Thinking of another project 98 mauser??

[1911crazy]

I'm thinking of rebarreling a 98 8mm mauser to 7mm and then rechambering it to 280remington.  Thats a 7mm bullet on a 30-06 case. I just had some empty cases, reloading dies and bullets given to me.  It sounds like another cheap project gun.  Any opinions?

A 7mm barrel is about $50

Rechambering is the cost of renting a reamer (0000)?

The cost of a 8mm barreled receiver is the most expensive probably $100.

I figure the cost would be under $250.

I have been browsing for a used 280rem but can't find what i want for the price. I figure on planning a future build.

[Mikey]

D_MAN:  the twist on a 7x57mm Mauser is 1:10.  The twist on the .280 is 1:9.5.  I don't know if this will affect the accuracy of the loads you want to put through that rechambered 7mm barrel but maybe you should run this thought past some of the other forums, let's say the Custom Rifle forum, to see if anyone else has had any successes or failures with this approach.  

You may recall on of the threads we had here once about using heavy slow moving bullets in the 7.62x39 and turning it into a 300 Whisper type cartridge?  The Whisper cartridges were shot from barrels with one twist and the standard 7.62x39mm barrel has a twist that was one in ten or one half in ten different and opinions and experiences provided felt they may not work that well - accuracy wise.  It may be the same with your 7mm/280 conversion.  More research might be needed.  HTH.  Mikey.

[kombi1976]

D MAN, have you considered rechambered it to 7mm Ackley Imp?
7mm AI snaps at the heels of 280 Rem, uses less powder and has a longer case life.
Plus it can use standard 7x57 factory ammo with reasonable accuracy and avoids that rifling twist issue.
Just a suggestion.  :wink:

[1911crazy]

Thanks guys it sounds like somemore reasearch is needed before i start. I have a growing family and some may want to hunt with us so dad will supply the firepower. I figure a quick build in another caliber would be fun.

[kombi1976]

I know the feeling.
My boys are 22 months & 4 weeks old respectively so it's a long way down the track but who knows what will happen in the future.
As such my choices in calibre are both for my own preferences & in a view for them to learn.