What to do with my Mausers...

[meyersa88]

Well I currently have 4 mauser barreled action 2 with k98 stocks, one with a vz24 stock and one with nothing. One of the k98 stocked ones I've posted about on here previously has been basically butchered by the previous owner and now has 3 nice big useless holes in the side of the receiver. The one with the vz24 stock has holes drilled in the top of the receiver but whoever drilled the rear set of holes screwed that up pretty nicely. It also has a modified bent bolt that goes down then out instead of a normal mauser bolt that goes out then down. The second one with a k98 stock is in excellent condition no holes or anything. And lastly I have a stripped barreled action in pretty good condition. Damn these things have been multiplying... The last two just popped out of no where the same week... Haha.

Well anyways on to my question. I'm trying to decide what to do with them. I want to keep them as close to original as possible but still be able accurately shoot them. My idea was to basically rebarrel 3 of them since two of the barrels are pitted really bad and the 3rd the throat is eroding pretty bad. I wanted to rebarrel one to 8x57, one to 7x57 ack imp, and the last one to .308 win. I think that would be the best way to go about doing this since I'm pretty well set on the idea, but I'd like some opinions on it especially for the 7x57 ack imp.

Thanks guys.

 

[aur0ra145]

Strap them together. Make a strange bastardization of a Drillings. Bask in the awesomeness.

Seriously though it sounds like you've got a good plan worked up. 7x57AI sounds like a cool cartridge, but I have no personal experience with it.

 

[Joop]

The excellent one with "no holes or anything"....leave it alone. The others? Whatever.

 

[meyersa88]

That was kind of the idea, just gotta get my hands on the accessories I need and get a case to put them all in.

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[dorklord]

Has the stripped, barreled action one been modified in any way? If not, I'd say put that one in the k98 stock (that currently has the butchered action).

Then you've got two in original stocks, and two that can be made into something else...

I always keep my eye out for a decent mauser that's had its collector value ruined by something, as a project gun, it sounds really fun (I actually wish I'd kept my m48 yugo for that purpose)...

 

[meyersa88]

No it hasn't, but that is the one that has throat erosion, so I'm not sure what I'll do with it.

 

[CowboyBart]

Used Mauser barrels can be had pretty cheap for the one with throat issues. I had a 7x57AI put together but haven't shot it yet because I haven't fitted wood to it yet. It was suppose to be a winter project, but here it is mid-Jan and I'm 3 weeks away from finishing up my summer project.
Instead of the 8x57 you may want something more exotic like 9x57 or 9.3x57.

Try here Mauser Central your Restoring and Sporterizing Resource

 

[meyersa88]

I was thinking of getting military contour barrels from lothar walther. Seeing as they are only $235 a piece and they have them in stock which means I don't have to wait or pay more from other manufacturers.

 

[sandwarrior]

As noted above, the one that's in good shape leave as is. There is your 8x57. Unless of course you want an accurized 8x57. In which case, a rebarrel from Lothar Walther is quite the ticket.

Regarding the 7x57AI, you could think about a 7x55AI (using 6.5x55 Lapua brass) and get just about the same thing. What I've found with Ackley cases is you really don't gain as much in velocity. What you do gain is serious longevity of the brass. That is if you don't go off thinking you have the hot-rod of hot-rods and load the crap out of them. They don't tend to show pressure signs until they get too high. But, the way powder burns in the sharp shoulder cases, allows more efficiency with slower burning powders.

Personally, for all out performance, I think 28-35 degrees is where a shoulder should be depending on case and bore diameter ratio. But that is a good topic to take up with Dave Kiff at PTG. The cost of one of his reamers isn't much when compared to getting all you can out of a cartridge/rifle combination.

Something you could think about here as well is getting yourself a super flat shooting easy to reload 6mm Rem. The original version by Fred Huntingdon (RCBS). The improved shoulder he gave that, over the Mauser case, burns slow powder more efficiently. The 6mm Rem rifle I gave to my nephew pushes 100 gr. bullets @ 3200 fps. It's a 26" barrel is mostly why. The little turd also shot a .250" group @ 750 with it. I say 6mm Rem as they fit right into the Mauser rails and feed super smooth. This round can kill any ungulate in North America. It's also an awesome round to reach out over a prairie dog field to 1k. ...That's if you like that kind of challenge.

All said and done though, if you want to sponsor a fat kid in track...get a .308. They feed okay. Barrels last a long time. And, as many people I've outshot on given days say, "Think of the marksmanship training I get when shooting this over your flat shooting, whiz-bang, wind cheating, barrel burning, nightmare to reload rifle." I tell them it's all in the bullet, but doesn't really matter.

 

[meyersa88]

Thanks for the thoughts. The main reason I choose the 7x57 AI is because lothar walther has a military contoured mauser barrel in 7x57, so then I could just ream the barrel for the AI version and I'm good there. The 308 win was more for shits and giggles to shoot in FTR with. What I might do is keep the one as is and then as you said build the other for accuracy. I have been looking around and did find a wildcat called the .338x57 MAI (mauser ackley improved), shoots 200 gr bullets at around 2800fps. That definitely wouldn't be something people see every day. Would also allow me to stay in the x57 family for feeding reliability.

