lot easier than trying to make a WSM feed properly in the 98 action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BradD Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 Buck, keep an eye on the site for further on this. We believe that the 8x68, though designed in 1939 and then promptly forgotten may be one of the best big game cartridges ever. The brass is way expensive, but available from Huntingtons.com (you only buy it once). The dies are on sale at natchezss.com for $42.00. I will have reamer and gauges available for rent to your gunsmith soon. It is a real thumper, easily equal to the .338 WM. Being a veteran of the conversion I would say forget the 325 in a std action 98. The three of us have one cooking and we will report as things move along. I am using an Interarms MK X, model D (magnum action). Z and Roscoedoh are using standards and filing the front and rear of the mags. I don't think much would be needed and if you wanted to stay with the lighter bullets, you might get get by without doing anything to the mag. Good luck and if you decide to to pursue this, please keep in touch. We're all learning as we go, but we are convinced that this is the sleeper in magnum cartridges. Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z1r Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 I actually used Blackburn botom metal designed for the short magnums (.300 Win Mag, et al.) The geometry was almost perfect for the 8x68 meaning it was improper for the magnums. It was opened more to the front than I'd liked to have seen but no where near as bad as the interarms/CD stuff. The box needed tweaking still to lengthen it to the 3.425" coal that is CIP standard. This would be a very easy conversion on a CD action. Even the .30-06 actions as they open the rails about the same as for the magnums. very litle meatl work would be required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest buck98k Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 ZR1 getting a 325 win short mag is not hard but finding one in a action with the mauser extractor is im hoping that cz adds the 325 to there model 3 soon already in 270/7mm/300 short mag. did winchester ever make any of the 325 in there classic model 70 i tried to order one before winchester shut down but couldnt get one thanks buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest buck98k Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 can you still get a charles daliy long magnum action if so what would they cost if they still do i could just put a new 8mm remington barrel on it thanks buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z1r Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 CZ no longer offers the model 3. you can just go to the source, MRC for their action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BradD Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 Buck, Charles Daly and Zastava, the maker (also maker of the predecessor Interarms Mark X) have split company and Daly no longer has any actions and never did have any parts. So if you find a CD action it will be a floater that you find in Gunlist or on the auction sites or at a gunshow. You're just about as likely to find an Interarms and you will be luckier if you do. The old Mark Xs, though somewhat cheesey looking due to being overpolished were very good actions and with some TLC could be very slick and dependable. We all had some concerns about the CDs as there was some stories of questionable heat treating procedures. Look back through some of the archived posts and you can find some good info. The promising news is that Zastava has formed a new partnership with Remington Arms (yup, Big Green) to market their Mauser stuff in the US. I called Rem and they confirmed it however, say they won't be up and running until May, or so (read that November). So we should have the stuff again, hopefully with better customer service, better quality control and PARTS, thank you. I have a mini-Mauaer that I have been looking for an extractor for for over a year. Happy hunting, that's why we have gunshows. Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 thanks for the information i will keep looking im sure sooner or later something will pop up buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts