Interarms Mark X Rebarrel - Which Calibre?!

[shortgrass]

Good advice from adamjp - my guess is the Interarms X mag box is like the FN Mauser and is designed to work with rounds having the same diameter as the 7.92X57 that work in the M98. Much thinking/design effort went into that mag box width to work with .473 head diameter, non rebated cartridges. Enough cartridge base is needed for the bolt face to contact & receiver rails need to securely hold the round until it is stripped from the magazine. Good choices would be .25-06, .270W, .30-06 and the wildcat 6.5-06 (no over the counter ammo available). Been there & done that - I messed up a real nice FN Mauser with a 7mm RM conversion - unreliable/difficult feeding. I gave it to a relative. Stay with .473 diameter non rebated rounds.

The Mk 10 uses the same box for .473 case head cartridges as it does for .532 case head magnums, like 7RM and .300 Win mag. The difference is the width of the feed rails and the width of the feed ramp. I've been building Mauser '98s for 30yrs, both commercial and military. The length of the Mk10 box is 3.4, unless you get lucky enough to come across a .375 H&H action, which is 3.6". The same commercial Mk 10 action was used for .22-250 and .375 H&H. The difference is the length of the mag box. A block was spot welded into a .473 box for 'short' cartridges like .308, and the action was altered at the feed port and ramp for the H&H, the rails 'opened' for all magnums regardless of length. Then, there is the extractor that will need alteration if the action is converted to magnum. Even if NOT converted, many extractors need 'tuning' to work right and be reliable with .473 case head size rounds. JM2Cents, after building on these for 30+yrs. They ain't "drop-in", and can require 'real' gunsmithing skills.

 

[Hard rock]

The Mk 10 uses the same box for .473 case head cartridges as it does for .532 case head magnums, like 7RM and .300 Win mag. The difference is the width of the feed rails and the width of the feed ramp. I've been building Mauser '98s for 30yrs, both commercial and military. The length of the Mk10 box is 3.4, unless you get lucky enough to come across a .375 H&H action, which is 3.6". The same commercial Mk 10 action was used for .22-250 and .375 H&H. The difference is the length of the mag box. A block was spot welded into a .473 box for 'short' cartridges like .308, and the action was altered at the feed port and ramp for the H&H, the rails 'opened' for all magnums regardless of length. Then, there is the extractor that will need alteration if the action is converted to magnum. Even if NOT converted, many extractors need 'tuning' to work right and be reliable with .473 case head size rounds. JM2Cents, after building on these for 30+yrs. They ain't "drop-in", and can require 'real' gunsmithing skills.

You are absolutely correct with some good gunsmith skills there's not much you can't do with a Mauser 98 FN Mark x Military Etc. As far as feed rails opening bolt face mag lengthing that's gunsmithing skills that used too be common with custom builds I have a lot of custom builds they all are slick as glass and done right by my dad he was a master

 

[shortgrass]

The only time I have seen "custom" bottom metal needed is when you go to .404 Jeff or some other long obsolete cartridge. Those that actually make custom bottom metal for Mausers have refined the box dimensions for .375 H&H, .416 rem Mag, .404 Jeff and some of the other big bore rounds. The Mauser '98, 03 Springfield , M1914 & M1917 used to be the 'go to' for custom builds,,,,,,, because there were plenty of 'um and they were low cost. There are still numerous customs built on '98s that run into the thousands of $$$$. About a year and a half ago I got to closely examine a Duane Wiebe custom build . 1909 Argentine action, custom bottom metal (I think he was still CNC manufacturing custom Mauser bottom metal at the time the rifle was built), custom barrel (Krieger) , custom made scope mounts, and an outstanding English Walnut stock, hand checkered, chambered in .458 Win Mag. Used rifle, $7500 on the price tag.