Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Any Mauser 98 fans out there?

Looking into the far reaches of my safe I pulled out three. My favorite an old 24/47 that had been rebarreled to 7x57, worked into a Ramline synthetic stock made for the Model 96 Mauser, a Timney trigger added, bolt bent and D&Td. It had been retired a couple of years ago and the Redfeild scope had been repurposed. This is the gun I named "Ugly". The barrel was a heavy sporter contour and I cut it down to 19 inches for easier box blind handling. It is a heavy rifle still but balance is excellent and over the years this rifle has taken more deer and feral hogs than a lot of people take in a lifetime. Next up is another 24/47 that I put an Israeli 7.62x51 barrel on, turned the original trigger into a pretty light, smooth single stage trigger with some creep. I remember thinking I coulda bought another Timney.....cheap! I also did a bubba on the stock turning into a light straight grip slender handle. Musta had all sorts of spare time back in the 80's. Had the bolt bent, the action drilled and tapped and put another Redfeild scope on it, this one a 4x Wideview. I shot a few deer with it but it became my favorite night hog gun and it still gets used some.In fact I shot it today. Next up is a Dirty Bird M98 I bought already sporterized and barreled for 6MM Remington, nice walnut stock, Bueler safety. Barrel didn't last so I rebarreled it again to 270 with a heavy sporter contour barrel. This one had already been triggerized by someone else and it was tolerable. Another somewhat heavy rifle this one is a tackdriver. I have taken coyotes, two elk, several deer and hogs with it. These rifles are stacked behind their "replacements". A Remington model 7 7-08, a Ruger M77 270 tanger and a Marlin XS7 in 308. I don't think I will let the Marlin replace the old Mauser 308. The replacement rifles are all lighter than the older guns and have better triggers though the Timney on the 7x57 is just fine. Not sure why I decided to make this rambling commentary other than to put some thought on three rifles I have used a heck of a lot over the years. I also like Springfields but that is another story.

The vast majority of bolt action rifles in may safes are 98 variants. The few that aren't were purchased for their novelty or simply because the cartridge appealed to me or isn't suited to the 98 action. For example, a rem 722 in 300 Savage, or CZ 527 in 6.5 Grendel, various .223's etc.

Well I have to say my collection is big and calibers varied. I shoot a lot also. I occasionally go through a period where I feel I should reduce the collection. Maybe I should see a shrink!

I only have 1 pure 98 action on a 284 W, 21" bll., Timney trigger in a Boyd's hardwood stock.

Like z1r said most of the rest of mine are 'variants' of the 98.

Jerry

Was it tough getting it to feed?

Still have my first deer rifle, a '44 BCD code 98K. Has the original barrel, Bishop stock and Redfield peeps. Not worth much, but it is to me. Eyes are not what they used to be, but can still hit minute of deer as needed.

Funny you should post this, I just finished putting a new stepped 8x57 barrel on a 1915 Danzig Gew action. Building one for my nephew/Godson who is graduating HS this year. I have 98s in the safe in 8x57, 30-06 and 270(2). My favorite is the 8x57...

I have 3 FN 98s Commercials in 30,06 and .257 Roberts, and Military 7x57. Have owned many before ! great action, plenty accurate dependable and safe !

No sir, nothing special. It’s NOT as smooth as say Tikka, or some but no particular
problem. If you pull or push real slow you can feel a little roughness but in normal
cycling I never notice it.

I’ll try to take a pic or 2 tomorrow. My other pix show it laying on dead deerS. grin
and not particularly close up.

Jerry

I have a few.

Not a snowballs chance in hell after seeing my brothers build...which ended with a plane ticket to Idaho and two days with D’arcy Echols.

Sako customized in the late 40,s early 50,s
1939 8x57 KAR 98

I brought it back to life in 2017.

I'm a sucker for FN Commercial actions! I don't see how any 'rifleman" doesn't like Mausers! A few years back I bought a "battlefield pick up" (Russians supposedly cleaned them up/sold them) a KAR 98 8x57 full military. I had my smith do a trigger job on it and a taller front blade. I had bought a huge box ( over 500 rds) of Turkish machinegun ammo. Man would it shoot! Corrosive of course, but I just poured hot water down the tube and then cleaned regularly. I gave that rifle to a young man in my congregation. He doesn't hunt but likes to shoot rocks out in the desert. I like the Mark X actions too, and the old H&R rifles. I would like to find a nice stalking rifle in 8x57 or 7mm for sure.

Does s Remington 798 count?

This was rifle is a Mauser Banner model that was a bubbafied sporter when I bought it at the Treasure Chest pawn shop in Phoenix back in '83 or '84. By the late 80's I took it to a local gunsmith here in NY and had him turn it into a 7x57 Mannlicher style carbine.

It's a sweet deer gun for the North East



Dan

This is my one and only. Dad liberated it during WWII. Adams and Bennet 257Rob barrel, trigger, Boyd's stock. Shots MOA
Dantheman, that's a beauty!

See here < > A Doe on 1 st Day of our Doe Only MG season 2017






AGAIN , A broken horn 8 pt chasing 1 of 2 Does on Opening Day of our MG season 2017





A closeup of the closed action. I HAD to use Hi rings for bolt clearance.






Nothing special IN the action for cycling.






It holds 4 down & 1 UP the spout. It works just fine AFAIC



Jerry

'50's vintage FN 98 with custom work picked up here on the Classifieds. Had jkob fit a Shilen 6.5x55 barrel. Fit it in an Edge McWoody classic stock.

Had a Canjar trigger, now wears a .25-8x32 Conquest in Talley rings. Loves 139 Scenars over MRP.

DF

SHOW OFF


It's a BEAUT !!


Jerry

"Mausers" takes in a bunch of territory, and a lot of the naysayers have, I think, based their opinions on sporterized specimines that may or may not have been cunningly crafted. Unlike push feeds, 98s have to be properly tuned to the case or case "family" they're expected to function with, so stuffing something out of that range into one willy-nilly might not work out. I've never had an issue with a commercial version, but once bought a nice sportized 7x57 that had lost the magazine block somewhere, causing the follower to tilt. Easy fix once I found it, but ones that need rail or extractor work would be out of my skill zone.

The floppy bolt travel bothers some, but is a consequence of needing sure function under battlefield conditions, and brisk manipulation of the bolt goes a long way towards minimizing the impression of looseness.

I love 'em, have two commercial ones now, and still think they're the best overall hunting rifle action, if not target or competition one. There are some real bargains to be had now, and if one sticks to commercial versions or carefully checks out conversions, it's hard to get stuck.