Since there has been some discussion about the merits and demerits of the Mauser 98 and other actions, let me state my opinion and the reasoning behind it. To set the perspective, I am a shooter, not a hunter, and an admirer of fine design and engineering. Because there are a lot of issues to discuss, this is a very long post, and I will break down the discussion into different design aspects, with selected comments on other bolt actions.
Breeching. The Mauser does not completely surround the cartridge with steel. There are unavoidable gaps due to the extraction and ejection system. In this aspect it is inferior to, say, the Remington 700. However, due to the thinness of the extractor claw, the cartridge does protrude less from the end of the barrel than most other bolt actions, by 0.025� to 0.050�, as pointed out by Stuart Otteson in his book The Bolt Action. Overall, the cartridge is very well supported by the Mauser action.
In terms of gas escape in the event of a pierced primer or cartridge rupture, events more common then than now, the Mauser has multiple design features to protect the shooter. Jack O�Connor relates an incident in The Rifle Book where he was shooting surplus ammo in an Waffenfabrik Mauser action. �I was shooting prone when there was a tremendous flash and an explosion right in my face. I opened the bolt and only the rim of the case came out. The head had completely blown off and a tremendous volume of gas had escaped to the rear. With a Springfield that would have resulted in a bulged magazine that would have shattered the stock, and the rifle would have been in a very sad state of repair. The Mauser, however, took it in its stride and was not harmed in the slightest. I had only to get out the remaining part of the case and go on shooting.�
Jack Lott, in an article on the Mauser 98 in the Guns & Ammo Annual 1990 also reported that a friend of his experienced a pierced primer while shooting a Springfield and �got an eyeful of gas and could have been blinded.� He concluded, �the ability to handle gas from pierced or blown primers is on no other action as thoroughly design-controlled as with the M98.� Note that in some commercial Mausers such as later FN and Zastava, the gas control aspect is significantly compromised by the cost-saving short cut of machining a slot on the left side of the gas control inner receiver ring. Also note that the pre-64 Winchester 70 breech is a copy of the Springfield design.
The modern Husqvarna actions are, as I have noted, based on modified and improved �96 Mauser actions. While they have some improved design aspects and greatly improved metallurgy, they lack a number of the gas control design features of the 98 Mauser including the internal receiver gas collar and the venting system. In his book Bolt Action Rifles, Frank de Haas comments that the Husqvarna breeching system is �not so much different from that used in the pre-1964 M70 Winchester,� and further that Husqvarna �regressed in designing the gas-escape system. They would have been better off duplicating the venting system used on the M96 action,� which of course, was further improved in the Mauser 98.
Feeding: The Mauser is, of course, a controlled-feeding design. While there is debate about controlled-feed vs. push feed, it is notable that Mauser went from a push-feed in his earlier designs to a controlled-feed for maximum reliability in a military situation, to prevent double-feeding in a short-stroke situation due to operator error. It is true that modern semi-auto and auto rifles use push-feed design, however cycling in these designs is automatic and not prone to manual manipulation errors as it is in a bolt action.
Incidentally, the controlled feed design allows the magazine to be emptied simply by cycling the bolt back and forth without lowering the bolt handle, because the cartridge is engaged by the extractor as soon as it leaves the magazine and before it is fully chambered. This is perfectly safe even with the safety disengaged because the bolt cam prevents the firing pin from moving forward while the bolt is cycling, and the firing pin also has a safety shoulder which blocks the firing pin from moving forward when the bolt is unlocked. This method of unloading may be quicker and easier than releasing the detachable magazine floorplate found in some Mauser actions.
