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Mausers
Kaos
Member Posts: 346 ✭✭✭
I have some questions for a Mauser collector/expert. I have inherited 16 Mauser pistols and I want to know if they are worth keeping as "collector items" or if I should try to sell them?
Comments
Questions:
1. Why are some so cheap
2. How many calibers do they come in. 8mm, 7mm..
3. Is there a big difference between makers Yugo, turk, etc.
4. When purchasing one what should you look for? Clean bore, finish
5. What are some good models under $200
6. A good caliber but some what inexpensive and fun to shoot.
7. Mainly for plinking but could you hunt with it?
9.. I handled the one at the range and the barrel was very hot, but there was some kind of melting clear goo coming out of the wood, is that normal?
Thanks
I just bought my first Mauser a couple weeks ago. It is a Yugo M24/47 and came with tons of cosmoline on and in it. It was $99.00 on sale at a local sporting goods store.
The ammo is plenty cheap. I just bought a 900rnd case for $89.00 but have not been out to shoot it yet.
The 8mm is a good hunting round with the right bullet weight and design. I tore mine down to remove the grease and also refininshed the stock. I would guess that they are so cheap for 2 reasons. One, they are very plentiful, and many are import stamped, like mine.
Things that increase the price are all matching numbers, mint condition and not having an importers stamp.
The story of Peter Paul and Wilhelm Mauser is a very interesting one. It's available on the web if you care to read it.
To answer your questions, some are cheap because so many were made. Germany herself made around seven million for WWI alone. Most every country on the planet has used a Mauser or Mauser based weapon at one time. They are kind of like a pencil. Not much to ever improve on.
They can come in any caliber, but primarily are 6.5, 7, 7.65, 8, 9.3, and 11mm. Many custom weapons have been made using the large British African cartridges.
There is some difference between makers of course, but the European makers (Germans, Czechs, Poles, Swedes) are pretty much the same quality wise.
When purchasing one just for shooting, the standard fare is good enough. Bore, wood, nothing broken.
Most any you find under $200 are fine with one crevat. Mausers made in China by the Chinese should be avoided. Metal finish, tempering, wood, although fine for the Chinese to wage war with, are up to no ones standards but their own.
Right now, thanks to the war in Bosnia and the Turks, 8mm is plentiful and cheap to shoot.
Hunt with it? It has been said that the Enfield is a battle rifle, the Springfield is a target rifle, and the Mauser is a hunting rifle. That has never changed.
Take any wooden military stock, heat it, and the wood will bleed. It's normal and is from the decades of oil that the stock has absorbed. Not a worry.
Have fun with the most perfect bolt action rifle ever designed. The model 98 Mauser!
1. Mauser were made by every country, including us "Springfield 1903 and 1903-A1." So there are MILLIONS of these things floating around. Plus some countries are still, to this day, using them.
2. 7.92x57J, 8mm or 8x57mm Mauser, or 6.5x55mm Swede. It all depends on the type of gun you have. Most will be in 8mm and this is the best if you wan for plinking. There are many sources for this ammo.
3. When it comes to makers there are a few changes. The Yugo M48 is close to the original K98, just newer and shorter on the bolt. The Turk and the Yugoslavian 24/47 is a classical 98 with the straight bolt. The Swedish has a straight bolt and shoots 6.5x55mm Swede ammo. Mainly it is up to you how you want to go. Also there are many more types but I don't have all night to name them and the differences. The are the main ones you might encounter
4. Bore definably. I've seen guns that have a wonderful finish and a poor bore. Personally I would stay way from the chrome plated bores due to the fact they have will not be as accurate as a non-chromed bore. Check the action and see that it is smooth and if possible dry fire it a few times. If it is hard to cycle it maybe needs to be cleaned. If it is hard to cycle when the spring is compressed beware. Last and foremost clean the gun before you shoot it the first time. If the bore patch comes out green plug one end and pour copper bore cleaner in it and let it sit for a day then run a bore brush down it about 4 to 5 times then patches until clean.
5. The Yugo M-48, the Turkish Mauser 1903/38, or the Yugoslavian 24/47. It depends on if you want a straight or turned bolt.
6. 8mm although your shoulder would thank you for a buttpad.
7. Yes. The 8mm is just like the 30-06 just a little bit smaller but not by much. Just check your local laws.
8. ? um where is 8?
