Thread: Mauser 275 Rigby

Okay now I have your attention . . . Old fellow wanting 'out" of guns gave me this:



But no bolt!

It is a commercial Mauser Oberndorf sporting action from about 1930, almost certainly originally in 7x57. It is the "intermediate" commercial action Rigby did indeed use for a lot of thier 275 builds. The missing bolt will be a challenge, it's a bit shorter than the most commonly encountered M98 (I have several 98's the bolts do not fit). Here's the guts:

M98 INTERMEDIATE LENGTH ACTIONS

This is actually a fairly small group of models, the amount of headaches these cause (when trying to find a part or stock) is way out of proportion to the number of models. Most of these will have some part of the action shortened to save weight. Starting off with Type VI:

Type VI, Oberndorf intermediate action
Action OAL: 8.750
Recvr screws, center to center: 7.835
Bolt body length: 6.165
Magazine length: 3.115
Receiver ring dia: 1.410, large ring
Barrel shank dia: .980, small shank

I call this the Oberndorf intermediate action, as they are the only ones who produced it. Commonly encountered models include:
1903 Turk
1909 Peruvian
1935 Argentine
Oberndorf Commercial

So I'm looking for one of the above bolts.

The rifle has at some time been fitted with a 303 barrel but is crying out for a bolt and a fresh 7x57 (or maybe a 6.5x57) tube?

Cheers

There's a noble quest to go on

Not easy but it will be very satisfying when you pull it together
I have a 6.5mm barrel here that might be a start

What stock is it in ? , and does the bottom metal match ?

I do have an intermediate bolt but it already has a home in a 7 x 57 .

Could you not shorten a standard bolt ?

Yes the action will be a "small shank" so .980 which considerably widens the field of potential barrel candidates!

Yes bottom metal is the correct mauser sporter type with floorplate lever and is numbered to the action. Stock is still to be identified, will know more once I take the action out of it!

I have a Brno 98, bolt measures approx 6 1/4

Hey nice thought but that'll be a standard length one, the ,"intermediate" bolt is going to take some time to get to . . .. it took me 10 years to get a kurz bolt but patience paid off and one came to light eventually!

Oh and the stock is a sonewhat battered original sporter stock, veryy hard to tell what pattern it might have been originally. But ig and all parts are numbered to the rifle and the finish on all the internal parts is something to behold!

The Mauser banner on receiver is nice and at least it hasn’t been drilled for scope mounts either so it’s a virgin in that respect , those bolts are quite indistinguishable unless you actually measure them you wouldn’t know you had something quite unique , you never know what might lurking in someone’s parts box though.

I know a local who may be able help, I'll have a chat to him next time I see him

Well, if it proves to be a right pain, there is the potential to shorten a bolt.
I did some machining on one years ago and gave it to the welder to tig up.
The guy shortened the a ton and the bolt had to be shortened to match.
It was apparently a done thing back in the day and he had the paperwork for the instructions

Originally Posted by csmiffy

Well, if it proves to be a right pain, there is the potential to shorten a bolt.
I did some machining on one years ago and gave it to the welder to tig up.
The guy shortened the a ton and the bolt had to be shortened to match.
It was apparently a done thing back in the day and he had the paperwork for the instructions

Was often done to custom make a Kurz action, shortened the action as well. Think a competent gunsmith could do the job for this rifle eh, definitely worth trying to keep it as close to original.

A Turkish bolt will fit and has the right bolt knob (Orbendorf teardrop) and there are two for sale in Aussie . . .

There is a Peruvian Mauser rifle at Guncity Hamilton for 499 dollars.

Ha, the 1935 Peruvian will fit . . . Well spotted