The feeding action with the cartridge sliding up under the extractor hook also helps clear the bolt face of any dirt or debris that may have lodged there. Here is Jack Lott: �Another problem that the nonrotating Mauser extractor prevents is that dirt of debris can get into a recessed bolt face as on most recent bolt actions, preventing bolt closure. This happened to me when I tried to chamber a .308 Winchester round in such an action and it wouldn�t close. I removed the bolt�and noted an unburned cylindrical powder granule lodged in it. �I couldn�t help think about how this would play in the African bush while I was engaged in a bit of lion, leopard, buffalo or elephant �roulette.�
What is not as well appreciated is the care that Mauser took in every aspect of feeding. Mauser was very proud of his patented magazine design. Not only are the feed lips of the Mauser machined into the receiver (rather than, say, a part of the magazine), but he actually designed the magazine and follower for each individual cartridge. On page 127 of Original Oberndorf Sporting Rifles by Jon Speed, Walter Schmid and Reiner Herrman, there is a table of magazine box dimensions for Mauser rifles by cartridge. For 21 cartridges, there are 14 different magazine boxes, sometimes with dimensions differing by only fractions of a millimeter. This is sometimes neglected by gunsmiths when a Mauser action is rebarreled for a different cartridge, which may have different dimensions from the cartridge the action was originally designed to work with. The result can be problems with reliable feeding. In all fairness, it should be noted that John Barsness had a Mexican Mauser which gave feeding problems after it was rechambered to .257 Roberts, even though this action was designed for the 7x57, the parent cartridge of the Roberts. In theory the two should be perfectly compatible, but Murphy�s Law strikes again.
Extraction. The wide Mauser claw extractor is unsurpassed in reliability. Here is Jack O�Connor from The Rifle Book: �Extraction is probably the most positive of any bolt-action. I cannot remember ever having failed to extract a case that remained in one piece - something I cannot say about most other bolt-actions I have used.� The extractor has a undercut projection just behind the hook which fits into a rotary groove in the bolt, and actually forces the hook harder into the cartridge rim the more difficult the extraction becomes, a design feature exclusive to the Mauser. Note that an earlier Mauser design (1889) used an extractor very similar to that used in modern Sako actions, which was abandoned in favor of the non-rotating claw extractor.
Ejection. The Mauser fixed ejector has been criticized because it requires a slot in the left locking lug, weakening that lug. Many favor the Winchester Model 70 design, which is located in the receiver and does not require a slot in the locking lug. However, here is Jack Lott: �A serious design problem exists in the Model 70 ejector�which folds down inside a slot in the receiver� The blade is so deeply placed in the narrow receiver slot that is is usually surrounded by gummy grease and dirt, which it attracts readily. Unless this slot�[is] kept clean�the ejector blade will rise�too slowly and fail�to eject. This is what happened to professional hunter Campbell Smith of South Africa during a rhino charge�.I subsequently had the same thing happen with a Brno ZKK-602 rifle� [which] has an unslotted left lug and a Model 70-type ejector��
He further comments, �The reason that M-98 ejector is more positive is that its blade is shorter�and is not confined in a narrow slot. The only slot it moves through is through the thin receiver left sidewall. Thus, there is little chance dirt or gummy grease and dirt can prevent its near-instant moving in place� No matter how gummed up, I have never had a problem with the M-98 ejector caused by slowness to move in place or failure to do so.�
Don Heath in an article in African Hunter, also noted problems with ejection with rapid bolt manipulation in the Ruger M77 Mk II, which shares a similar ejector design.
Ignition. One shortcoming of the Mauser compared to contemporary bolt actions is its relatively slow lock time. Stuart Otteson calculates its lock time as 5 milliseconds, compared to 2.5 to 3.0 milliseconds for the Remington M700 and Winchester M70. On the other hand, as Otteson points out, the lock time of the Mauser is still faster than any action with a hammer such as lever, pump or semi-auto rifles. The potential trade-off is reliability. As Finn Aagaard wrote in Rifle Sept. 1988, �While I have very rarely experienced misfires due to light firing pin strikes with modern speed-lock actions, I have never had that happen with a Mauser Model 98. If the primer does not ignite when clouted by a Mauser�s striker, it is dead.�
Another shortcoming of the Mauser is its direct-acting double-stage trigger. Although it is a very simple and reliable system � two parts, two pins and one spring, most nowadays prefer a single stage trigger. Mauser themselves offered a single stage trigger as an option on their sporting rifles. IMHO the old Winchester M70, which is nearly as simple as the Mauser, is as reliable a single stage trigger as has ever been designed. The fact that it has been copied in the Sako L-46 and Dakota 76 actions, among others, is further evidence of its quality.
