Mauser?

[2ndAmendmentNut]

I have been recently offered a sporterized Mauser 8x57. I have zero experience with Mausers. So I do not even know where to begin. What should I watch out for? What should I look for? This would seem like a good cast boolit shooter.

Help and advice will be most appreciated.

Thanks.

[Dutch4122]

The rifle should have nice strong rifling with tall lands that are not rounded. Dark bores are usually ok as long as they are clean. Make sure also that the rifling is not worn out near the muzzle, and that the muzzle crown is undamaged.

Hope this helps,:)

[atr]

the Mauser action (this probably a Mauser M98) is a very very good one. The action alone is worth having even if this "sporterized" rifle was badly "sporterized". The early German manufactured rifles were nicely done.
I would say just look for the usual....rust,,does the bolt close,,,is the 3 postition safety operating ...(note the 3 position safety may have already been replaced)....is the trigger stock military or has it been replaced. Is the bolt face badly pitted..is the extractor claw bent or damaged (cycle a few rounds through the action to check the extractor).....how bad is the barrel?...pitted inside? black? does it have sights?
if you have the skill and proper tools you can check for headspace and free-bore....note if the seller has some spent brass he fired in this rifle check around the base,,if its buldged then you probably have headspace issues.

hopefully other will weigh in with some additional thoughts,,,
Good Luck,,,I hope its a jewel in the rough
art

[Shiloh]

The rifle should have nice strong rifling with tall lands that are not rounded. Dark bores are usually ok as long as they are clean. Make sure also that the rifling is not worn out near the muzzle, and that the muzzle crown is undamaged.
Hope this helps,:)

Definitely!!

Pardon my being nosy, but what do they want for it??

Shiloh

[No_1]

First thing I would check was the numbers to see if they match. Not matching is not a problem but matching numbers would be a better sign that everything is kosher. Take it out of the stock and give it an all around eye ball look. Look close at everything. It is old so things are gonna look old. As stated before, if the action is in good shape and not pitted it is worth money, especially if the numbers match. If you are happy at that point and the price is right, get it. If it needs work after that, you can do it a little at a time. Projects like this are fun.

Robert

[StarMetal]

I you want a professionally down old generation sporter Mauser in 8x57 pm me and I'll tell you were to get it for a decent price.

Joe

[lathesmith]

I recently found a 71/84 Mauser for sale at a local gun emporium, I had to do some research on it, as I thought it was a really cool-looking old rifle. It was in great shape, and I discovered that prices for these vary considerably, depending...on several things. Mauser has made a lot of different guns over the years, some really good and some just OK; a little research might be a good idea.

lathesmith

[JIMinPHX]

If it's a 98, then it's a large ring Mouser & if it's in good shape, then you can do almost anything that you might want to do with it. Barrels in MANY calibers are available for the large ring action. Stocks & other accessories for it are so plentiful that they can be said to litter the earth.

If you can post a few of the numbers &/or other marks off of it, then I can probably tell you a little bit more. I'm not a Mauser expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I do know a little bit about them.

Even if it is a small ring action, you can still do a lot with it. You just can't get barrels for it in the real hot-rod calibers.

There are very few Mauser rifles in serviceable condition that I would turn my nose up at if the price was reasonable.

Take a look at the J&G website or the Sarco website if you want to see what some other similar stuff is going for.

[Uncle Grinch]

Some basics are....

Most 98 Mausers cock on opening and are large ring (receiver ring next to barrel) These are typically more desirable. There are exceptions.

Most small ring Mausers cock on closing and typically are considered weaker in strength. The most desirable of these are the Swedish M96, M38, M94 and the Chilean M95.

Any Mauser with matching numbers is more collectable. Everything you've read from previous posters is good info to consider also.

All things considered, the action may be worth it to many people.

[2ndAmendmentNut]

Thanks guys for the great info.

[Multigunner]

The GEW 88 is also an 8mm, and though not as strong as the later Mausers, its 8mm cartridge (while dimensionally near identical)is a less powerful round than the 7.92X57 ordinarily called an 8mm, it is a good candidate for cast bullet shooting if in good condition.

One thing you should check on any Mauser is firing pin tip wear.
Due to the method of taking the bolt apart for cleaning, the tip can sometimes get bent. If it does it can rub against the inside of the opening and wear to a sharp point, then primer piercing can happen.
A 1895 Ludwig Lowe I restored for a friend had just such a bent and worn down pin. It was nearly as sharp as a finishing nail, all wear on one side.

Many Military 98 Mausers have a metal lined hole in the stock to push the pin in without it bending, but too many people just push the pin in using a wooden block which leads to bent or broken pins.

[EMC45]

I have recently gotten 2 Mausers. I don't know near what the fellas here do about them so listen to what they have to say. I will say this though....One of the Mausers is a 1915 small ring and I paid $75 for it. All numbers match. All of them! I also bought a 1909 Large ring for $125 and did a write up on it here. All numbers match on it as well! They were both sporterized somewhere in LBJ era or even before, so I had no qualms about reworking them into something I can use. Both barrels are shot and they will be replaced. There are a lot of things to take into consideration when getting old milsurp rifles. I recently had a chance to get a Chinese type 53 (Mosin M44) for 50 bucks! No import marks on it at all. Some one beat me to it though. The guy said the barrel was trashed , but everything else was there and in good repair. I would have bought it and hung it on the wall. (after shooting a couple of course)