I'm no connoisseur of fine CRF rifles but I have handled and shot a lot of Model 70s and about one third as many various Mausers. All the stuff being brought up is purely subjective.
I really want to know are we being snobish here or is there something to it? My Winchesters feed good, look good, shoot good- what am I missing? I looked for a perfect 375 or 458 Mauser and didn't find one but I did find a really nice model 70 and I want to know what I am missing out on not holding out for a Browning or a Whitworth?
dennis I all take a stab at this even though I won't hit them all since I am no expert.....I am not going to knock a M70 because pretty much that's all I have hunted with for quite a few years.
There are some minor differences, but to Mauser mavens they all add up to making them "better".
- Extractor: Its a bit more robust because the extractor is supported by a "hook" under the extractor that fits into a circular recess at the head of the bolt. This "hook" grabs more tenaciously the harder you pull on the bolt and in theory makes it more difficult for the extractor to slip over the case rim and leave it in the chamber during extraction.
OTOH the M70 extractor depends on the spring tension of the extractor itself to exert tension and hold the case rim. In theory it could (might?) slip over the case rim in the event of a severely stuck case.....sometimes....maybe.The M70 extractor also depends on that same spring tension to properly grip the case during feeding and align it for passage into the chamber. This is why a MIM extractor on a M70 is such a disaster waiting to happen on the M7 Classic;it will bend and hold a set,even break, but does not behave like a spring steel extractor. They should be replaced every time.
Ejector: The M70 depends on a a spring actuated bladed ejector that slides up out of a recess in the bottom of the bolt raceway. It it gets gritty down there the spring may not function well enough to "time" the ejector rising up as the bolt is operated in rapid fire and the case will not eject. This rarely happens,but can if the rifle is poorly maintained and it takes a lot of neglect but it can happen.
OTOH, the Mauser ejector cams off the bolt release(correct description?),does not depend on a small spring, and is a bit more robust in operation.
Breach: The slick feeding for which the M70 is noted, is due in part to the coned breach. Downside is that more of the case is unsupported by the chamber. The Mauser breach supports more of the case in the chamber(in fact more than a Rem 700, too).
Gas: The mauser is better in the case of a burst case or some other mishap. Gas is diverted down the left lug raceway,and in military actions the cut out in the left raceway provides an opening for diversion. The bolt shroud has a gas shield, absent on a pre 64 M70 and most Classics, but newer SC M70's,and some very late Classics, have a shield.
Trigger: The original Mauser trigger is about bomb proof. I don't like enclosed after market triggers fitted to Mausers. In a dangerous game rifle, the Mauser trigger requires a smaller inlet in the trigger mortice...helpful with heavy recoiling rifles to minimize stock splitting I hear. Anyway if I had a Mauser I'd get a M70-style trigger for it.
Feeding is true CRF provided the action is modified to the cartridge. Use a case too short,or otherwise not suited and the CRF thing sort of goes out the window IMHO. On some Mausers there is a protrusion on the head of the bolt that serves as a guide for the cartridge to be carried under the extractor and into the chamber and helps with alignment.
Safeties with scope....same/same. There are other differences but too detailed. You need a book.
The sloppy bolt travel is a result of loose tolerances so that bolt operation is easier and more certain if it gets dirty or icey.
The action was designed as a battle rifle for doomsday scenarios,like a bomb shelter.Conditions have to be pretty bad before advantages show up and few sporting rifles are afield for months at a time under bad tropical or other nasty, dirty conditions. So most don't see, or need, the advantages, but for those who do, they can make a difference.
That's all I can think of. Will leave the rest to the experts.
Rant over.
