liquidorange

i have a 8mm mauser set up with a sporter stock and redfield peep site on it. it was my grandfathers and wanted to know if there is any history on it. its stamped on the barrel 44 dou. is this the year and arsenal it was produced at? looks like good quality but someone told me the mausers at the end of the war were not the best in quality. shoots good and im thinking of putting a scope on it . any info i would appreciatte

diyj98

Your rifle was a Czech produced rifle made in 1944. The factory that produced your rifle wasn' t under as much bombing pressure as some of the German factorys. I' d have a gunsmith check the rifle over, but the manufacturing quality of the rifle should be fine.

Vapodog

You' re going to get widely divergent advice on this.....hold on...

Yes, quality deteriorated rapidly at the end of WWII...most of it you can see visually.....they used stamped trigger guards and floorplates...they deleted the safety locking lug at the rear of the bolt, and they reduced quality control in other areas....however if yours has a regular floorplate, and has the third locking lug on the rear of the bolt, it probably is not seriously flawed.

Here' s the wrinkle.....if you want to install a scope, you' ll also (probably) have to install a new bolt handle and a new safety....

The old ones will not work with the scope.

If you do this, yopu have started down a long road to an expensive sporter. Next a new trigger, next a composite stock, next a new barrel.....and bluing....in the end you could have bought a new Winchester, Remington, or whatever.....

I recommend that you take that mauser to the gun shop and trade it for a gun you like.....you' ll be money ahead.....and you' ll have a caliber that' s fitting to your needs.

Don' t get me wrong......a converted mauser properly done is a magnificient piece.....but it' s expensive unless you can do all the work.

liquidorange

it actually has a nice wooden sporter stock and a peep site from redfield that i dont like so it must have been sporterized before by someone and i have seen these no modification type mounts at natchez for under 50$. i have several nice hunting rifles already so i was just hoping to get a little history on it and any problems i would have to worry about.

mauser06

i have a 98k that was " sporterized" it has a beautiful wood stock that should be on a weatherby and the barrel was taken down some to remove some of the war scars....it was definently in battle...its evident on some of the metal still....it cost me 50 bucks to have the bolt modified and a new saftey and drilled and tapped for a scope plus leupold rings and base.....i didnt get charged infull because the guy had some problems and took a long long time and the smith didnt charge full price if at all....i think i only paid for parts....besides that and the stock everything is original....i did tap out the rear site so i could put a full sized scope on it....its chamberd int 3006 and shoots well....the next thing to go in it is a trigger....the trigger is original and very stiff and creepy....it was all refinished so its a beautiful rifle even with the battle scars...i love my mauser...i dont have more then...400 into the rifle and leupold scope and everything...and mauser actions are one of the strongest you can get...i rather have a mauser over a remington or winchester...sure it can get costly as vapodog said...but thats if you go all out and rechamber it and get a new barrel and expensive stock and everything....then all your using is the reciever and action....

Briman

Diyj98 had it, Czechoslovakian, Bystrica mauser works, made in 1944.
I would have very little doubt that the rifle is of good quality and should serve you well. I have one that was made at the end of the war in czechoslovakia at BRNO that has all of the cheapo stamped parts including a stamped trigger guard and magazine well, no firing pin takedown donut on the stock, hole for a cleaning rod, but is a very solid rifle and a good shooter.

liquidorange

thanks everyone . your knowledge really amazes me. OFF TO THE RANGE!

Vapodog

have a ball with your Mauser.....I have several....all are fine guns.

Nomercy

Vapo, I had either a 93 or a 38 (it' s my fiance' s rifle, so I forget which now) customized/sporterized mauser, it was a german manufactured spanish mauser-i.e. it was a .308, but it had a sporterized stock and had been rebbled to a Springfield dual groove, AWESOME shooter good days = sub .5moa at 100yrds. When I got it, it wasn' t set up for a glass, just had weaver open sights, I paid a total of $75 to bend and shape the bolt handle, and install a new cocking piece and safety (someone had chopped the cocking piece to reduce the amount of firing pin travel to about .5" , now it' s back to the good ol' mauser 3" stroke!!!) AND drill/tap, and install scope mounts, PLUS mount and bore sight the glass. Point is, it may not cost all that much to get your bolt converted to wrap around a glass. My smithy did a great job, only problem is that when I switched glasses to a variable power, the dial is bigger than the old bell was, so if I really cycle fast, the bolt handle will just tap the dial, no big thing, but it' s something.

Vapodog

Nomercy, don' t get me wrong.....Mausers are fine actions to start a sporter....I have several. However I' d never start that way again, I' d start with a Win-70 or Rem-700 or sako because they are less costly in the end and are always better in resale.