doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com LR Wallack VZ33 Rifle - .243Win

Bought this online for a good price, as this is the only pictures they supplied.

Descriptions included that it had an LR Wallack barrel. I didn't do much more than Google the name. As it turns out, I do have one of his books.

I bought it for the action, as a .243 on a VZ-33 action doesn't seem "proper". Maybe a .244Rem....

Now that it is here, it really doesn't make much sense. Who needs a .243Win on a lightweight action that weighs........9 pounds?

Now I am not sure what to do with it.

Loose the monster scope, put on a turned down 6.5 x 55 surplus Swede barrel (or 7 x 57, or 270), and trim down & reshape the odd looking stock. The wood layout looks OK, and there is plenty of it. There should be a nice stock in there somewhere, if the comb nose isn't cut too far back already.

Sent you a PM.

I never asked. Any information about Wallack would be appreciated.

Mike,
I don't think it would hurt anything if you checked how much was ground out of the feed rails, before you decide on a caliber to convert it to. BTW, I also think the 244/6mmRem is a good choice.
Mike

Mike,

The rails look to be in good shape. The builder of this rifle had an interesting solution (post to follow with pics) to guide the shoulder of the shorter round.

I am by NO means an expert yet, having build less than a dozen Mauser rifles. I am coming to the opinion that grinding the rails for the .308Win family of cartridges is overstated and not needed.

I have built two, .243's and three .308's. With zero modification to the action or bottom metal and MINIMAL tweaking of the extractor all have fed perfectly.

EDIT TO ADD: Any conversion I would do, would include rebarreling. A 9lb VZ33 defeats the purpose of using this action. A sub 7lb 7mmMauser or 9.3x62 would be the idea.

I am familiar with the mechanical nature, rarity and value of this action.

What I am trying to determine is if there is any good reason to leave it alone, and sell it to someone who might value the name of the barrelmaker and/or builder.

FWIW - It weighs 9 lbs as pictured!






















What I am inclined to do, is fit a 7mmMauser barrel to a small ring action I have, fit it to this stock, reshape the exterior and fix that cheekpiece.

Then fit the barrel (if it shoots well) to a 1909 Argentine to build another rifle.

I think I have a Wallack catalog or two around here.

Daryl,

Did Wallack sell barrels? Could the barrel have been a catalog item?

The number "0410561031" on the bottom of the barrel seems to refer to something. A date? Catalog number?

Mike,
You may be interested to know that Bob Wallack did the original write-up of the .243 in the Sept. '55 Rifleman. His ad in the same issue included the line "Rifle Rebarreling Specialist", from his shop in Northville , NY.
I'd shoot it before tearing it apart. It doesn't look like it was initially built as a mountain rifle anyway-the scope is a giveaway.
If you don't like the cartridge, the .240 PSP will clean up the chamber.
Good shooting.

Wapiti,

I'll have to look that up. I have complete collection of Rifleman from '29 thru '55-'56 that I haven't unpacked since we moved.......six years ago.

Clearly NOT a mountain rifle.

I finished a large ring FN Mauser last night, .270Win. It weighs 7 pounds!