Thumb notch. The Mauser has been criticized because of the thumb notch in the left receiver sidewall, which was designed to assist in clip loading the magazine, a function of its military origins. This thumb notch weakens the rigidity of the receiver, and in late WW II military actions has been a site of fracture of the action. What is not widely recognized is that the thumb notch is also a part of the gas escape management system. This is because the bolt has gas escape vents in it which allow any gas that enters the bolt from the firing pin hole to escape rather than push the firing pin out the back end of the bolt (the firing pin also has a shoulder to prevent it from blowing out). The bolt vents open into the left lug raceway when the bolt is closed and locked, and the thumb notch provides an escape route for gas from the bolt into the open air and away from the shooter�s face. The shooter is further protected from gas by the front flange on the bolt sleeve. Commercial actions eliminate the thumb notch at the cost of some compromise in gas handling.
Magazine floorplate and release. The original detachable floorplate was designed to be released with the aid of a spitzer bullet nose, and is also found on early post-war FN and Brno commercial actions. The detachable floorplate is very positive and secure but obviously much less convenient than the hinged floorplate.
On their sporting rifles, Mauser offered an optional hinged floorplate with either a lever release or a button release in the forward part of the trigger guard. The button release was also seen on the Argentine 1909 � one reason for its desirability as an action to be modified for sporter use � and has been widely copied not only on commercial Mauser copies such as the Santa Barbara and Zastava/Mark X, but also the Dakota 76 and custom bottom metal for various bolt actions. However, some versions of the hinged floorplate have been reported to be less reliable in heavily recoiling rifles � for example, professional hunter Don Heath reported in African Hunter magazine that the Mark X was �famed for springing the magazine floor plate open and dumping the contents on the firer�s feet.�
Scope mounting. Another acknowledged weakness of the Mauser is with respect to scope mounting. Of course, the Mauser was designed before scopes were in use - Kahles, the oldest firm still manufacturing rifle scopes, was founded in 1898, the same year the Mauser design came out. The main problems here are the bolt handle and the safety. The bolt handle can of course be modified for scope mounting, either by forging or by welding.
Bolt sleeve and safety. The bolt sleeve has a flange on the front which helps deflect gas from a ruptured primer or case away from the shooter�s face. The bolt sleeve lock, which prevents the sleeve from rotating when the bolt is open, is simple and positive. By comparison, here is Jack Lott: �The Model 70 bolt-sleeve lock is similar to that of the �03 Springfield and it is more exposed, more complicated and less foolproof than that of the M98. I and others I know have had this bolt sleeve lock�s detent fail to engage its slot in the bolt root and allow the cocking piece to rotate 90 degrees, jamming the action and damaging the rear tang. Its weak coil spring and external exposure to dirt makes it even more prone to sticking. The M-98 bolt sleeve lock, on the other hand, is internal and utterly foolproof.�
The original Mauser safety, mounted on the bolt sleeve, is ingenious and positive, using a minimum of parts to directly lock the firing pin (actually the cocking piece) and bolt in the full safe position, while allowing bolt manipulation in the intermediate position. The intermediate position also allows the bolt to be disassembled without any tools for cleaning, an important military consideration. However, because it pivots vertically, it is inconvenient for scope mounting. Commercial Mausers such as the FN originally offered a two-position scope safety which, while pivoting vertically, was limited to either the right or left side to allow scope mounting. The Brno ZG-47 had a unique bolt sleeve safety that pivoted like a hammer and locked the firing pin and bolt. These bolt sleeve mounted safeties were succeeded by a safety button generally located on the right side which locked the sear, a less positive system than the original. Some aftermarket safeties have imitated the Winchester Model 70 system which pivots horizontally on the right or left side, and locks the firing pin. This is a more positive system than the sear locking safeties, and appears to be the most popular in custom Mausers.
