Is it safe to chamber a 2 locking lug Mauser 98 receiver in 30-06?
It is now 7X57mm the bore is is in such a shape that it (the barrel) would make a good club (barely).

I had a gunsmith tell me that 2 lugs would not be safe because of the pressure of the 30-06. That the 30-06 needs to have the 3rd lug on the rear of the bolt to be safe.

BTT for the day shift.

Here's a few articles and threads from other boards concerning your question:

[url]http://www.gun-tests.com/performance/affordable3006.html[/url]
exerpt:
[blue]The Centurion 98 Sporter is a rebuilt and refinished bolt-action rifle marketed by Century Arms. It features a surplus German Mauser 98 action mated to a new barrel and synthetic stock. A reshaped bolt handle, a new low-swing safety, and a Weaver-type scope base are standard equipment, allowing the rifle to be scoped. This model retails for around $250 and is available in .30-06 Springfield and .270 Winchester. The .30-06 98 Sporter we bought had a steel receiver, trigger guard, and magazine assembly with a high-gloss blued finish, while its barrel had a brushed low-glare blue finish. Most of the steel bolt was white. Small dings and dents were noted on the back portion of the bolt, the bolt handle, and the trigger guard. The edges of the five-shot magazine’s detachable floorplate were deformed enough that we couldn’t remove it. Fitting of the bolt could have been better, in our view. There was also a lot of play in the trigger and the safety lever, we thought.[/blue]



[url]http://www.stormfront.org/forum/showthread.php?t=44420[/url]


[url]http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Number=184241[/url]

Seems your gunsmith was WRONG, as top link tests a Mauser 98 chambered in 30-06, and other threads seem to indicate the same, that your project is do-able.

Mike