gramps wrote:Pitted bore,did you deal directly with Mc Gowen or did the barrel order have to go thru your smith?
Don-
I dealt directly with McGowen and took the barrel to my gunsmith when it arrived. The details on the barrel specs are on the "Second Bolt Rifle" thread linked in my post above. I was pleased with the delivery time of about 5-6 weeks because they had to turn the barrel from a blank. My 'smith and I were happy with the quality and finish of the barrel.
As I recall, it can be tricky to get a Mauser reliably to feed cartridges of diameters different than those for which it was designed. I can get three in the magazine of the Springfield and it feeds well; four in the magazine results in problems. Because the magazine is longer than the cartridges, if the action is not worked smartly the cartridges can take a nose dive into the front of the magazine. Shortening the magazine box is an option, but right now it's more trouble than it's worth. Modifying the rifle to take AR magazines is an option too.
Please keep posting about your progress with the work.
--Bob