BAMM Rifle advise

[Back 40]

What is a good BAMM rifle to buy?

[Garrison Joe]

How much you want to spend?  And do you want a US arm, or settle for foreign, like Mausers?  And do you want it to be easy to load cast bullets for, or stick only with FMJ (and perhaps not be able ot shoot some smaller matches).

 

 

In a US arm, price ranges for good guns that will shoot well and have a Muzzle Wear of 3 or less (in other words, still several thousand rounds of barrel life left):

* Springfield 1903 - will have open rear sights, and don't buy in the range of serial numbers where there is brittle receiver possibilities --  about $800 - $1000

* Springfield 1903A3 - will have rear peep sight (and no brittle receivers) -- about $700 - $900

* Model 1917 (Enfield design) with dog-leg bolt handle - $600 - $800

Of course, you could shoot a 30-40 Krag, but they are getting awfully hard to find, so prices are going up

 

British SMLE rifles, of the, what 4 or five major variations?  Still pretty easy to find .303 British ammo.  Usually pretty accurate.  Guns so good, that the British government bought/borrowed tons of M1917 and M1903 rifles from us during WW II!

 

In a Mauser, most of the German guns have disappeared off the market, with just a few being sold off due to estate sales and folks thinning a collection.

 

Yugo 24/47 Mausers in mid-length-receiver 8MM Mauser are still being sold - $300-$500 should get a nice one with matching numbers.  Will not be a fancy gun, but it will be serviceable and pretty accurate.  Easy as 30-06 to load cast bullets in.  Open rear sight.

 

Swedish M96 Mausers - a big lot of them came on the market in the last year.  They are chambered in 6.5x55 MM cartridge, which is cantankerous to load cast bullets for (but I do, with pretty good results), but they shoot jacketed very easily.  $400-$600 should get a nice one with matching serial numbers.  Ammo was pretty sparse, but with this big batch, several European companies and even some US are making ammo again for them. Open rear sight.

 

Argentine, Chilean, Peruvian, Brazilian Mausers - the nice ones have been collector bait for the last 5 years, so they are getting thin and pricey and often cruddy barrels.  South Americans seem not to have paid much attention about cleaning after firing corrosive primer ammo in the 20s and 30s.  Maybe $800- $1000 for a nice one (usually 7 MM, but Argentines are 7.65 MM) , which I find to be too much to spend for that.  Open rear sight, and sometimes crude at that.

 

Now, if your eyes are old and you can't use an open sight precisely, you probably ought to stick with an 03A3.    If you love tinkering with fine Swedish machinery, the Swede M96 is very cool (and long, unless you get a carbine).

 

If you want to be "REAL" Mexican Punitive Expeditionary Force, well, nothing but a Springfield 1903 (or a Krag) will do.

 

It just all depends.

 

Good luck, GJ

 

 

Oh, another Euro rifle to consider, since a bunch of them are being sold off, too.  The Swiss K31.  It's in an obscure cartridge, 7.5 Swiss.  Ammo hard to find, so you will HAVE to reload.  Straight pull bolt, makes it fast to shoot.    Can be pretty accurate.

 

French MAS guns from WW II are around, too.  Most were unfired and only dropped once.  ;D ;)

 

And then lastly, the Russian Mosin/Nagants.  Really drying up fast with the import restrictions on Putin's boys.  Surplus ammo going going, gone soon too (that's quoting Wideners there).  For as crude a build as was done, they shoot awfully well. 

 

 

[Back 40]

WOW, thanks Joe.  I would say you pretty well covered it.  thanks

[Desert Pete]

I shoot a 6.5x50 Arisaka my dad brought home.  Ammo is hard to find and the action is a bit clunky but it's a sentimental thing.

