Mexican Mauser Conversion Question

[SamNemo]

Mr great-uncle left me a 7mm Mexican Mauser from 1944 he had previously "sporter-ized". I am curious if it is it possible to:

a) Convert it to either .308 or .30-06
b) Swap the floor plate for a detachable box mag
c) Add a scope (the bolt handle has already been bent down. Not sure if far enough)

I would be taking the rifle to a gunsmith, but figured I'd consult the forums before I bothered looking foolish in person.

Thanks

[Bang]

7mm is close to 28 caliber, a bit shy of 308...so you'll probably be changing barrels. Next question would be how strong is a Mexican Mauser's receiver. Changing to a detachable box magazine sounds like labor-intensive stuff. I think you're gonna wind up with an amount of money better put into a modern rifle. But hey, maybe it's worth a shot (pun intended).

[Ecclectic Collector]

While there are a number of Mexican model Mausers, a 1944 built gun would be based on the time proven 98 Mauser action. In fact, after WW2 the Mexicans adopted the same gun in .30-06 caliber before they went to more modern self loading guns.

Building a custom rifle on a military Mauser isn't really cost saving thing in this day and age, but can be fun. Unless a gunsmith finds a structural defect in the action, you should be able to convert it into a custom rifle in just about any modern non-magnum caliber.

You stated you wanted a detachable box magazine? I think there are still a few drop in conversions to do that for the old 98 action still being made. A more adventurous gunsmith might even be able to adapt the action to use M-14 magazines for something really different.

[Tmygun]

Not completely related, but I had a 1916 Spanish Mauser (basically a small ring 93 type action) that was converted to 7.62 NATO and that action had severe lug set-back when I purchased it from the now defunct Samco Arms. I found out by shooting standard NATO ammo and finding the bolt very hard to lift. After trying it several times with the same results I stopped. Me and my bro took the barrel off and could see the deep imprints of the bolt lugs in the receiver seats. We salvaged everything from the rifle except the receiver. We cut the receiver in half so that it could never be used again. I kept the ring part of the action with the lug imprints just to look at it now and again, and to remind me to never again buy a Spanish made Mauser. IMO, that receiver was bad when it was in 7x57 because the rebored 7.62 barrel looked brand new. Subsequently I purchased an 1891 Argentine Mauser made in Germany that was sporterized and rebarreled to 308 Win. (I know, not advisable) and that one shot regular 308 Win. ammo without a problem, worked smoothly from the start. Now admittedly, I have never owned a Spanish or South American made large ring 98 Mauser, so I can't speak to that, but the experience I had with the Spanish made 1916 Mauser soured me on any other Mausers except ones made by Germany, Sweden, CZ, etc. If ever I wanted a rifle built on a large or small ring Mauser action, it will be one of those. I will never consider Spanish made Mausers because of my experience and similar stories I heard from others that had the same problems. I don't know how extensive a problem it may be, but I won't take a chance again. There are plenty of other quality Mauser actions to choose from.