Gun Idea - Spanish 1916 Mauser Carbine Converted to 45 ACP

 There is a company called Rhineland Arms who is offering conversion kits to re-barrel German WWII surplus Mauser G98 rifles to 45 ACP. I love this idea but I don't have a 98. What I do have is a ragged, old Spanish 1916 carbine in 7x57. I wished I had gotten the .308 conversion option back when I had bought the gun but here we are. The bluing is pretty much gone and some parts are messed up but the action is still smooth and the wood seems okay enough. I toyed with the idea of just using it as a home gunsmithing project and see if I could re-blue it myself. I loosely toyed with the idea of having it sporterized for a classic hunting rifle but I'm less inclined to go that route. 

I love the idea of having an old, surplus military rifle but 7x57mm is very hard to get and expensive. Most of the options available are specifically for hunting and I'm not set up to reload for it. That said, I don't have a rifle in 45 ACP. I am setup to reload for it and ammo can be purchased cheaper. 

I've started doing the research to see what options I have with my old Spanish Mauser. I'm hoping that I can convert it to use my 1911 magazines and have it threaded for my Dead Air Primal. 

Stay tuned to see if I can sort out this idea. 

Update: Rhineland Arms responded to my email. The 1893 should be fine but will likely need some minor modifications. Sign me up! I'll see about getting with Moss Pawn about making the conversion. On a side note, if I had looked at the FAQ page, they say the Spanish Mausers do work. They even specify the ones from J&G Sales where I got mine. If you are interested, you need to use the "small ring" kit. I went ahead and ordered the kit for later. I have no idea when I'll get to this thing or if they'll even ship the kit. 

Build Idea

I'm working on figuring out the build but I like the idea of reusing the original stocks without refinishing but Cerakoting the barrel and receiver Midnight Blue. I want it to have a certain classic military rifle aesthetic. I'm not looking for a sporterized layout. 

Lyman also makes a rear receiver sight for Mausers so I think I'll try to set it up with iron sights using their rear aperture but I'll have to have Moss Pawn attach a front sight somehow to the new barrel. Having a red dot would really make it fun so maybe find a way to mount up a SIG Romeo 5 or similar dot on a very low profile mount. I do have the old 336 mount for the Burris Fast Fire from the original configuration the Marlin 1894 CST. If I have them drill and tap the receiver, we can use it. 

For my usual leather goods, I'm hoping to use the side mount sling bands so I can keep a standard sling on it. You can still buy surplus Spanish slings. I'm toying with the idea of having someone make a custom stock pouch for storing a 1911 magazine in. 

JMAC Customs does make muzzle devices for the .578x28 thread pitch but they aren't that good looking. I may buy one and chop it down to a zero mount to use the Dead Air Primal on. I'm still waiting for the stamp on but it's been over a year since I paid for it. I'm hoping to get it before December of 2023.