chinese 98 mauser

[shortlegs]

I have a 98 mauser that I have identified as Chinese made dated 3-10. Would this be strong enough to rebarrel to 308? Thanks in advance for your help. Shortlegs

[Mauser 98K]

What caliber is it now?

[Der Gebirgsjager]

A photo would help, but I'll give a tentative "yes" answer to your question. A date of 3-10 would not be, of course, 2010. The Chinese produced thousands of them in the 1930s and used them throughout WW II. I have examined several of them, and actually converted two of them back in the 1990s to .300 Win. Mag. at a customer's request. They seemed no different than any other '98s.

[shortlegs]

8 x 57 now. Just found info on chinese 98 mausers on wikipedia that may put this as a german model sent to china to be finished/assembled. Chiang Kai-shek rifle.
Thanks Der Gebirsjager.

Shortlegs

[Mauser 98K]

if it will handle the 8x57 it should handle the .308.. the 98 design is one of the strongest designs around.. there were even elephant guns built on the 98 action where they actually had to cut the front ring for relief to get the cartridge in the thing.

[Bigslug]

8 x 57 now. Just found info on chinese 98 mausers on wikipedia that may put this as a german model sent to china to be finished/assembled. Chiang Kai-shek rifle.
Thanks Der Gebirsjager.

Shortlegs

In that case, no doubt it's strong enough, but might be worth enough in original configuration to a military collector to finance a nice factory job that won't require receiver doctoring to be assured of feeding the shorter, less-tapered case. GB has one at the moment at about $900. . .that actually got a bid.

[Mauser 98K]

Bigslug is correct, the long action of the 98k does present problems often when converted to the shorter .308. i had some ejection problems when i converted one of mine and then i switched to the shorter action of the M48 and feeding and ejection problems disappeared.

[Texas by God]

If you find a Chinese Mukden Mauser, do not alter it as they are very rare. It has an unusual bolt shroud and an Arisaka type egg bolt handle. Nowadays I wouldn't mess up an unaltered Mauser at all. Bubba sporters are out there cheap.

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[justashooter]

if this is a hanyang arsenal produced rifle it is not the same thing as an FN produced chinese contract rifle. the 1930 "Banner" mausers on chinese contract are fine, but the hanyang stuff is a ****-shoot.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

The thread is drifting a little from the original question...but I'll drift along with it. Hanyang rifles are usually Gew 88 copies and would not be suitable for conversion to .308 Win. I'm not an expert on Chinese Mausers other than those I've run across personally when in the gunsmithing business, so it may well be that Hanyang also built some Mod. 98's. The Chinese '98s that I encountered in my business were copies of the post-WW I Mauser Standard Model. Good rifles, but used to death. The Chinese of that era don't seem to have been to big on cleaning their bores, so every one I ever encountered needed the barrel replaced and were pretty rough externally.

As for collectability, if this is the standard Chinese Mod. 98, not so much. Collectors usually desire a specimen as pristine as possible, although they'll often accept a lesser specimen to fill an open slot in their collection hoping to replace it with a better one at a later date. Yes, Mukden Mausers are collectable.

Concerning feeding problems with a .308 conversion, it is a possibility -- but not a certainty. For sure, using short, blunt nosed cast lead bullets won't help. Lots of years ago now, in the early '80s I believe, Israel sold off many of their '98 Mausers. It was a mixed bag which included rifles that had served the Third Reich, and rifles captured from their antagonists in their early wars. Most of them had originally been in 8x57mm and some still were, but the Israelis had started a program of converting their rifles to 7.62mm NATO. I was fortunate in acquiring two '98s made by FN for Israel and originally chambered in 7.62mm (the military .308) and they are some of my prized possessions and work perfectly. A buddy purchased a '98 captured from Syria and re-barreled to 7.62mm, and it fed without problems. But, I also have an "American Eagle" Mauser created by the old Federal Ordnance Corp. from various parts, chambered in .308, and the receiver is a Spanish 1943 model. This is the long action and was originally an 8x57mm. Feeding with FMJ military ammo is unreliable unless the bolt is worked slowly. If it is operated rapidly, the bolt slamming rearward will sometimes cause one or two rounds to pop out of the top of the magazine. However, if that is avoided and the bolt operated at a slower speed without the impact, the bolt's extractor will pick up and carry the round forward into the chamber. Conclusion: The problem probably lies with the width of the magazine box and feed lips, but I've never bothered to address it as it's just a range shooter.

That about sums up my experience in this area. If you proceed with the conversion and find that you do have feeding problems you might solve them by shortening the follower and installing a spacer at the rear of the magazine box. You will doubtless get your best feeding results using jacketed spitzer bullets due to a more favorable overall length, but if your use is to be for targets at the range then you'll probably single load anyway and cast bullets shouldn't pose a problem.

Good luck with your project, and let us know how it turns out, especially as regards feeding.

[HangFireW8]

It's your rifle, so do what you want with it.

Personally, as a handloader and caster, 8x57 will do anything and more that a 308Win can do, except fire 308Win (or surplus 7.62) ammo.

If the barrel is rotten, 257Rob, 7x57, 8x57, or 30XCB are all good choices.

[shortlegs]

Rifle is not original. It came with a custom stock that is worth the price i paid for the rifle. I bought this to make a 308 cast boolit rifle and have the barrel and reamer. My neighbor/ friend has closed his gunsmithing business but will gladly show me how to do this. He built himself a 308 mauser that is boringly accurate. Milk jugs @ 700+ yds are no problem.

[TCLouis]

IF the 8X57 barrel is good, I wonder if it might hold minute of milk jug, even way out yonder?

[shortlegs]

Front sight is loose and bounces when shot but it groups 8" to 10" at 100 yds with surplus 8 x 57 fmj. I have several 30 cal rifles and prefer to stay with that cal. Keeps things simple.

[Texas by God]

If it held up to 8x57 all these years it'll probably be fine as a .308.

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[yeahbub]

Anybody remember the Siamese Mausers that came into the country and were converted to .45-70? Always wanted one of those. What precisely for, I'm not sure, but the one I saw was gorgeous. Are the Siamese Mausers not also '98's?

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I do remember them, and still occasionally see them for sale on the on-line gun auctions. The other day I saw the rarest of the rare -- one that was completely "as-issued" and unaltered. The rifles that have been sporterized seem to mostly go in the $400 price range, but I've seen them as high as $1,000 and as low as $250. The value seems to have a lot to do with the condition of the individual gun and what has been done to it. Yes, they are basically a Japanese-made '98.

[Marlin356]

Uncertain heritage unless made in Germany. Why bother with so many modern, safe inexpensive 308s out there ? (Compass, American, X7 etc.)

[shortlegs]

Controlled round feeding! I have several other 308 rifles and all have had problems with cartridge falling/jumping out with "push" feeding bolts. I have a 3006 Mauser that has never had that problem. I also recently bought a CZ rifle in 223 because I like controlled round feeding, just wish it would take AR mags!