9. I agree with Lefty it is probably cosmoline.
I hope this will help you and for more information check out www.surplusrifle.com
They are great rifles to hunt with, target practice with etc.
The easier thing to do here would probably be to find a "Mauser" that you are interested in and check back in here and see if it is a good one for what you want. If it is in pristine condition you may want to think about leaving it original. If it's not, it would be a good candidate for sporterization. You can sporterize it and leave it in 8mm or you can pick a caliber of your choice and spend some money to have a custom rifle. You could spend as little as a couple hundred bucks and as many as a few grand.
If you'll notice that on most full length Mausers the sights graduate up to 2000M. Given the general accuracy of the sights that's way past what the normal person could shoot. Top shooters though can take those sights and consistently hit out to 500M and some are consistent with them at 1000M.
As far as condition of a plinker it wouldn't matter that much. But, if you want a good shooter I look for a few things:
1. when the bolt is locked up is it tight and does it match the rifle.
2. Are the lands clear in the bore and the bore not dark? If it is dark with non-strongly visible lands it may be a candidate for a barrel change if not full sporterization.
3. no pitting in the barrel...you might as well change it out if it is. And no pitting on the bottom of the action. Call it paranoia on my part but loss of strength of an action is what I think of when I see deep pits under the woodline.
4. If you just want a blaster/plinker stick with 8mm. It is the only really inexpensive ammo on the market. But, the inexpensive stuff IS CORROSIVE. Make sure you clean your weapon right after use and the following day or two.
A few of my favorites? Argentino 1909, Brazilian 1908, Mexican 1910, Santa Barbara hand engraved. -good luck finding one you want.
Kaos, you can't go wrong with a Mauser. They are deceptively cheap, and only are cheap because so many were made for the military. With the advent of the auto rifles for military service worldwide, countries have turned loose their old reliable Mausers to be sold to the civilian market.
If someone were to make one of these $150 war horses brand new today, with that same quality, it would cost 3 or 4 times as much.
Often the stocks are loaded up with cosmoline, but you can clean that up without much trouble. You remove the barrel and action from the stock, and in a couple days you clean up the cosmoline and refinish the stock, you will have no more trouble with cosmoline. One trick is to wrap the stock in paper towels, put it in a plastic bag and set it in the sun for a while, it will sweat the cosmo out. Then you can rub tung oil on the stock. Some of the old greasy Turkish Mausers have gorgeous tiger striped wood underneath a century of gunk and grease. Some Mausers you buy will have little or no cosmoline.
I recommend the Yugo 24/47. I was shouldering one up at a gun show this weekend, what a nice gun. The Yugo shoots 8mm, and surplus ammo for the 8mm is so cheap they may as well give it away. Great hunting round.
I am a big fan of the Swedish Mauser in 6.5 mm, but surplus ammo is much more expensive for this rifle, as it was only made for one country, whereas dozens of countries have used the 8mm.
Today, there is quality Turkish, Yugo, and Romanian ammo available for the 8mm. You can get it for about 8 cents a shot.
There is hunting ammo for any caliber Mauser, but it will cost $1 per shot, or more.
49430485
JM
The 8mm Mauser/8x57js fire a bullet of 196 grains at 2800-29xx feet per second - it is one heck of a round with LOTS of knockdown power.
Buy a limbsaver or recoil pad - you will be thankful.
"They are kind of like a pencil. Not much to ever improve on."
I like this statement. Mausers have proven to be timeless and often copied even by modern custom manufactures. While they may not be for everyone and every use, they are certainly superb for hunting rifles.
It is necessary to exercise care when reloading for any firearm but moreso with military surplus rifles. Start low and work up slowly.
I sent you an e-mail with some information in it.
Read the above posts and take heed to their suggestions.
Good Luck!
dcloco,
Maybe I was reading this wrong... I sent an e-mail.
"8mm is larger than 30/06 in bullet size, smaller in case length, but not case capacity."
Bullet diameter:
.30 caliber (U.S.) = .308"
8mm (De) = .323" current (older 8x57J was .318")
Case length:
30-06 = 2.494"
8x57 = 2.240"
Case capacity:
30-06 = 68.2 gr. of H2O
8x57 = 63.0 gr. of H2O
Best.