VZ 24 Build

[CASEC]

Ok so I have
1. a vz24 action
2. a surplus parker-hale .308 barrel cut down and recrowned that measures 24" end to end.

I have had these for 7-8 years now and figure its time to get them running. I would like to build them up to their greatest potential within a reasonable budget.

SO..

Queston
1. What else do I need to buy to put this together. i.e. stock, rings, trigger etc..?
2. What work needs to be done?
3. Is this worth doing based on what I have?
4. What can I expect this package to do once I'm done?

I know I could make this an overly heavy (it's a bull barrel) 100yd beater, but I'm wondering if I can put together something better. I don't have a clear cut idea what I want to do with it because I've never built up a rifle like this before. I figure I should know where I want to go with it and have all the parts before I take it to Randall lol.

Thanks for everyones input!

[6mmintl]

Flute the firing pin to speed up lock time, bed action front/rear, everything else is basic "your choice".

.5 moa best with handloads.

[bigbossman]

I built a 200 yard gun in .308 on a K98 action once. I used a Shilen "full bull" 30" barrel with no taper - it was 1" in diameter all the way down. The gun weighed about 18# in total. Worked pretty well, and at the best of times got me roughly quarter sized groups off the bench at that distance.

I started with an action like yours, and built it up from there. I have a spreadsheet around somewhere that detailed the total cost. In the end, I still couldn't beat the guys with the true bench rest guns but I did manage to hang on to 3rd place once or twice in the local competitions. Historically, the Mauser 98 action used to be a decent base for a bench gun once upon a time, but is now considered "too flexible" compared to more modern options. I have an older "how to" book in my library on how to build accurate bench guns, and they advised against using the Mauser large ring action as a base.

You will need a stock, and you need to bed the action and free-float the barrel.
You will also need (in no particular order)

trigger
bolt turned down
barrel mounted and finish reamed
safety (Beuller type on the bolt or external on the trigger)
receiver drilled/tapped
scope mount
rings
scope
polish/blue the finished build

I had a Weaver T36 scope on top of mine, and it worked ok for 200 yard targeting. The T24 I mounted later on was even better - a lot less mirage and better light gathering.

In the end I traded it off for something else, both because I got bored shooting off the bench and also because I got tired of the endless chasing after the promise of tiny gains on the reloading bench. Not that it wasn't worthwhile, but I just didn't have that much time on my hands and it was more frustrating than fun for me.

Anyway - All told you'll spend somewhere between $500 - $1000 or more depending on what you choose and how much work you do yourself, and while you'll have a fun custom gun to shoot it will be a 2nd or 3rd tier bench gun at best. Financially you'd be a lot better off just buying a used rig for your purpose...... but that would return your parts back the shelf.

As an aside, I also built my main hunting rifle on a spare 98 action. Same deal, same parts list albeit different selections. It is in 30-06, and is a 1moa shooter all day long. The thing is, I can buy (for example) a brand new Savage Axis in the same caliber for less than I spent on the build that will shoot just as well if not better. In fact, I just bought a used Tikka T3 Lite for less than I spent building the Mauser, and the Tikka shoots like a house a' fire.

Now, all that being said......... the Mauser 98 action offers what almost no current production gun has nowadays - the Mauser claw and controlled feed/extraction. If you want that in a gun today, you have three choices - buy used (pre-64 Winchester Model 70, for example), build your own on a Mauser action, or else buy a high dollar rifle that features that type of action. As far as I know, only high-dollar semi or full custom rifles offer that to the consumer.

Some pics:

200 yard target:


100 yard target:

[CASEC]

Thanks for the input!!

[bigbossman]

Thanks for the input!!

You're welcome..... I hope you find it useful.

.5 moa best with handloads.

Hmmm..... just got home and mic'ed a quarter - .954". So, that is more or less .5moa at 200 yards on my pictured target.

[LynnJr]

Add a timney trigger and change the firing pin spring.
Here is a couple pictures you won't see everyday.
The first picture is a Kepplinger 6 ounce trigger with no safety.
Second I put a tape measure alongside the barrel so you could see its a full 30 inches long #17 contour.
The trick to hanging a heavy barrel onto any action that is weak and prone to bending is to use a barrel block.

[ar15barrels]

The first rifle barrel I ever chambered went on my VZ24 action that I bought as a complete rifle at Big5 for $59.

I still have it.
It's a 22" 6ppc take-off barrel from a benchrest gun that I set back and rechambered in 6mm remington.
It sits in one of the vented Fajen varmint stocks.