The Frontier Sixshooter Community Message Board - The .50 AK brass is/was available from Starline

The .50 AK brass is/was available from Starline (reply)

uncowboy — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 12:29:36 +0000

Growing up with the WWII vets and knowing the man in charge of the Frankford arsenal I have handled many of these rifles but I was too young to own one. They were the first chance the 45/70 got to shine with modern powders and bullets very strong gun and very powerful. Several went to Africa as a primary dangerous game gun. Never heard a bad word about them and always wanted one with express sights.

The .50 AK brass is/was available from Starline (reply)

Hobie — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 13:48:21 +0000

and, like all their products, is good stuff.

Thanks fellas! (reply)

Hoot — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 12:35:56 +0000

I have to finish fitting scope mounts and then take it to the range. I have wanted one ever since reading about them many years ago. Dad has 1 (or 2? dim memory says he bought a second) in .45-70 and Bro' Dan has one in .444 Marlin. They sure are fun to shoot.

Funny story...I bought a box o' Mauser parts off GunBroker a while back. It had a Timney trigger needed for another project and the whole works was selling for about what the trigger would cost. In the box, was some lower metal which I knew to be Siamese along with a sporterized bolt and some other goodies. The bolt was comfirmed to be Siamese as well after arrival. (Trivia: they are NOT interchangeable with a standard '98.) The very next week another auction came up for a Siamese action with no bolt! So now, a complete Siamese action sits in the shop waiting for attention. I have been reading a little and am leaning towards something based on the .348...either the parent cartridge itself or maybe a .50 Alaskan.

I need another project like a hole in the head but a fella has to plan for retirement now, doesn't he?

as I disremember (reply)

bob — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 03:18:45 +0000

the rifles were contracted out to Japan and made in the same arsenals as the best of the Arisaka's. Basically, hell for stout. Knew a guy, fellow hack, in the prison service who had one and regarded it as the best elk rifle he ever had.

Nope... I know where all of them are. (reply)

Andrew — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 02:38:38 +0000

I had a rough, nasty, turd-bucket Navy Arms conversion that was more fun than Christy Brinkley in a barrel of baby oil. There are certainly many of them in the Great Land. I haven't seen one since leaving.

There was an interesting article in a (I think) 1980s (reply)

BobM — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 00:47:59 +0000

Gun Digest by a guy who had one in 45/70 he used for deer hunting.

Navy Arms Mauser conversion question. (reply)

Hobie — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 16:37:15 +0000

I remember them. Thought they were heavy at the time. I think they made a shorter barrel version as well. IIRC, NA glommed onto a stack of the Siamese Mausers and converted/contracted them out to somebody for conversion. The action is a Mauser and suitably strong and Ken Waters treated them as among the strongest actions for the .45-70.

You've got one now, you might as well enjoy it!

Have same story as you'uns.... (reply)

Bud — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 15:28:41 +0000

At a gunshop near Warrenton, VA buying a Ruger #1B liberty model in 243...so it must have been about 1976 or thereabouts. Saw the Siamese Mauser from Navy Arms, in the rack, and have thought about it all these years. I do believe it was a strong action and one could have had a lot of fun with it. Wish I would have brought it home fer sure.

Nifty rifles, let us know how it works for you. (reply)

Paul — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 14:58:21 +0000

I saw one at the same gunshow where I bought my P17 Enfield sporter. Didn't pay much attention to it at the time, now I wish I'd taken more time to look at it. Funny that it stuck in my mind all these years when I didn't even pick it up and fondle it. Someone said something about them being problematic in the repeater area, that the one they had was essentially a singleshot. Don't know if that was common to the genre or if it was an individual rifle thing.

Circa 77-78 I sized several dozen 45-70 cases in a small (reply)

Rob Leahy — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 14:33:21 +0000

reloading and gun shop. These were for the owner's project Siamese Mauser. I have been fascinated sense. I looked all over Alaska for a Siamese Mauser...I think Ray Huff bought the last one...proly traded a Lee Load all in 25ACP for it too.

Very interesting. Back in the day, I wanted one of those (reply)

John K. — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 14:25:35 +0000

but wanted to build my own. Never stumbled over an action, tho. No idea who/where the Navy Arms version was converted.

If you have Ken Water's Pet Loads, look in the 45-70 section. He did a two part article on 45-70s with the first part covering the guns he would use and the second covering load data. IIRC, he divided various guns into three "levels" or groups - trapdoor, medium, strong, and remarked the Siamese belonged in a class by itself.

Also just checked a 1991 Navy Arms catalog and price list - the Siamese conversion is not listed.

Supposed to be real strong, but still close to 110 years old (reply)

cas — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 13:26:00 +0000

Nice little review of the original rifle. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mHfjol3Ar9U&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DmHfjol3Ar9U

It has been a while... (reply)

Brian A — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 13:21:47 +0000

and the details are a bit sketchy, but Navy Arms did sell converted Mausers in 45/70. I don't know who did the actual conversions, but remember thinking they were pretty cool and wanting one badly back in the day.

At the time they were current, I don't recall hearing... (reply)

John Meeker — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 13:09:27 +0000

and safety negatives. My good local gunsmith was doing really nice conversions before Navy's issue, and when they came out, he had no safety remarks regarding them. Normally Navy bought guns, and then they were converted/sporterized under their name. However, perhaps someone will know who did the actual work. In any event, that's a lead lobber that got a fair amount of play in the gun magazines of the time. There were loads written up for it that were always labeled in the article "Not for trapdoors & etc" A carbine version floats up in memory, but whether Navy's ofr qgun-writers i don;t recall,

Navy Arms Mauser conversion question.

Hoot — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 12:56:01 +0000

So, I am weak. A Siamese Mauser followed me home yesterday. It's been converted to .45-70 and the barrel is marked Navy Arms with a NJ address. Various 'net searches didn't provide much beyong Val Foggett's history and adventures (intreresting read though). Did Navy Arms do the complete conversion or simply supply the barrel? There seems to be varied opinions regarding quality where NA is concerned. Anyone have first-hand experience? So far, this one seems just fine.

It's a heavy beast though sporting a 26" barrel. Ought to be interesting.