I need info on Mausers

collinthib

I made a trip to the local gunstore today because I have been thinking about purchasing a Mauser rifle. I asked the store-owner about some information on the guns. He told me that the German or Nazi Mausers are kind of scarce and I was much more likely to come across a copy from another country (Spain, Turkey, etc.).
I need all of the information on the quality, maintenance, durability, performance, if some countries made better rifles than others, etc. I have guns, but I am totally in the dark when it would come to cleaning an 8mm Mauser. Please help. Thanks

kimberkid

The Turk Mausers are the best buy on the market right now, J&G sales has them for $39.95, then tack on what ever your dealer charges you for transfer ... most of these were carried a lot and shot very little, numbers dont match and the stocks are beat to heck but are a great value. If you want, J&G also sells new stocks for them for around $20 and a case of ammo (1400 rounds) for $79.10

There are a lot of different ones on the market, probably some of the nicest are the Yugo's however they have a slightly shorter action and don't fit into standard replacement stocks.

The Mauser 98 is the easiest bolt action to break down for cleaning, a latch on the left side of the receiver will release the bolt so it can be removed. Remember, these are battle rifles so they keep them simple for a reason.

If you shoot the surplus ammo, its imparitive that you clean it when you are done shooting ... not let it sit for a day or two, the surplus ammo uses a corrosive primer that will damage (pit) the receiver, barrel and bolt if left un-attended. What I do when I'm done shooting is spray Windex (with ammonia) down the barrel and in the bolt, the ammonia nuterlizes the corrosive salts produced by the primer, then clean & oil as you would any other firearm ... I've only had Mausers for a couple years but this method works well, was told to me by an old (80 something) gunsmith and I've never had any problems. If you shoot new production/non-corrosive ammo you don't have to worry about it ... but that stuff is a little expensive ... IMHO

Oh yeah, becareful, they are addicitive ... I started with 1 Turk, now have 3 Turks, a German original and a Greman that I'm sporterizing/rebarreling to 22-250(still in process) and 2 Yugo's ... some people say they are "Collectors", but they're addicted >>>

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Just because your paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you!kimberkid@gunbroker.zzn.com

allen griggs

A year ago a guy was at a gun show in Atlanta. He was walking around outside the show and had a Nazi Mauser from 1943. This thing was cherry, all swastikas and eagles intact, very good wood and bore. He was asking $150 and I still regret not getting it. Yet he was there for over an hour with no takers. Most of the Turk Mausers were made in Germany, so they are top quality. Like Kimber says, most guys who get them are real happy. The pistol grip of the Turk fits my arms just right, and I like the sights. I also am a big fan of the Swede, which was made in Sweden and in Germany. It is a 6.5 mm, very accurate. The Swedes tend to be in very good shape since they sat out the wars, noncorrosive high quality milsurp ammo availabe for 37cents a shot. You can't beat that cheap Turk 8mm milsurp ammo, though, if you like to shoot a lot.If you want to spend some money, the Persian is regarded as one of the finest Mausers ever made. Manufactured in Czechoslovakia in the '30s, beautiful wood and metal, 8mm, very accurate. Likewise probably not used in the war. You can get one new, unissued with it's original Persian test target, around $500 as I recall. A very good Persian would be $200 to $300. Check out Samco Global.com.

"Not as deep as a well, or as wide as a church door, but it is enough."

Edited by - allen griggs on 08/14/2002 10:36:41

Edited by - allen griggs on 08/14/2002 10:47:57

allen griggs

Since you asked about the Spanish, there is a Spanish Mauser which started as a 7mm, a very good rifle. The Spanish modified this for the cetme round, a .30 which is the same cartridge size as the NATO, and as the modern .308. The NATO and the .308 are more powerful than the cetme. While there are some who have fired hundreds of rounds of .308 with this with no trouble, there are reliable accounts of the locking lugs bending under the pressure of this more powerful round. As a Mauser rookie, do yourself a favor and stay out of this controversy. Get the Turk, the Swede, the Yugo, or get that American Express Platinum out and get the Persian. New, unissued, with original test target. It is like you get a time machine and go back to Persia in 1935, before the Ayatollah messed everything up. You go into the Royal Armory and get your pick of a brand new Mauser.

"Not as deep as a well, or as wide as a church door, but it is enough."

KX500

Kimberkid

Cool picture - really like the stock - what brand, where'd you get it?

kimberkid

KX500 - I got it from Boyds www.boydsgunstocks.com The German and Turkish Mausers will drop right in, but I went with a heavier stainless 22-250 varmint barrel, Parker-Hale bolt and adujustable trigger (not shown in this pic) so I had to do a little work to open up the barrel channel and a little around the trigger as it has a slide safety to eliminate the bolt safety, the bolt has an F.N. made smooth shroud (eliminates the wing safety) for a cleaner and more modern look like the commerical Mausers. I wish boyds had a thumbhole stock for the Yugo's as one of mine was un-issued and would look cool in that stock as well ... and a lot less work ...


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Just because your paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you!kimberkid@gunbroker.zzn.com

He Dog

Big 5 was selling the Turks for $49.95, with no shipping or transfer fees to pay. Worth a check to see what they have.

A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand

jonk

For starters, I would go with one of the Yugo 8mm M48A rifles that are on the market now; ammo is cheap, the gun is cheap, and most are like new. Turks are great but I hate to order them sight unseen as they are generally beaten up; if however you have a chance to examine before buying, they are good guns. Once you have a Yugo and/or turk, I would get: a Swedish M96, a German 98 or 98k, and perhaps an Argentinian 91 or 09, in that order. Once you're hooked, you'll want one of every description. I currently have:

2 WWII 8mm 98k's
1 M48A Yugo
1 M38 Turk
1 1888 Commission rifle
1 M71/84 11mm blackpowder rifle
1 1891 Arg. long rifle
1 1891 Arg. engineer's carbine
1 M96 Swedish long rifle

and I plan to get more!

"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conf

kimberkid

... told ya, they are addicitive!

======================================================
Just because your paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you!kimberkid@gunbroker.zzn.com