Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Mausers and Military Rifles New Mauser Build and novice questions.

I posted this once already and just now realized it was in the wrong area.

Hi guys I am new here and relatively new to bolt action rifles, but Ive been reading a lot here and this place is an excellent source of information from great people.

I am building a mauser 98 build using an imported factory new Zastava M70 action. My main goal is to make a near replica of a Kar 98 with some subtle modern features for the perfect shooter, going as far as to find a gun smith willing to custom build a stripper clip guide.

I'm currently searching for a barrel and have decided to go with a Lothar Walther. There are a lot of choices, from custom barrel building to drop in Kar98 barrels and my goal is to make the barrel as easy to deal with for the smith as possible. Its going into a hand sporterized Kar98 stock by the way, and Ill either modify the Zastava side safety to a wing, or modify the stock to accept the Zastava safety.

I want to make things easy for the gunsmith in that I dont want to hand him a headache aside from the custom strip clip boss. I want to hand him the proper barrel and let him make some easy money. So here is where my lack of knowledge is currently stifling me.

When I use Lothar's custom barrel builder, I dont know whether to just get a K98 drop in, or use the custom builder and select a Mauser 98, or a Zastava M70. Are they the same since they are both M98? If so, why would they have two different options between the Mauser 98 and Zastava M70?

To make things even more confusing, is the Zastava M70 option on lothar referring to Zastavas Zpap m70 AK, which the entirety of the post 2014 internet confuses with their line of bolt actions?

Someone please save me from myself lol.

I appreciate any assistance.

Welcome to the Fire.

Sounds like you're gonna spend more than the finished piece will be worth, but what else is new with custom builds.

Jkob here on the Fire is a good Mauser smith; lot of good smiths don't like to fool with those guns. Send him a PM.

My take: find a Mauser smith and run those questions by him. Smiths don't generally make "easy money", it's a lot of work. And, as they say, never mind the mule, just load the wagon....

Good luck creating the "perfect shooter"....

Read John Barsness' article on that very subject here on the Fire Home page.

DF

Next, you can take a 2021 Equinox and have it made it into a near replica of a '57 Chevy.

I appreciate the suggestion, and I dont mean to downplay the project in terms of the the stripper clip boss, I just mean to save the smith the headach of having to do anything extra to the barrel.

Im just trying to modify the action with the features I want, without having to use a 75 year old action and endure the grind of searching for one that isnt rusted, pitted or shot out. That is both miserable and something I don't have much time for. Also this is the action I have. I'm not concerned with the value of it, just that it does everything I want.

I realize there isn't anything original about the project, nor that there is a perfect shooter, just a perfect shooter for me. All incoming sarcasm and snarky remarks aside that may or may not come, I do appreciate the response.

I see nothing wrong with making classics. In fact I MUCH prefer them to most modern guns.

But if I were doing that kind of build I would start with a Military action and not a commercial one. If you did that, you will not have to spend one cent to have the clip-guide or thumb-cut added, and getting a good M98 is easy and not very expensive.

Don't feed the trolls

Not so long ago, Zastava made copies of the M48 Yugo Mausers; they may still. Mitchell's Mausers sold them. Might be worth your while to check around for one, considering the hourly rate for gunsmithing.

I couldn't imagine how much that would cost to have a clip slot added as well as the cost of the eye roll from the gunsmith when you tell him what you want done.

I think they are like $349 on gunsinternational. I have a nice Brazilian 1908 with crest intact I'd be willing to part with if the OP has an interest. He can contact me via PM.

Looked, but didn't see the ones I was talking about, which were new-production copies of M48s in military dress, but offered in other calibers as well as a Tanker-style with a short barrel. Just curious, not shopping ("Honey, I swear it's the last one, really!")

If you're talking solid action/clean. They can be had pretty reasonable, lots of untapped "sporters" out there with the original bolt handle shape. Sarco or Numrich should have all the parts you need between the two of them.

I built an 8mm a year ago with one of the Numrich "repo" barrels and it was excellent....as far as that brand new Zastava action, you probably NEED a 9.3x62 or (even better) an 8x57 in hunting trim anyway...

Me, I keep finding myself looking at M24/52's...Czech VZ's rearsenalled by Zastava

I see a couple of problems here.


Unlikely at best with Mausers. Impossible is probably more like it.



If looking for parts is a drag, then Mausers may not be for you. Much of the joy of working with them comes from learning about the variations, the complexity, and how those things came to be. The 98 Mauser is literally woven throughout the history of the 20th century, and understanding the Mauser helps you understand history.





Smiths know things that we don’t. Trying to do his job for him (or deciding what constitutes easy money for him) usually creates bigger headaches than asking for something complex or unusual and letting him figure it out. It’s best to describe the problem you need to solve or the outcome that you seek and let him find the way to get you there.

Most of them prefer it that way.


Okie John

I would definitely start with a military action! Most 'smiths can D&T and bend a bolt handle for a scope. Most can't put in stripper clip guides. You should be able to find a military action for $350 or less. Your action is worth $4-$450. You should have no problem trading if you want to go that way, If bluefish has a 1908 Brazilian, I would buy that for what you want to do. You can always build the commercial action into a modern "custom".