 

[Forgetful Coyote]

I bet a 7x57AI would be sweet. If it was me Id go for 6.5x55 or 6.5x55AI. But since, as you said, Lothar Walther already has the barrel you want go with that. Should be damn near a .280 or .284 ballistically. Not sure what the Mauser action will handle as far as the load goes but Id wager Lapua brass could be taken up there in the pressure range. Again, not sure if the action will take it though so tread lightly. Obviously sandwarrior is gonna be one of the best people to go to for info on Mausers.

With the 7x57AI, are you planning on keeping the full-length stock on it? Thats definitely similar to a rifle Id really like to build one day. Take a old Bubba`d Mauser, rebarrel it with a new high-end barrel in whatever caliber, get the action/barrel bedded and free-floated in the old full-length stock. Maybe put some aperture sights on it if the receivers been drilled. And ultimately have a sweet shooter that still looks like a WW2 rifle.

 

[CMH]

The little turd also shot a .250" group @ 750 with it.

 

[gewehr]

Sporterize and enjoy the hell out of em


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[Mauserlance]

They are masterful actions that don't get enough respect! My M96

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[Mauserlance]

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[Mauserlance]

Don't know how to share pics but they are great actions


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[meyersa88]

What are great actions....?

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[sandwarrior]

What are great actions....?

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Mausers are great actions.

 

[meyersa88]

Ya absolutely they are, I was just confused why he wanted to share pics.

Also I have no intention of bubbadizing any of my mausers. I prefer a reproduction over any sporterized mauser.

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[Mauserlance]

Sorry for the lack of clarification, 96's and 98's "mauser's" are great actions to build from. When I am able to find a beautiful old military firearm I dont bubba it. But if they are not a beauty I will use them for a build. The "wanting" to post a pic was to show the results of my last build.
Shot a .39 5 shot @ 100yds with a small ring

 

[sandwarrior]

Ya absolutely they are, I was just confused why he wanted to share pics.

Also I have no intention of bubbadizing any of my mausers. I prefer a reproduction over any sporterized mauser.

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At this point in time I would not bubbadize an original configuration or reproduction Mauser either. 'Sporterized' can range from OMG! what did you do??? to "That's flat out awesome". I'd take a 'flat out awesome' Mauser any day of the week. I'd also take any one that I could get in original configuration so as to shoot it in it's historical form. An, 'OMG! What did you do??" Mauser would get a look over to see if it was salvageable.

 

[meyersa88]

Ya I got a couple omg what did you do. I guess they weren't horrible, but one isn't salvageable and one I think they were on crack when they did it. I'm trying to restore them for the most part, but I'm currently short on funds

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[Win308]

Well, you could do this with an S&K front sight mount and a Leupold 2.5x28 scout scope like I did on my '41 byf k98... It looks close to the German version of a scout scope on a Mauser.

 

[meyersa88]

Ya I'm not a fan of long eye relief scopes.

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[Win308]

I guess that I would classify the scope that I have now a medium eye relief scope. At first I had a Leupold M8-4x extended eye relief pistol scope, but the relief was too long and I had to hold my head back a bit which was uncomfortable and I just didn't like it. My 2.5x Leopold is good for fast acquisition with both eyes opened which I like for hunting hogs. I use the Sellier & Bellot 8x57 196gr SPs which deliver 2361fps and 2468 foot pounds of energy which will knock a hog off its feet.
I have often wondered how people with receiver mounted scope Mausers can shoot without a cheek weld since the scopes sit up so darn high.

 

[Mauserlance]

Your right, Cheek weld is a must! Mine is pretty high as you can see in my pic up the thread a bit

 

[wilecoyote]

LER or medium relief scopes, when mounted on k98s using the rear sight as base for their modern fixures can produce a loosening, dislodging effect on the tube originally intended to support the rear sight only, and not the added weight of a scope_ under 8x57 recoil, the inertia is quite unforgiving and, if I'm not wrong, the tube is tight machine-fitted, perhaps even soldered, but for sue NOT integral part of the barrel or of the action_
I think you can understand how I know that...

 

[CowboyBart]

They are soldered on.
I generally pull the barrel with the sight off. I never liked the "stepped" barrels. I have taken the steps out of the barrel and then didn't like the contour, so I sent the barrel down the road and put on a Sport contour barrel. I don't buy collectable Mausers, I buy bubba-ed ones and make them pretty again.
Mauserlance = nice Swede!!

 

[Wannashootit]

Thread is more than three years old...I'm sure the OP has decided what to do with them long ago...

 

[CowboyBart]

I know, I just wanted to post in the new format to see if it was different

 

[meyersa88]

Thread is more than three years old...I'm sure the OP has decided what to do with them long ago...

Indeed I have

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