Help me a bit ... M24/47 action?

Alan Rushing

My most most immediate and probable project: 6.5-.284 Norma long barreled, long throated for long, high BC bullets.

Would a decent M24/47 action be a good choice? Yeah or neah, good or bad? That action is not the only option that I have, it seems off the top to be an approptiate length. I have several of the 24/47s that I had acquired as potential action donors for project rigs. Will they work OK?

It would seem that I would have sufficient clearance, but I am not knowledgeable enough at this point to know which way would make the most sense in the long run. I really don't want to complicate the life of any gunsmiths let alone one helping me out!

(Also have 798 "Rem" and 1909 Argentine, but had had other ideas for them.) I will attempt to acquire whatever action will work best for the project.

If you have the time and any knowledge, experience, opinions that might help me, please share, I'd be grateful. And who knows, maybe several of us will benefit and going on similar rigs?

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Ern98 ... thanks for the correction and the info regarding those Mausers. I am following up with it. I might should have re-read what I had already had available, before finishing and posting! Oh, well!

Nononsense ... the input is appreciated ... thanks. I have a number of things to mull over yet again! Back to the drawing board probably ... better now than after the project starts. Good thing about the 6.5s, they are all interesting, and there are a number of winners, for sure!

Makes me wish that "after I grow up", I could become a skilled riflesmith ...
That might have to be during another life though ...

Thank you all.
Alan

rufe-snow

Body Diameter of the .284 family of cartridges is significantly larger the the cartridge the VZ 24-47 was originally chambered for. This probably means the interior rails of the magazine have to be opened up so the cartridges can feed into the chamber, without jambing. Ask your gunsmith if he has prior experience with doing this. If he hasn't you might consider chambering the rifle for the 6.5-06 if want a wildcat or 260 Remington if factory load would be OK.

bpost

It will be cheaper to go with a 700 action. Old Mauser's have a LONG lock time and after market "stuff" is not as readily available.

sandwarrior

Alan,

I have a Mauser that I have barreled in 6mm-284. It takes four cartridges instead of five. I bought it used. But, I suspect the guy who built it worked the rails over to make it feed better. It feeds great with three and mostly good with four.

The rifle holds .5 MOA out to 500 yds. pretty easily. In fact, another member here, acloco, shot about a 1.5" group with it @ 500 yds. Unfortunately the wind switched and he put them out in the 5 point range instead of the 10 pt. But the group was very good. I have another Mauser that I barreled in 7x57 and holds slightly better accuracy out that far. I've shot a number of .5 MOA groups @ 500 and 1000 yds. A well trued Mauser action CAN shoot. There's a lot of meat (read: good steel) in those actions.

True the action. Put a good barrel on there by a good gunsmith who understands long range shooting. Install a good target aftermarket trigger. For me, Timney target and Boyds have gotten it done. Adjust the trigger so it has NO backstop. It should swing freely through release all the way to where it can no longer move. Get a stock that fits you for long range shooting. Bed the action right. Start shooting great at long range. I would suggest getting a lock time kit for the Mauser. But, I have a couple really accurate ones that don't have them. You have to make sure your hold is correct and you don't fall apart after pulling the trigger. But, that helps anyways whether you have a lock time kit or not. This will help for 100 yd. shooting where .01's is what you are trying for. But when going long, lock time isn't as critical as getting your body position as perfect as you can.

ern98

Your designation of VZ 24-47 confuses me. I own several Burno VZ 24s and a couple of Yugo 24/47s, but I have never seen a VZ 24-47 that I am aware of. The first is a standard length M98 action whereas the second is an intermediate length M98 action. For the 6.5x284 project that you interested in either would work just fine, but personally I'd go with the intermediate length Yugo 24/47 before the standard length VZ 24. The intermediate length action has plenty of length in the box mag and is a little lighter and more compact then the standard length. Still it takes more then a little time, effort, expertise and money to convert a surplus M98 action into something that belongs in a true custom rifle. But as long as you are willing to go the distance with quality parts and work then there is no reason why you shouldn't have yourself a real nice, great shooting, custom 6.5x284.....

nononsense

Good Morning!

Busy weekend so I didn't get to add to this until now.

I borrowed this from Hoosier Gunworks where they have a good description of many Mauser derivatives:

4) Intermediate Large Ring M-98 ,(Large ring, Short action)
1.410 diameter. receiver ring, 8.50 in length, with screw spacing of 7.620

Intermediate Large ring have a threaded shank diameter of 1.10 in. With 12 threads per inch.

Mexicans by FN and Belgium, the M24, M47, M48 by FN and Yugoslavia. A large number of M48 Yugoslavian large-ring M98 Mauser have recently been dropped on the market. This M-98 short is considered an intermediate action, and WILL NOT fit a Standard 98 Mauser stocks and standard bolts will not interchange...

These actions are, in reality, the perfect fit for most cartridges forced into the American Short action when the longer, heavier bullets are used. This includes the 6.5-284 of course.

The drawback, as pointed out, is the feeding geometry of the case because of the larger diameters used in its design. The .284 parent case is 0.500" in diameter at the head just in front of the rim. The rim is rebated which can also provide the necessity of some adjustments by the gunsmith. Feed rail manipulation and adjusting the angle and radius of the feed ramp go hand-in-hand with creating a customized rifle for cartridges other than the x57 family of Mauser cartridges or their derivatives. Many times the follower will take some finessing as well. This is nothing new or out of the ordinary when it comes to making a customized rifle. The funny part is that even the M700 doesn't feed the .284 case without some adjusting...

As to the cost of this work, in general, the Mauser will come in right about where the cost of the M700 does when you buy one and do a complete accuracy package. Too many folks distort these costs when trying to make a case for another action. Accessories are in the same boat. How many do you need for the Mauser? A good trigger, there are several. Barrel maker? Any can be fitted to a Mauser. Stocks? Take your choice from simple fiberglass sporters all the way up to Exhibition grade walnut if you choose. There's even tactical stocks if that's what trips your trigger. Rings and mounts? All that can be asked for.

Barrels could be the hold up on a project like this. Most of the best makers are severely backlogged. Bartlein is a year out on new orders, But Krieger may be your better bet right now. The good thing is that 6.5mm barrels are usually in the production mix all year 'round so you stand a better chance of getting one of those as opposed to another caliber.

I have to run.

Best.

Sorry, I wanted to add that you could also consider the 6.5x57 Mauser or the 6.5x57 RWS in the standard form or the Improved variation to get a similar performance. The 6.5x55 AI is also on the top of the list. You don't have to go with the .284 parent case.

Best.

TRAP55

quote:The 6.5x55 AI is also on the top of the list.
+1