8mm mauser
 

I may be purchasing a Mauser 8mm, is this a good gun for WV? can anyone give me any thoughts they have on them?

RE: 8mm mauser
 

It depends alot on the model of mauser and where it is from. A 98-09 Argentine mauser with numbers matching is very good. The yugoslavian mausers aren't quite as sought after but they are much more available and cost less. It would be best if the numbers on the bolt, reciever, stock, barrel, and floorplate all matched. After the war some were just thrown together using a bolt from one gun, reciever from another, stuck from another, etc. If this is the case, the headspace may be so far out of spec that is unsafe to shoot. In either case you should have it checked by a competent gunsmith first. As for value, you can get a #'s matching K98 Mauser from mitchells mausers for $499. This also includes complete field kit just like they were issued with. You get cleaning kit, bayonet, sling, manual, etc. That's a pretty good bargain. The 8mm will take any animal you want as long as you don;t stretch the range to much. Lots of cheap surplus ammo for practice. In my opinion you should hanload for good quality hunting rounds. Hope I was of some help and good luck on your purchase.

RE: 8mm mauser
 

I killed my first deer with a 98 Mauser.

RE: 8mm Mauser
 

Dang Squirrely, thelasttime I hunted with a 98 was in 1970.:)In 1969 J.M.Fields sold themfor $10 ea..I had 8 of them plus Carcanos andMosins. Like a fool I sold them all for $20 & $25 ea.. I wish I had all those Mauser 98actions today!:eek:

Oh well, back to your question, make sure you have someoneBore Scope that barrel. If the barrel is in bad shape and the prize is very low, by it for the action. A Mauser 98action that's in good shape will sell today for $400-$500. Like someone has mentioned already, if the barrel is in good shape and you decide to buy it,make surethe parts #'s all match.If every thingchecks out and you decide to buy it, you can restock it and you will have a rifle for a long time!!

Have you seen the new Remingtons with the Mauser Actions?

RE: 8mm mauser
 

We've got4 mausers in the family. They were WWII trophies brought back by my uncle. They're are now on their second generation owners and have been killing deer for over 60 years. They show no signs of wearing out.

RE: 8mm mauser
 

i have a mauser and to tell you the truth i not impressed with it. mine is very inaccurate but that may be just mine because many people say it is a very accurate gun. i have not hunted with it but from experience i found that a 146gr soft point is the most accurate.

RE: 8mm mauser
 

An 8mm Mauser will be a fine deer and bear rifle in WV. Good Hunting!

RE: 8mm mauser
 

The 8mm Mauser is very underrated. Use it as you would an '06.....on anything...doesn't beat the crap out of you either. Great classic and a caliber for the ages. Regards, Rick.

RE: 8mm mauser
 

Probably he best 8mm for the price point right now is the yugo 24/47. These were originally made by FN- Belgium and were refurbished by the yugoslavians. Very nice rifles for around $130. The Yugo M48s go a little cheaper, but they were built by the yugoslavians at a time when the yugoslavians weren't too up on quality control or skill.

RE: 8mm mauser
 

In a modern, strong action such as the Remington M700 or a GOOD M98 Mauser, with the right ammo, the 8X57mm is pretty much the same as the .30/'06. Both are in the same power class, and a good 8X57mm is very accurate. One of my favorite bore sizes.....

RE: 8mm mauser
 

Hello Briman. Please allow me to disagree. The Red Banner Works is the oldest continuous military foundry on earth. They used some of the best machinery in the world when they built the M48. The M48 being lacking is a myth. The only discriminator is that for some reason, the Serbs shortened the M98 action about1/4 of an inch. This makes it difficult torebarrel the action to '06 length cases. If you do some research on the Zavodi Crevna Zastava factory, I think you'll agree. They also built some high end sporters in the late 50's early 60's for theHerzegovinaforest barons that essentially copied many of the Steyr characteristics including sensational double set triggers. Some of these fine rifles found their way to the US, however, Kennedy halted these imports after the Cuba fiasco. They built the InterarmsX10, Charles Daily actionsand currently are building the new Remington 798/898 sporters.

One of my favorites is a Mod98 capture rifle that went thru the Preduzece plant during the war. The Serbs hated the Nazis and scrubbed all the waffenamps off the rifle and reissued it with the Preduzece 44 stamp and Serbian crest. The slickest action I have ever felt bar none. I take umbrage with the phoney (I think) Mitchell Arms copies.....but that's another thread. Regards, Rick.

RE: 8mm mauser
 

DM?? Where are you on this one????

The 8x57 in a quality rifle is basically to the 325 WSM aswhat the 30-06 is to the 300wsm.....darn close....

I have a GermanK98 that never saw any use and was sporterized and accurized by a gunsmith in the 50's or 60's...it loves 150 grain hornadies at 2750 fps and shoots MOA (as long as I am up to it) with its current hunting fodder of a 200 grain Nosler part loaded to 2700 fps....

The winchester powerpoint would be my choice for factory deer ammo, shoots great for me in a pinch and is out to "normal" deer ranges...

RE: 8mm mauser
 

I have 2:

A Czech VZ24 that I bought for about $60 about 4 years ago. Bore is crappy, and the gun won't shoot, but I have the action sitting there for a future custom project for farts and giggles. Thinking a .257 Roberts would fit nicely between my .30-06 and .223.

A Yugo 24/47. This one I bought 3 years ago for about $150 if I remember right. As new condition, matching numbers, came with a bayonet, pouch, etc. Pretty nice gun, and with the current load and sights I can get about 1" at 50 yards, and about 2 1/2" at 100. Still trying to get used to the sights, as they are very high at 100 yds. I may try some 185, 190, or 200+ grain bullets to see if I can slow it down enough for it to shoot lower than the 150's. Very fun gun, and not bad for the money. Still also debating to sporterize or leave it alone. Probably will leave it alone and mess with the other one.

Later,

Marcial

RE: 8mm mauser
 

From the few dozen Mauser 94,95,96, and 98 rifles I own, the Yugo M48s are the most poorly put together of the bunch. I've owned 2 of them, one that had had rough bolt lugs that where it was difficult to extract a fired round. The other one which I still own has a safety that doesn't work- some part of the bolt or other is out of spec and won't allow the safety to go into the 'safe' position. The stocks are/were covered with chatter marks from the stock making machines, and thefrontbarrel band on the one I currently own looks like it was fitted using a sledge hammer. It almost seems that the Yugoslavians either didn't care about what they were doing or weren't very good at what they were doing.Having the best machineryfrom belgium is one thing, but having highly skilled machine operators to take advantage of the machines is entirely another. The 24/47s and captured K98s on the other hand are a differetn story- they were at least made right to begin with.