Fit. The Mauser has been criticized for rattling with the bolt open. This was not due to sloppy machining � tolerances were deliberately kept loose by design for maximum reliability in dirty/muddy conditions. Mausers do not rattle in the closed, locked position. Most modern bolt actions have closer tolerances that are more impressive in the gunshop. While no hunter would deliberately (I hope!) carry a dirty, muddy gun into the field, stuff happens. As John Barsness wrote in Rifle Sept. 2002, �I�ve hunted with over a dozen different bolt actions, and believe me, none work like a 98 after they�ve been out in the rain or dust for awhile.�
Steel and Heat Treating. Mausers are believed to have been made of forged, low carbon steel, and had local hardening of the receiver ring and rear bridge lug areas on the receiver, and locking lugs on the bolt, while the remainder was left unhardened for toughness. Frank de Haas in Bolt Action Rifles writes that �receivers of the pre-WWI era, especially the small ring type, tend to be somewhat softer than those manufactured in the 1920s, �30s and early �40s. I have observed that receivers made late in the WWII period, or those dated �44� and �45� are sometimes either very soft or hard, mostly the latter�.There seems to be no evidence to indicate that any re-heat-treatment of a soft M98 receiver will improve it or make it stronger. It is inadvisable, therefore, to have this done.�
Jack Lott has also written, �M-98 actions are not supposed to be hardened throughout. I have shown various critics how a tungsten-carbide scribe or a Swiss needle file only glances off when one tries to scratch inside receiver lug recesses. Some actions are insufficiently hard and have �set back� � meaning that the locking lugs have indented the locking surfaces in this recess�.I�d junk that action and obtain another , rather than re-heat-treat it as some do.�
Conclusion. As may be evident by now, I am something of a Mauser fan, but this is not based on blind faith or esthetics, but rather on solid engineering reasons, as I hope the above discussion has demonstrated. Yes, it has shortcomings, but its virtues are numerous, and the shortcomings are easily correctible. In the discussion above, note the overall emphasis on reliability. Anecdotes have been cited, but of course, anecdotes don�t prove anything. However, the point of them is not that other rifles fail, because any mechanical object can fail, including a Mauser, or to pick on any other action, but to illustrate how the Mauser was designed to minimize as many potential failures as possible. This is not to say that other bolt actions are not reliable, but rather to say that the Mauser was designed to be as reliable as humanly possible, given the technology of its time, and those basic design elements in large part have yet to be improved upon.
An unmodified Mauser is not cost-effective these days, unless one is willing to do his own gunsmithing work, but it is still one of the best, if not the best, sporting bolt actions around on a pure design basis. Because of its popularity, there are abundant aftermarket parts which allow it to be customized to taste � albeit at a cost. For the cost-conscious looking for a Mauser, a commercial action is obviously the way to go, with a Yugoslavian (Zastava, Interarms Mk X) or Spanish (Santa Barbara) less expensive than a Belgian FN/Browning as a general rule. Another option is that many military Mausers were modified in the past with scope-adaptable bolt handles, single stage triggers, etc. Often these �sporterized Mausers�, done by amateurs or local gunsmiths, are available at bargain prices.
A final anecdote - in his article in African Hunter, Don Heath reported on the Zimbabwe professional hunter proficiency exam in which candidates used their own bolt action rifles on the range and in the field, including Weatherby, Ruger M77, Winchester 70, Remington 700, Browning A-bolt, CZ/Brno, Interarms Mark X (Zastava), FN Mauser, and original Oberndorf Mauser. The FN and Oberndorf Mausers came out the best - �worked great as expected�. He also described the early Brno rifles, which were essentially sporterized Mausers, as �absolutely tops.� All the other actions had one functional shortcoming or another. Somehow I don�t think that was an accident.
