79 year old warhorse, 57 year old ammo

[sheepdawg]

I fess up, about the only thing that I like more than a Smith & Wesson is an old military Mauser. Mausers are kind of in the blood with relatives in Germany and Sweden, a father drafted into the Wehrmacht and captured by the Americans late 1944. Seems like there's quite a few of them in the safe. Mausers are wood and steel, works of art, the granddaddy of most bolt action rifles. Some prove to be extremely accurate.

Nice early morning at the range, beat the crowd. A 1937 J.P.Sauer and Sohn RC K98k. A complete mutt but a great shooter. I've got his bringback, 37 Sauer twin brother deeper in the safe. 8 stripper clips full of Yugo. surplus 196 gr. 8mm. All's that's stamped on the bottom is 1959.

What a fine morning nothing smells like surplus ammo in the wind. 100 yards, iron sights, 61 year old eyes. Ivan would be having a rough day.

 

[federali]

Mausers--Great Rifles

I've been watching World War II history on Netflix. There were several segments of German soldiers using scope sighted Mausers and positively taking all the fun out of warfare for the poor guys at the business end of these Mausers.

 

[SilentKnight]

Good shooting. I am also a fan of Mausers. My favorite hunting rifle is a Model 66 Mauser 7x64 with a very short bolt action. Mauser actions are always first class. I am going to have to find a Mauser carbine for my shooting pleasure. I have seen K98s in 30-06, 243, and of course, 8mm. My father in law owned two matched K98s (one in 243) in Germany and I could not get them back to the states thanks to insane rules about former weapons of war. Could not get the M1 Garands back here either. Enjoy your Mausers.

 

[snuffy51]

Nice

Nice firearms. I've never been into rifles much, but I like old stuff. You can ask my wife.

 

[PALADIN85020]

Everyone should have at least one K98k Mauser. Here's mine, also addressed in my book 101 Classic Firearms. These are real pieces of history.

John

 

[LVSteve]

While there are many things to admire about the Mauser 98 design, I still cannot fathom the sights. They are downright awful IMHO, but they weren't the only ones in that era.

The SMLE's sights were not great until the peep equipped No.4, and many later Mosins had that impossibly shallow rear notch that is all but invisible. I know many detest the Carcano for its novel sight picture, but at least you can see the darned things.

 

[Texas Star]

John-

Does your rifle have a laminated stock? I can't be sure in the photo. It looks to be normal walnut.

I think the No. 4 Enfield is a better battle rifle, if one uses a bolt action, but I like Mausers. The only one I've owned was a M-95 7mm, out of Chile. I wanted it to see how this same model fared in Boer hands. Mine looked to have never been issued, brand new. But it shot quite high.

I think I fired it with both 175 grain Remington ammo and maybe 139 grain from Federal or CIL/Dominion. I am loath to fire surplus ammo unless I know just what I have and if it's non-corrosive. Most isn't.

I didn't fire much of the 139 grain, as it isn't suited for the sights, the 175 grain being usual for when the rifle was made. Also, I wasn't too sure about pressures with the lighter bullet in that old rifle.

Unless you did some photo retouching, your rifle looks to be in excellent condition.

 

[Texas Star]

Sheepdawg-

Your father was captured by Americans, so that's who he probably fought. But I can understand your comment that you'd prefer to think of your rifle shooting Russians.


I went to school with a German boy, and of course, his father was supposedly drafted (not a volunteer) and he fought Russians. I suspect that story was usual with Germans who came here after the war. In the 1950's and 1960's, the war was still pretty fresh in many people's minds.

I respected the head of Puma Werke, the Solingen knife firm, when he admitted that his war wound was a result of American fire. That was the way it was then, and men fought for their countries, regardless of personal issues.

Baron Oswald von Frankenberg und Ludwigsdorf seemed a nice man and I enjoyed talking with him at several SHOT shows before his death some years ago. His wife's family owned Puma, since 1769! It has since been sold a couple of times, and not for the better, I think. I treasure a couple of knives that he gave me.

