[49204]

Well, here we go again. I purchased from my neigbor's widder a MAS 49/56, and this 'un would even be approved in the People's Republic of Democracia. There's no barrel in the thing. The late neighbor purchased this fine arm as a .308 conversion, complete with chamber done with a case hardened corncob, got peeved, pulled and deep-sixed the barrel, and left the poor little action all forlorn....

I got a section of .257" barrel leaning against the door behind the lathe, and a freshly resharpened .257 Roberts reamer, and a hankering for a rifle of the self-shucking persuasion that don't threaten to overrun the barrel shank walls around the chamber. The .257, as originally loaded, is fine for the M.93 Mauser, and I got no interest in +P loadings in this arm.

I know there's those who frown on Frankensteinian Guns, but I'd like to have something that runs instead of a parkerized doorstop.... Well, one of my friends from the shadowy back alleys of San Antonio got back to me with the thread and shank specs for the MAS. It's a 25mm fine thread, close to 17 threads per inch, which is why my SAE gauge wouldn't fit. Now, if I can just persuade my lathe to cut this thing....

 

[GaCop]

Interesting conversion. I'd like to know how it turns out. Though a somewhat dead cartridge, I've always wanted to chamber a rifle in .257.

 

[49204]

Back in the bad old days....

...our ordnance guys were building prototypes for a replacement for the 1903. Pederson came up with a toggle-lock gun, and the military folks built several cartridges, of which the .276 came to test in the Pederson guns. One of those was a .257 cartridge, and it was a barn-burner in terms of its performance against the .276.

I considered going with the .250 Savage cartridge, and may still do that, but the .257 has such a track record as a hunting round that I have to figure it's about as good as it gets. The only bug in the ointment is the situation with the +P loadings. I don't want to take the MAS above 48,000 CUP if I can help it, and the original .257 Roberts stays down at that level.

 

[mpi]

sounds like an interesting project, i saw one that had been converted to .308 by a gunsmith that had re barreled the action and also did the fal mag conversion. It's a damn sweet rifle and i wish i could have bought it.