Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles An important message from the Mauser Rescue Society...

This is a WWII refugee. My dad was in the 3rd Army under Patton. When they pushed into Czechoslovakia they found stacks of rifles taken from captured Germans and piles of bolts. My dad and a couple of his buddies started going through the stacks of rifles calling out serial numbers while a couple other guys were going through the bolts. When they got a hit they put the rifles together.
Dad sent 2 of these home and did a little sporterizing on one with a Bishop stock and receiver sight. My brother turned it into a 35 Whelen.
This one was sitting in my safe until a few years ago in a Bishop stock and no sights when I couldn't stand to have it sitting any longer. Put sights on it and finished the stock but my eyes aren't good enough for irons any more and the 8x57 is so close to the -06 that it still wasn't getting the love it deserved. Put a 257R barrel on it, had the bolt altered, a Timney trigger and Boyds stock. Now it is Mrs Blacktailer's.

Bless you sir, supporting and sheltering a poor refugee like that is exactly the kind of thing we here at the MRS strive for. Good to see yet another M98 leading a productive second life.

Thank you for your good work,

CowboyTim

Good to see a rescued M98 hard at work and enjoying a fulfilling existence.

Bless you and keep up the good work.

CowboyTim

Bless you Tim.....you are doing fine work in the name of Peter-Paul and his followers!

As you know already, we share the same Mauser affliction. I trust you will rescue some deserving Bubba relic to turn into a fine 9X57 Mauser in the very near future.

The examples shown so far here are enough alone to warm the heart of any Mauser addict. My own poor efforts do not compare aesthetically with those above, but surely give me comfort in all ways. Please keep the success stories and pictures coming.

Now THAT is cool! Not a Commercial Mauser, but a real rescue 98 with a pedigree one can't buy. And the Rob is one of the highest and best uses for a 98!

kaywoodie, that is one of the best photos I've seen...a fine bull and a fine rifle. I suppose it was originally in 9.3x57 and a small ring action?

Here is one I bought from a dear friend before his passing. I have never taken the scope base off to determine it's manufacturer because it is of no consequence to me. He put a brand new 7x57 F.N. military barrel on it and it is a shooter par excellent. I will never part with this one voluntarily.

Your Dad and his pals sound like smart cookies. I doubt that very many others had the sense to match up the parts like that. My father brought one back, but it was long gone before I was old enough to get a look at it.

A good friend was in charge of a county-sized area in Germany after the war. Civilian arms that were surrendered were laid out and run over by tanks to destroy them, after getting picked over a good bit by the troops. One old guy got caught trying to hang on to one and got shot for his trouble.

Greetings Joe!

No it's an FN large ring 98. I have another I left as a 9.3x57. It's a hog killin machine. The
One above had a primo bore. So it got the reamer.

Joe, nice rifle and great story behind it.

Nice rifle!!!! And a nice buck!!!!!!

The exact vintage of an M98 like that one doesn't really matter. It's a wonderful thing to preserve the memory of your friend. Here's wishing you many successful hunts with that rifle.

Thanks for sharing,

CowboyTim

We here at the MRS would like to remind you to share the Christmas spirit and adopt a rescue Mauser this holiday season. Bringing home the most reliable bolt action ever designed can bring nothing but good things to you and yours.

Why just today, one of our associate members acquired a poor neglected Turkish '38 in quite the state of disrepair. I assured him that we would fast track the rehabilitation and make it one of our top priorities(not completed until after Christmas at his request as he spoke of his wife reacting poorly to it arriving prior to the holidays).

There are many more such M98s in need out there. If we work together, while we may not save them all, we can make a real difference in the lives of many more neglected Mausers.

Thank you once again for your time,

CowboyTim

I just joined the Society today - Picked up a Husky 640 from Simpson that is pretty cherry.

My initial question is: What is considered an acceptable level of alterations? This particular rifle is a commercial FN action that has not been D&T for scope use. I have quite a few mods/upgrades I would like to apply but after checking it out in person, I am now more reluctant to go ahead with most of these changes. The bore is close to perfect, the stock (beechwood) is in good condition (1953 vintage) with no cracks, blued finish is around 90%, and the iron sights are complete and in good shape.

I would like to upgrade the bottom metal, trigger, and stock, have a 3 position safety (Win. 70 style) installed, and have it drilled and tapped. Lastly, I would send the barreled action off to Robar for refinishing.

What are the Society's thoughts?

Blasphemy! Blasphemy! <Rips robe>

Crowd- "Crucify him! Crucify him!"

That picture is a classic!

My Mauser 98 has been rescued twice by me alone. Tho I believe the action started as a commercial one.

It was left overwinter in the remote cabin I bought in the early 70's sight unseen in late September As part of the deal, along with a bunch of other stuff. I didn't see it or the cabin until June the next year.

The spring flood water damaged the stock for several inches above the butt pad. It was a " Jefferson" custom with nice wood, a .270 barrel, tack-driver. I refinished the stock that next winter.

Several years later I loaned it to my brother, who returned it to me 22 years later in Denver when it "quit shooting" after a winter in a damp Minneapolis basement a couple years before.

Several years later (and attempts to make it shoot again), I picked up from Sportsman's Guide a new 27 inch Parkerized .30-06 barrel for about $100, and had it fitted ( $150) as I no longer had my gear set up-and I was up here in Kotz instead of down home in Soldotna. The rifle still has the original (to me) butt-pad, and the refinish I did in about '75, tho a bit battered. It wears a 3.5-10 Leupold VX III

The barrel was advertised as a "Finnish sniper barrel". Probably was, as it is heavy contour, with a step at the muzzle. I'm guessing for a flash suppressor. The last two 3-shot groups that I tried with a good "field" rest hovered right at 1 inch.

At 300 yards. With factory ammo.

It ain't pretty anymore, but I think I'll keep it.

Quite the conundrum you have there. Perhaps I could help shed some light. There are 2 basic schools of thought at play here.

1. You have acquired a true classic(even if it isn't a military 98), in what sounds like VERY nice condition. PERSONALLY I would leave it as is.

2. It's your rifle, all the mods you listed WOULD be useful. Please allow me to make a 3rd suggestion.

3. You really need to get ANOTHER 98 that ISN'T quite so perfect and do those mods to that one...it's the only way to know for certain which set up you like better as it is the only way to compare them side bt side.

Glad I could be of assistance,

CowboyTim

Rescued an Interarms Mark X a few years back. Came to me as a naked action/bolt with a Timney trigger.

Boyds provided a laminate stock, Krieger a fluted stainless barrel with a 6.5 bore. Kreiger also trued the action and chambered the barrel with a 6.5-06AI Pacific Tool & Gauge reamer I supplied before mating the barrel to the action.

The rifle has proven to be very accurate. I told Big Brother it was my '600 yard clay pigeon shooter', something it excels at. Recoil is so gentle my girls love to shoot it, especially with the fire-form loads which are every bit as accurate as my final loads.

Pics don't do it justice. It isn't going to win any beauty contests but that rifle can shoot!











500 and 600 yard targets with several clay pigeons at the 2 o'clock position:

You don't "rescue" a Mark X... it's a commercial action.

Just sayin...