95 Mauser To 45/70 ??

[54hawken]

I have done a good number of rebarreling and custom rifle projects. I have never converted a Mauser to a rimmed cartridge. I was wondering if someone out there has, and would like to enlighten me. The barrel would have to be cut for the claw ectractor, and I am thinking of a single stack, directly below bolt, 1 or 2 round magazine. I have had this action and Fagen semi-finished stock around the shop for near 20yrs. Any pointers or ideas?

 

[dulltool17]

I understand Siamese Mausers were chambered in 45-70.

What I know is that the bolt face is too small, typicaly 0.475 dia and that the rim will necessitate work on the feed rails. I just converted a 1909 Peruvian from 7.65 x 54 to 9.3 x 62. Since the rim of each is same dia. all I had to do was thread and chamber the barrel.

The best place I know to ask is Mauser Central.com
Several of the forum members are gunsmiths with extensive Mauser experience.
Also Accurate Reloading .com

 

[jpfabricator]

Check out "down east gun works" on you tube. He rebarells and reworks a Mosin Nugant in 45/70.

Sent from somewhere in East Texas Jake Parker

 

[54hawken]

Thanks ,. I will try Mauser Central .com I just watched the video on the Mosin conversion.

 

[bosephus]

it can be done but there a ton of issues to work around .

the biggest is going to be the extractor , without turning down case rims there is very little purchase area for reliable extraction .

next is to to get it to feed from the magazine the reciever rails are going to need a ton of work and going to a single shot hand fed is almost less of a viable alternative
cartridges wont chamber properly with the minimal extractor grip and large rim .

and when you stuff the large 45-70 case into the small ring action you lose quite a bit of strength limiting you to trapdoor and lever gun pressures .
this isnt such a big deal for you ... but the next guy down the line might not know it is not safe for the ruger no 1 and siamese load data and get into dangerous territory

it is doable .. but wont be an easy conversion

 

[coolidge]

I once owned a Remlin 45/70 lever action, we could not hit the broad side of a barn with that thing at 100 yards even sitting with a bench rest. It made a big BOOM but that was about it. I traded it in on a Ruger Guide Gun in .338 Winchester Mag

 

[Holescreek]

I completed a 98 Mauser to 7.62x54r earlier this year. It wasn't a tough conversion but there are a few details I had to think through. The 54r rim is only .570" diameter though whereas the .45-70 is shown to be .618". I'm not sure how much different modding a small ring would be.

The extractor was no big deal, it took under 10 minutes to modify. Feeding from the mag well also was pretty straight foward. I get (4) 54r cartridges in a standard mag well. The thing that took the most thought was the contour of the rear of the barrel to allow for proper headspace and a cutout for the extractor. The bolt face had to be opened up for the rim too. You'll also need to weld a lip on the rear of the mag follower to keep the rims from getting hung up on the back edge.

 

[Rick Leslie]

Great details Holes. If anyone knows how to get a rimmed cartridge to feed in a rimless format, it's you. I once converted a 98 to 444 Marlin for a customer and didn't have the issues I had with the 45/70 conversions. I suspect due to rim diameter differences.

I don't think strength would be a concern as long as you didn't try to make a "magnum" out of the 45/70. That would apply to any rifle action. The small ring has successfully been chambered in 7x57 and .308 Winchester for years. I know the difference between PSI and bolt thrust. I'm saying I think the physical limitions of the 95 action will be more of a problem than the strength.

The accuracy issue is a matter of twist rate. The bullet weights available in 45/70 make twist rate critical. Talk to your barrel supplier and get an idea of the twist rate you will need for your chosen bullet weights.

I do look forward to you build.

 

[Holescreek]

Thanks Rick! I've never done a small ring but it sure sounds like having one in a .45-70 would be fun. Might be a good one for a home made magazine!

 

[54hawken]

These are all interesting posts. I wanted to get input and consider it before my final decision. I thank you all for your time so far. I am going to visit a used gundealer that has a 98 Mauser .410. It will be interesting to examine the feed rails and magazine.