Hello @ all,
I´ve been reading for quite a while on this forum about .338 LM rifles, built on the CZ 550 magnum action originally made for the .416 Rigby cartridge, which sounds like a great idea to me.
Not to get a "cheap" .338 LM rifle (there is no "cheap" way to get a rifle in this calibre really, IMHO), but rather to get an affordable "hunting style rifle" with CRF in .338 LM.
Over here in Germany, we have some pretty good gunsmiths (like you guys do in the USA), who can make a gorgeous hunting rifle based on a new Mauser magnum action anytime, but I´d rather buy a new car for the money they are asking for such a project!
I´m thinking about doing this: get a used .416 Rigby CZ, simply rebarrel it to .338 LM, put a McMillan CZ Express Stock onto it, and be done.
Like I said: I´ve read a lot about such projects on this fine forum. So it can be done, I´m sure. What I would like to know is: is it really that simple without further gunsmithing included? Or is the barrel with the chamber not the only thing that needs to be altered?
I´d hate to end up spending lots of (unexpected!) money on the gunsmith´s work .
What about magazine dimensions? The .338 LM is shorter, and slimmer at the shoulder than the parent .416 Rigby. Will it still feed reliably from the mag without further work being done to it? Just one of the things I´m asking myself.
I would really appreciate it if some of the guys who own such a rebarrelled CZ 550 magnum could help me out with this.
Greetings from Germany,
Stephan
I´ve been reading for quite a while on this forum about .338 LM rifles, built on the CZ 550 magnum action originally made for the .416 Rigby cartridge, which sounds like a great idea to me.
Not to get a "cheap" .338 LM rifle (there is no "cheap" way to get a rifle in this calibre really, IMHO), but rather to get an affordable "hunting style rifle" with CRF in .338 LM.
Over here in Germany, we have some pretty good gunsmiths (like you guys do in the USA), who can make a gorgeous hunting rifle based on a new Mauser magnum action anytime, but I´d rather buy a new car for the money they are asking for such a project!
I´m thinking about doing this: get a used .416 Rigby CZ, simply rebarrel it to .338 LM, put a McMillan CZ Express Stock onto it, and be done.
Like I said: I´ve read a lot about such projects on this fine forum. So it can be done, I´m sure. What I would like to know is: is it really that simple without further gunsmithing included? Or is the barrel with the chamber not the only thing that needs to be altered?
I´d hate to end up spending lots of (unexpected!) money on the gunsmith´s work .
What about magazine dimensions? The .338 LM is shorter, and slimmer at the shoulder than the parent .416 Rigby. Will it still feed reliably from the mag without further work being done to it? Just one of the things I´m asking myself.
I would really appreciate it if some of the guys who own such a rebarrelled CZ 550 magnum could help me out with this.
Greetings from Germany,
Stephan