[Joe Lafives 5481L]

Nice summary Joe.  Don't forget the Schmidt–Rubin 1889, Schmidt-Rubin 1896/11 Rifle etc.  (Could be fun to have a 1911 pistol and and 1911 rifle) :)

[Sgt. John Campbell]

I just picked up (stole) a nice Model 1916 Spanish Mauser today.  It's a Fabrica de Armas Oviedo Model 1916, in 7x57mm Mauser.  Overall it's in pretty good shape, bore and rifling are good, crown is good, checks out fine for chamber/bolt head space using a "Field" gauge.  All the parts are there, but the top handguard needs a little work, as it appears to be a reworked one from a Model 1893 Spanish Mauser Rifle (needs reprofiled for the short rifle rear sight...sight groove needs to be cut/deepened, as the rear sights use a taller rear blade style on the standard rifles).

 

The BAMM rules state no exterior modifications on the rifle.  My question is, on the rear sight blade, am I allowed to open the "V" notch up slightly, as it is extremely small and hard to pick up when sighting?

 

(stole - the guy only wanted $50.00 for it)

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/cmr314/P1010002_zpsf1iwfn2x.jpg

[Garrison Joe]

Yep, you can open that rear sight notch to where you can get a good sight picture.  Well within the rules.

 

 

[Goatneck]

 

  As Joe stated open up the rear V sight and have fun

[J. Frank Norfleet]

Ok, my Krag carbine has a push up peep sight on the rear of the regular sight. Is it legal to open it up to make it useable?

JFN

[DUSTY BODDAMS]

JFN, you're talking about the factory barrel sight and the flip up being the graduated ladder with the peep sight? If so that would be legal to open up. I would be conservative as a little goes a long way and it's easier to open it up twice than trying to put some back. Dusty

[DUSTY BODDAMS]

I just picked up (stole) a nice Model 1916 Spanish Mauser today.  It's a Fabrica de Armas Oviedo Model 1916, in 7x57mm Mauser.  Overall it's in pretty good shape, bore and rifling are good, crown is good, checks out fine for chamber/bolt head space using a "Field" gauge.  All the parts are there, but the top handguard needs a little work, as it appears to be a reworked one from a Model 1893 Spanish Mauser Rifle (needs reprofiled for the short rifle rear sight...sight groove needs to be cut/deepened, as the rear sights use a taller rear blade style on the standard rifles).

 

The BAMM rules state no exterior modifications on the rifle.  My question is, on the rear sight blade, am I allowed to open the "V" notch up slightly, as it is extremely small and hard to pick up when sighting?

 

 

 

SJC, looks like you made a great buy! I've been playing with the 7mm some and it's a great bamm cartridge but I will say you should consider slugging the bore as some of the 7mm's are very generous in bore dimensions and a proper sized bullet is mandatory for accuracy. Dusty 

 

(stole - the guy only wanted $50.00 for it)

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/cmr314/P1010002_zpsf1iwfn2x.jpg

[Last Chance]

Enfield is a good option you can get for cheap. .303 Brit ammo easy to get. (250-expensive) stripper clips load easy. Accuracy is proven. Fastest bolt action design.

[Garand]

I went with a Mauser M1896 in 6.5x55, for a couple of reasons, 1 I can use it at Winter Range at the Bucky O'Neill Match, 2, it is one of the only Milsurp rifles that BATF will allow a Canadian to bring into the US. 6.5x 55mm is a very flat shooting rifle out to 500 yds with cast lead. I got Lyman 150 gr RN moulds out of Buffalo Arms and if I do my part, the bullet with IMR 4227 will do its part.

[Sgt. John Campbell]

The Swedish Mauser is an excellent choice in a rifle.  I've been using the 6.5 x 55 round for some time for deer hunting, and it's one of my favorite calibers to shoot.  Unfortunately, my Swede has been completely reworked (barrel turned to remove steps and given a sporter contour, action completely gone over, bolt handle bent and recontoured for scope, low scope safety, custom Black Walnut stock), so it definitely cannot be used for BAMM matches.