I believe that W.D. Randall also told me that the man in Solingen who supplied him with some pocketknives and who made the optional Solingen blades for some Randall knives was also wounded by Americans.

I like a number of German products and am glad that our nations have been at peace, even allies, since WWII. I'd hate to have to shoot at the people who make such nice products as Leica and Zeiss binoculars and rifle sights.

Alas, my father did not fight Germans and brought back no nice items, like Lugers. All he shot at were some excess mongooses on Okinawa. Other US troops had all but cleaned out the Japanese before he arrived. As a boy, my friends mostly had dads who did bring back firearms, knives, etc. I was a little jealous, or at least, disappointed that none of that loot came my way.

I'm glad that we can now buy rifles such as yours. They have a very significant role in history, and your 8mm's will surely cancel a coyote or take a deer. In fact, our member Clean Break has shot a few Washington coyotes with his treasured SMLE .303. He has a .338 for elk, but that old .303 still serves him well. I'm glad that your father has a rifle like he carried in more troubled times.

 

[sheepdawg]

John-

Does your rifle have a laminated stock? I can't be sure in the photo. It looks to be normal walnut.

I am loath to fire surplus ammo unless I know just what I have and if it's non-corrosive. Most isn't.

It's a walnut stock, the laminates didn't come out till late 1937 and early 38. I'll see if I can find a better picture. The walnut stock on my bringback is drop dead gorgeous.

Nothing wrong with corrosive surplus ammo, I bought plenty back when it was cheap. The Yugoslavian surplus is darn good, I've got a few hundred stamped 1950 that's as good as if not better than any commercial I've shot. As far as corrosive that's no sweat with a bolt action rifle. Pour some water down the barrel after you shoot it, I mix it with Simple Green. that will neutralize the corrosive salts. Clean the face of the bolt and the firing pin with a damp rag. When you get home clean the rifle with Hoppes just like you would with non corrosive ammo. Hit all the usual spots with your favorite oil, I like Mobil 1. Your done, never had a problem

 

[bigolddave]

I have a bunch of Savage 99's, Remington bolts, and a couple of Winchester and Marlin levers, but all my grandson wants to shoot (in rifles) is my Old Swede. I'm just glad he can appreciate steel and walnut.

 

[gdnagle]

I have two RC's great rifles. Imagine tho how thing in Russia might have gone if Hitler had let them developed the Sturmgewehr 44 earlier instead of going behind his back to developed it. Fast firing assault rifle at the time would have eliminated a lot more Russians.

 

[moosedog]

Nice rifles guys. Mauser K-98k's, the Back Bone of the Wehrmacht.

I just bought this BYF 44 / K-98 sniper rifle with a Zf41 scope from a collector several weeks ago and have been dialing it in out back. It's an original, not a Mitchell's put together.
It will clover leaf my reloads at 100 yards. The Zf41 scope was the Nazi's first try at a sniper scope and was not their premier effort, but still wretched havoc.

 

[PALADIN85020]

John-

Does your rifle have a laminated stock? I can't be sure in the photo. It looks to be normal walnut.

I think the No. 4 Enfield is a better battle rifle, if one uses a bolt action, but I like Mausers. The only one I've owned was a M-95 7mm, out of Chile. I wanted it to see how this same model fared in Boer hands. Mine looked to have never been issued, brand new. But it shot quite high.

I think I fired it with both 175 grain Remington ammo and maybe 139 grain from Federal or CIL/Dominion. I am loath to fire surplus ammo unless I know just what I have and if it's non-corrosive. Most isn't.

I didn't fire much of the 139 grain, as it isn't suited for the sights, the 175 grain being usual for when the rifle was made. Also, I wasn't too sure about pressures with the lighter bullet in that old rifle.

Unless you did some photo retouching, your rifle looks to be in excellent condition.

Yes, the stock is laminated. It's nicely done, and I didn't notice this myself until I took the picture, which reveals every detail when shown in its normal large size.

