bigcountry

Ok, I got this rifle, and not sure which direction to take with it. It is one of the last rifles built before the end of the war. The action has very few if any markings besides the eagle and Swastica. Problem is it has been rebarrelled to a .243 and a cheasy wood stock on it. But it does have a kick ass scope like this one but not Kahles. Part of me would like to restore it with a 8mm barrel and new wood like original. Part of me says go the other route and use the action for a project, but not sure it the action is a quality action. I don' t know where it was made and don' t even know if its mauser. I know they put out some junk at the end of the war. I know Briman knows alot about these. I know I can pick up one of those cheapies but would like to keep that action and scope

8mm/06

What' s wrong with leaving it as is (except swapping out the cheesy stock) and maintaining it as a good .243?
I think it would be cheaper to just swap out the stock for a different and better sporter type, and then find yourself a good quality original 98 in good condition. You' d have 2 rifles for around what it would cost you to " resotre" the one you have.
Just my 2 cents.

bigcountry

Well, I think the headspace needs to be reset. I have trouble with factory ammo. So either way, I am going to have to spend money. And the scope as cool as it is still is almost 60 years old. Clear, but alot of glare, and the german type recticle is not good for hunting. If it didn' t have the nifty scope with it, I would have already sporterized it. But is the markings on the action, and the nifty scope enough to think about making it a cool collectors type gun.

mauser06

you said your having problems getting ammo in.....98s you have to put the ammo in the magazine first and let the bolt pick it up...dont know if you know that.....i didnt....i almost ruined my rifle and forced it in...i think 98s are some of the best actions made...i have a 98k...has a new beautiful stock and the barrel was milled so some of the battle scars wouldnt be noticed...its a great gun....and shoots great....making it original now will have no value because it was already taken from its original parts...if you want an original buy one and leave it that way.....the gun you got now i agree....its already been changed why not finish it right and how you want? a stock barrel and rechamber job you can have the gun of your dreams.....i was lucky and found my gun how i want it...wish it was in 308 but im learning to love the 3006....briman does know alot....and a few others....i was going to build a gun of my dreams off a mauser but decided im 16 and need a truck before i build my first custom rifle.....good luck......was the action modified and the bolt bent to take a scope or is it set back from the action or above it like an sks??

8mm/06

If the headspace is the only issue, and it' s only off just a wee bit, you could get it reamed to 244 Remington/6mm Remington (same thing) as it is just .178 longer than the .243. Granted, the ammo will be harder to find, but if you handload anyway it will make little difference.
If your chamber is off by more than that you may want to try a reaming of something bigger like the 243 Rockchucker. It is based on the 257 Roberts case and is a bit superior to the .243 Winchester.
If you don' t care for the .243 bore at all, then good luck with your choice of new barrels.

Vapodog

You said the gun was built just prior to the end of WWII,........Most of the really good mausers are german built and many of those toward the end of the war was poorly made.....many had stamped trigger guards and stamped floor plates. Heat treating was lacking on many of these guns and tolerances and fits was poor compared to those made before 1944. In my opinion the best mausers was made from 1935 to 1942

It' s your gun.....do what you wish, but you might be better off to trade it and find an original BRNO made prior to 1942. Mausers made by BRNO, mauserwerk, JP Saur, and FN of belguim are all great guns and capable of magnum conversion safely. Many of these was sold to South American countries and all throught the world. I' d personally consider ditching a German made 1944 Mauser.

bigcountry

headspace is one issue. But all the sudden today, I have been nastagic, and thought I could turn this into a cool peice of history to hand down to the grandchildren.

8mm/06

This 98 you have is sounding more and more like a gun that wouldn' t make a great " piece of history" anyway. If you want a great piece of history, shop around for a decent Mauser in original configuration and in good shape. You should be able to find a decent one for $125 or less and a fantastic one for $250 or less............considerably less that restoring the one you have.

If you consider having your .243 Mauser reamed to another caliber (like Rem 244 or 243 Rockchucker) shop for somebody that has the reamer for the cartridge you want to convert to. A smith may be able to do a great job reaming to what you want, but if he has to rent the reamer he will pass the cost on to you. If you are a member of a shooting club a member may have the reamers and lend them to you if he knows the smith you plan to use.

Briman

What are the markings on the receiver ring and scope, if any?

I wouldn' t worry about it being a late war make, I have one made at BRNO at the very end of the war, or shortly after. It has rough inletting, all of the non-critical parts such as the bands, triggerguard, buttplate, magazine follower are stamped-not unlike you would find on a modern REM model 700 Its a great shooter.[8D] The earlier models are much nicer looking and have higher quality parts but aren' t any different at the heart of the rifle. Restoring it by putting an 8mm barrel on, buying a replacement stock, and missing hardware might cost you more than another 98k. In my area, 98k' s go for around $400 for one that is in decent shape, though you can buy Yugoslavian and Russian reworked (German manufactured) 98k' s for as little as $100 up to around $250 for ones with most of their original markings intact- though these have very little collector value, they are the real deal and are in general a good rifle for the price.

bigcountry

Well, I got an offer for the scope for 250 dollars. Think will go the other route and sporterize it. And put a decent scope on it. Thanks for the info. Seems these M1' s and these 98' s are getting harder and harder to find in good shape.