I was yesterday looking at a forlorn 98 action and adding up the price to turn it into the heavy barreled varmint rifle I dream of. Boy, did it add up! I figure I will have over $1200 in it by the time I am done.
So I look over at my current project- another Mauser- in my favorite caliber of .257Roberts. I plan to re-barrel it to the Ackley version upon wearing the current tube out. Beside it sat my trusty AR15 which as a Marine I love dearly. I love both actions (Mauser and AR) and calibers (.223 and .257)! I have both a bolt and semi .223, if only I could get the same in .257.
Then it struck me: Why spend so much to pretty much duplicate a rifle I already have? Why not look into an AR in .257? I swear there were angels singing! (ok not really, but you get it).
So I have begun researching the possibility of an AR10 build in .257Roberts. I have come up with these issues:
1. The .257 is a "mid length" cartridge. In my preferred 90-100gr bullets it is 2.780 which should be fine against the AR10's intended cartridge (the .308 I loathe so much) which is around a 2.8 OAL. So the mags should work. I just will have to keep away from the heavier 120gr bullets. Can anyone out there add anything to this? Will the longer case of the .257 eject cleanly?
2. Most people and even a few gun makers (particularly those I would have to deal with) don't even know what the .257Roberts is. So the barrel will be hard to source. This is especially true since I would want it to start out in the Ackley version. Any ideas there?
3. My wife will kill me once she finds out I plan to get rid of this derelict action and the Boyd's stock I have for it in favor of another black gun! How do you all convince your wives you NEED to build a gun just to be different?
It will probably be a couple years before I can complete this rifle, but the lower will be gotten before it is illegal to do so (I fear a second term!). The workings of a standard AR10 would be fine given the rim of the .257 is a match and case size
So I look over at my current project- another Mauser- in my favorite caliber of .257Roberts. I plan to re-barrel it to the Ackley version upon wearing the current tube out. Beside it sat my trusty AR15 which as a Marine I love dearly. I love both actions (Mauser and AR) and calibers (.223 and .257)! I have both a bolt and semi .223, if only I could get the same in .257.
Then it struck me: Why spend so much to pretty much duplicate a rifle I already have? Why not look into an AR in .257? I swear there were angels singing! (ok not really, but you get it).
So I have begun researching the possibility of an AR10 build in .257Roberts. I have come up with these issues:
1. The .257 is a "mid length" cartridge. In my preferred 90-100gr bullets it is 2.780 which should be fine against the AR10's intended cartridge (the .308 I loathe so much) which is around a 2.8 OAL. So the mags should work. I just will have to keep away from the heavier 120gr bullets. Can anyone out there add anything to this? Will the longer case of the .257 eject cleanly?
2. Most people and even a few gun makers (particularly those I would have to deal with) don't even know what the .257Roberts is. So the barrel will be hard to source. This is especially true since I would want it to start out in the Ackley version. Any ideas there?
3. My wife will kill me once she finds out I plan to get rid of this derelict action and the Boyd's stock I have for it in favor of another black gun! How do you all convince your wives you NEED to build a gun just to be different?
It will probably be a couple years before I can complete this rifle, but the lower will be gotten before it is illegal to do so (I fear a second term!). The workings of a standard AR10 would be fine given the rim of the .257 is a match and case size