This example is a DOT/1944 code, which means it was made by Brno in German-occupied Czechoslovakia during WWII. It was a war souvenir brought back by a U.S. combat veteran of the war. I bought it from his estate. The bottom of the stamped trigger guard/magazine is stamped "byf" which is correct for this model - these were provided to Brno by Mauser Werke in Oberndorf, Germany. It has the late-war solid forward barrel band, also correct for this model. It's in very nice condition.

John

 

[kaaskop49]

While there are many things to admire about the Mauser 98 design, I still cannot fathom the sights. They are downright awful IMHO, but they weren't the only ones in that era.

The SMLE's sights were not great until the peep equipped No.4, and many later Mosins had that impossibly shallow rear notch that is all but invisible. I know many detest the Carcano for its novel sight picture, but at least you can see the darned things.

Great point, Steve! I have one of those Yugo 24/47 shorter-action 8mm rifles (sorry, purists, if I have the designation incorrect). Rear notch is vestigial and seems even narrower than the front blade. There's something wrong when a Detective Special has better sights than a military rifle, IMO.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

 

[LVSteve]

Great point, Steve! I have one of those Yugo 24/47 shorter-action 8mm rifles (sorry, purists, if I have the designation incorrect). Rear notch is vestigial and seems even narrower than the front blade. There's something wrong when a Detective Special has better sights than a military rifle, IMO.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

Exactly. The only Mauser I've ever handled with decent sights is the Swede 1896 and its derivatives.

 

[BigBill]

For lots of info go to,,,," newccindex. "

I like my m98 8mm mausers but there's a special place in my heart for my Swedish 6.5mm mausers and the DWM/LOEWE 7mm German mausers made for South America.

I have a stash of 8mm Turkish ammo dated 1936/1937. It all goes bang.

 

[alwslate]

I'm also a Mauser fan and have several, including German 98Ks, Yugo
48s and 24/47s and an original FN short carbine in 7mm. I can't say
I'm a real fan of the pre 98s however, I've read too many warnings
about the weakness and poor gas handling of the pre 98s. The sights
on WW2 98s surely were designed for sharp eyed young German
troops, not aging American hunters and collectors. I doubt the Germans ever expected their battle rifles would be enjoyed by
American hobbyists 70 yrs after they were defeated in the war. Oh well. Sights can be modified without really changing the overall
characteristics of the gun.

 

[Frank46]

98/29 Persian long rifle, Yugoslavian M48B0,Argentine engineers carbine,Chilean Model 1895 short rifle, 6 swedish rifles but one is the Model 38 short rifle, Swiss model K31 carbine, Lee Enfield #4 MKII. Pretty well got them covered. Blued wood and steel. Frank

 

[sheepdawg]

I've got the Mauser itch bad. 10 Swedes and 2 Krauts. I won some decent Super Bowl $$$$$ so why not buy # 13? Yup I just bought a 1908 Swedish FSR m96. The FSR stands for the civilian shooting clubs in Sweden. Way back in the 50s and 60s they took old military m96 Mausers, tricked them up with diopter rear sights and turned them into target rifles. With the proper reload they are quite capable of m.o.a.

Add another one to this picture.

 

[Arik]

I've had a few, ended up selling them. No real reason, just one of those things I enjoyed for a while and then went on to something else. I may still pick up another one if it's in the right condition and the right price.

I'm in the process of downsizing my Mosin collection as well. And I went through with that with my Enfields. Saved 2. I plan on keeping 2 of the Mosins and so I'll probably pick up one Mauser to have all 3.

The sights don't bother me much and I think I prefer the SMLE to the No4.

There is no big secret to surplus ammo. It's ALL corrosive (none US) and very few problems if any. Cleaning a bolt action is the simplest thing.....it's just a tube and a bolt. Takes me 5 min

Surplus stuff is fun to shoot but it would be more fun had the ammo not dried up.