Finally finished an old Mauser project.

[J A XSP]

I think I started this rifle over 15 years ago and it's finally finished. :D

The the small-ring long-bolt Mauser action was given to me and that started the whole process. I found a bolt for it and fitted it out with a good trigger and found a stainless 7mm barrel and Claro stock on Ebay for decent prices.

I sent it off to a gunsmith in Tennessee to thread and chamber the barrel. Originally, I had a 6.5 barrel that I thought would make a good 6.5 x Roberts Improved but decided that the long action might as well be used to full capacity. Chambering for 280 Remington made sense.

Once the barreled action was settled, I bedded the stock and changed out a few parts to accommodate a scope. I proceeded to shoot it with an unfinished stock as I worked up some loads and broke in the barrel but it sat for most of the intervening years with a rough-sanded stock.

Recently, I finished out a home-improvement project in the shop that involved cutting and sanding a lot of mahogany so there was dust everywhere. I got the notion that while I was sanding and varnishing and making a mess, I might as well have a look at this old rifle project. It didn't take a particularly long time to take out the leftover machine marks and sand it for finishing. A couple of days of applying coats - spray can semi-floss urethane varnish- with one light sand before a final coat and it was ready to reassemble.

Now it's finally ready to leave the house and go hunting when the opportunity presents itself. In the meantime, I won't feel self-conscious shooting a half-finished project at the local range. :)