kbick

i have been thinking of buying and older muaser and remodleing it into a new gun for hunting or w/e.i've thought alot about a model98 in 8mm.is this a dumb thing to do, or is it ok.are they expensive and could i do it easliy?thanks.

popeye

Old military surplus Mausers are the basis of many custom and semi-custom rifles. Prices vary based on condition but normallyprices are reasonable. I would suggest having a gunsmith check any older Mauser that you buy. A gunsmith will also be able to give you help if you get into an something that you don't feel comfortable doing; like cutting a new chamber or rebarrelling the action.

Briman

The only downside to an 8mm mauser is that noone in the USA makes decent ammo for it- its all loaded to 30-30 specs when the cartridge is about equal to a 30-06.

If you are going to keep the rifle as-is and anre't going to rechamber it, I would suggest the following (they have a short mauser action:

Yugo 24/47
Yugo M48

If you want to build a rifle from a mauser 98, these common models have a standard length action:

Kar98
VZ-24- will need new sights, iron sights are regulated for 400 meter
VZ-98/22 - will need new sights, iron sights are regulated for 400 meter
BRNO 98/29
Turk M38

There are a myriad of other makes, but these are the most common.

jmfa1957

If you are skilled at metalworking and woodworking this may be a worthwhile effort for you to try yourself. If you are not so skilled and must depend on a gunsmith to do the work, you may very well be able to have an outstanding rifle built but it will be much more expensive than just buying a modern hunting rifle. If money is an object look on the used market for a modern sporting rifle.

As mentioned in a post above, unless you handload you won't get good ballistics; all the US manufacturers are worried that you'll stuff their ammo into an old Gewehr 88 Commission rifle with a .318" diameter bore, blow it up and sue them. If you handload you gcan make a kick-butt round that will do anything the '06 will do, it'll just do it with a German accent.

Unmodified Mausers are not impossible as hunting weapons but if you plan to stick with open sights and US loaded factory ammo, there are better choices.

Another choice to consider if you like military surplus rifles is the Swedish Mauser. The 6.5x55 Swedish Mausers are excellent rifles and the open sights on them are pretty decent. Factory ammo is usually a 140 grain bullet loaded to around 2400 f.p.s. This sounds mild and in terms of recoil it is, but the bullet penetrates very well. Accuracy potential for these rifles (and modern sporters chambered in this caliber) is exceptional.

KonaBoy

My great-grandpa got one of those rifles rechambered to a .35 Whelen and now it's one of my favourite guns to shoot. Good strong action.


Cory

48thguns

I have built 3 of them now. Here is a pic of dad's old 98. I refinished it and added the scope some years ago. It is based an original K98 made in the Weiden factory in 1944. I have just finished another one of the same vintage that is a sub MOA with 175gr Sierra Pro Hunter at 2680'/sec. The third one is a FN that I had rechambered and rebarreled to a 6.5X'06 Ackley. I'm working on the stock now. I fully expect this rifle to fire a 140 gr bullet in the 31-3200'/sec range.

Cost. A nice action around 150. Barrel, fitting finish and re-blue including drill and tap for scope say $400. Stock $150-200 depends how fancy you want it. Timney trigger with safety, 70 bucks. Pachmeyer Pad, bolt jeweling, bolt bending, specialized dies, say 150. Now you have a custom rifle that was fun to make and will be fun to shoot. Is $900 too much for a custom rifle?.....for me it's not an issue cause I do a little at a time an 200 bucks every 2 months is not too much for me to bear. In the end, I have a rifle unmatched by anything a factory can do including, Kimber, Browing, Sako and Weatherby.

Sidebar. You also have the most rugged action ever built, a piece of history and your own creation that will be cherished for a lifetime. Good luck and regards, Rick.

Rebel Hog

I second that! You can also shoot Norma 156gr "Alaska" for bigger game. I shoot a Ruger M77 in 6.5mm Swede!

Rebel Hog

1995 taken with 6.5mm Swede and Norma 156gr "Alaska"

Charley

As posted above, there is no one answer. Kind of a "it depends". Do you have any tools? Do you have any ability to work with tools? What kind of mods will you be wanting? Shortened barrel? Scope mount? Rebarrel to another caliber? To have somebody do these things professionally, you will end up spending enough to buy a very nice ready made sporter.

Building sporting rifles from miltary surplus rifles is not really cost effective today. You can buy a Savage and a pretty good scope for $450 to $500, maybe even less.
Your sporter is going to cost at least as much, by the time you drill and tap, cut off and install a new bolt handle, install a new safety,cut and crown the barrel, possibly restock and bed the rifle. Add in the scope mounts and rings, and a decent scope, and you are talking the same amount or more.

Not saying don't do it, I've built several rifles on 96 and 98 actions, and it is great fun. Nothing feels like hunting or shooting that sub MOA groupwith a rifle you built. Just be sure to go in with your eyes open, that's all.

kbick

i do not need a new hunting rifle it was for more or less a project and i might used it on ocassion but not really all the time.thanks