Bringing a GAF era mil rifle "back from sporterization"

[Mustang Gregg]

I have a 1891 Mauser that was sporterized back in the 1960's.   
You reckon it would be possible to get it back to work for GAF shooting (or close-enough) 
I found the wood furniture online with metal hardware. 

The sights---not so easy.   

BTW--It is now 7.62X51 caliber.

Respectfully,
Mustang Gregg

[Niederlander]

Is the barrel still original, as in not hacked off or anything?  What model is it?  If it's an Argentine, check out Springfield Sporters.  They list sights and sight parts.

[Drydock]

My Krag Carbine started out that way. Cut down 1898 rifle: bare barrel, reciever sight, and the most gawd awful cheapo Monte Carlo stock. 

[Mustang Gregg]

I don't have it close enough to look it over.  I recollect it has been rebarrelled; So the original dovetail grooves don't exist.  But I will start looking around for sights, etc.  I need to find a front sight for my Krag rifle anyway.

Much obliged,
Mustang Gregg

[pony express]

If it's been rebarrelled with a civilian contour barrel, probably not worth the cost to put it all back, unless you can find an origional barrel and do the work yourself.

[Mustang Gregg]

Naw, it shoots straight with my cast bullets.  So I am not pondering rebarrelling it.  
At this point, if I get the new wood, that would probably cover the most of the barrel.  But I need to find the front sight and rear sight assembly.

If it was outfitted with the correct wood, hardware, sights-Would it be within GAF rules for postal matches and competition?

Mustang Gregg, SFC
GAF #64

[Drydock]

Absolutely!

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I have despaired of finding a long Lee-Enfield in Canada.  I'm sure they are here, but hard to pry loose.  Twenty years ago I slept on a decision to buy a Lee-Metford and when I called the guy the next morning, There It Was;- GONE!!

I didn't see Lee-Enfield cavalry carbines on the list, but I can get Bubba'd SMLEs that might be re-created (or is it "Re-Bubba'd"?) as an LEC.  Would that work for GAF?

[Drydock]

Absolutely!  I'm keeping an eye out for another Bubba'd Krag I can turn into an Engineers Carbine.  (An 1899 carbine with infantry sling swivels, only around 400 ever made)

And I fixed that little oversight in the listings, thank you.

[Charles Isaac]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. What's goin on here?

[Drydock]

Putting a new forearm on a cut stock Krag rifle?

[Charles Isaac]

Putting a new forearm on a cut stock Krag rifle?

It's just like magic, isn't it?!

[River City John]

Beautiful work, Charles Isaac.

RCJ

[Charles Isaac]

Thanks John. Here's the stock after being acraglased together, along with a couple of other chopped Krags that are otherwise very nice guns. The "NRA" carbine's buttstock had been broken in half.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I have to add a forend to my Ross Mk III.  The bits are on the way.  What is the drill for joining the extension to the stock.  I have the band and the remaining stock is long enough to hide the joint inside the band.  I figure one or two dowells are needed and some epoxy. I have the bayonet and the nosecap to work out the length.  Am I on the right track?

[pony express]

Sound's like you're getting there, Sir Charles! The size of the dowel would depend on the ammount of wood available to drill the hole in, I guess. Fortunately, it probably won't be used too much for bayonet drills, so the dowel and acraglass or epoxy should be plenty strong enough.

Charles Issac, looks like nice work on your Krag stock, too. But....Just how many Krags ARE you hoarding?

Mustang Gregg...Only possible problem I can see with restoring a Mauser with a commercial barrel is, doesn't the rear sight on most Mausers mount on a sleeve that fits around/then silver soldered to the barrel? (I haven't pulled one out from the safe to check, but that's how I remember them working). So that would mean either turning the barrel to origional contour, or reaming out the sight base to fit. But if I'm wrong and the base just sits on top of the barrel, then it wouldn't be too hard at all to fit the origional base to the commercial barrel.

[Mustang Gregg]

Pony Ex:

Good idea, trooper!  But I don't have another "early" Mauser to look at right now.   
I have a very nice 98 Mauser, but it is "NOT GAF-APPROVED". 
I don't much care for that ruling. but it's the rules.

I have a decent Krag that I will probably use for the competitions.

Thanks for the help,
Mustang Gregg

[Charles Isaac]

BTW--It is now 7.62X51 caliber.

Getting a supply of 7.65 Argentine could prove expensive. Sounds like you might know where to get brass for that one pretty easy Sir!

But....Just how many Krags ARE you hoarding?

I have seven, 4 full length and three "carbines"-all were modified rifles and two of the full length guns have been brought back to Military specs. Too many really and I need to sell some off some time, but I bought all the orphaned Krags I could find when they were cheap. Now they bring nearly what an uncut gun costs!

I have to add a forend to my Ross Mk III.  The bits are on the way.  What is the drill for joining the extension to the stock.  I have the band and the remaining stock is long enough to hide the joint inside the band.  I figure one or two dowells are needed and some epoxy. I have the bayonet and the nosecap to work out the length.  Am I on the right track?

Sure are. I use Acrglas. In this picture, you can see two pieces of nails that are used to mark the original part of the stock for drilling. A 5/8" dowel was used in the big hole and two 1/4" dowels used in the upper smaller holes.

[Mustang Gregg]

Quote from: Mustang Gregg on September 20, 2012, 04:47:34 pm

BTW--It is now 7.62X51 caliber.

Getting a supply of 7.65 Argentine could prove expensive. Sounds like you might know where to get brass for that one pretty easy Sir!




Charles:

It is .308 Win.  No problem with brass supply.

Thx,
MG

[Charles Isaac]

Yep, that's what I was saying. Good it's not a 7.65 because brass would be a problem.

Seems you wouldn't have a problem finding brass for that one with all those messy belt fed Army guns around you that dump 7.62 brass by the bucketload