.308 Chilean Mausers?

[N_S]

Does anyone here know about those .308 Chilean Mausers I'm starting to see on Gunbroker?
It says they're rechambered but because the receiver is Pre 1898 they're antiques.
Are these things good shooters or are they hand grenades?
Also if you're buying an antique in California do you need an FFL anyway?

[Sailormilan2]

The Chilean 308 Mausers that I have seen and held(3 barreled receivers), are marked 1912-61. Made by Steyr in Austria. They are Mauser 98 styles actions. But were rebarreld in 308(1961??) using 1903 Springfield barrels that had about 1/2" cut of the chamber area, rethreaded, rechambered, and then the exteriors were turned down to Mauser style profile. I have seen 4 groove and 2 groove barrels.

However, if those are the pre 98 Mausers, they might be okay for 7.62 NATO ammo, but definatly not for commercial ammo. The pre 98 Mausers are not quite as strong as the 98 style. NATO is supposed to be lower pressured than commercial ammo. However, last year, the AMERICAN RIFLEMAN magazine had a short article regarding 7/62 NATO vs 308 Win commercial, and they stated that they had found MIlitary 7.62 ammo with higher pressure than the 308 Commercial ammo.

I have seen lots of pre 98 actions rebarreled with high pressure cartridges(22/250, 243 Win. 308 Win), and people seem to shoot them. I am not sure I would want to.

[N_S]

The Chilean 308 Mausers that I have seen and held(3 barreled receivers), are marked 1912-61. Made by Steyr in Austria. They are Mauser 98 styles actions. But were rebarreld in 308(1961??) using 1903 Springfield barrels that had about 1/2" cut of the chamber area, rethreaded, rechambered, and then the exteriors were turned down to Mauser style profile. I have seen 4 groove and 2 groove barrels.

Right but I'm talking about the pre 1898 variants originally made in 7mm and rechambered to .308 win. Or are they (year of manufacture notwithstanding) identical to the ones I'm describing?

[Palimino Stripe]

The Chilean 308 Mausers that I have seen and held(3 barreled receivers), are marked 1912-61. Made by Steyr in Austria...

No no no... The OP is talking about M1895 Chilean Mausers. I.e. M93 style actions. Made by Loewe & subsequently DWM.

Sailormilan2 Is talking about a completely different animal...

(Back on topic) Yes they are antiques under federal law- and they can be shipped directly to you without an FFL (even in CA if the seller is willing).

The ones you are seeing adverstised were made between 1895-1898, though they did made them a few years longer.

I personally don't have one in .308 (though I do have on in original 7mm) so I can't make a comment on accuracy. But they are very well built guns. Made using old-world style German craftsmanship... At one point they had a sleve soldered into them to rechamber them to .308. Now remember, these were done by Chilean aresenals- not back yard gunsmiths. So they are safe...

Ultimately they are a pretty good gun to own. And I would buy one myself... If I currently had the disposable income.

-Palimino

[Argonaut]

I have a M93 Turk that has been rebarreled to 308. It shoots fine and shows no signs of stress. They are not as strong as the M98 but probably adequate. The Spanish converted a lot of early actions to .308 and they were not noted for failures. I have several M91 Mausers in 7.65X53. My commercial Norma ammo is loading 150 grains at over 2900 FPS. That is hotter than commercial 308 ammo. I have shot them for years to no ill effect. In Olsen's Mauser book he says the strength is less of a concern than the way they vent gas in case of a case rupture. It would come down the bolt into the shooter's face. My Lowe built guns are very high quality as are my Steyrs. I am sure that makes a difference too.

[N_S]

Well here's why I'm so concerned about the safety of these rifles.
If I buy a gun I plan to put a lot of ammo through it. This is why the .308 version appeals to me, the ammo is widely available. I can imagine the experience most people have is that they buy one, never put more than 20 rounds though it and predictably walk away with no receiver fragments in their teeth. In my case there would be a couple hundred rounds every year or so. It's no torture test but after a while the cumulative effect that all these rounds could tax the receiver or the rechambering job. This might prove too much for such an old gun and I could find myself prying bits of Mauser bolt out of my eye socket.

[Argonaut]

We shoot a couple of hundred rounds in an afternoon......If you are concerned buy a new Remington and forget it.

[Milsurp Collector]

Well here's why I'm so concerned about the safety of these rifles.
If I buy a gun I plan to put a lot of ammo through it. This is why the .308 version appeals to me, the ammo is widely available. I can imagine the experience most people have is that they buy one, never put more than 20 rounds though it and predictably walk away with no receiver fragments in their teeth. In my case there would be a couple hundred rounds every year or so. It's no torture test but after a while the cumulative effect that all these rounds could tax the receiver or the rechambering job. This might prove too much for such an old gun and I could find myself prying bits of Mauser bolt out of my eye socket.

That's why I avoid rechambered firearms.

It's like getting a Porsche and then putting narrower American wheels and tires on it because they are cheaper and easier to find. The Porsche engineers designed to car to perform best with a certain wheel and tire combination, and tuned the suspension with that in mind. The Porsche (Mauser) will still drive (shoot) with the cheaper/more available wheels and tires (ammo), but it just isn't the same. I like to stick with the original specification, and that's easy to do if you reload.

Milsurp rifles and reloading go together like peas and carrots.

Some Chilean Mausers are based on the 1893-95 action and some are based on the 1898 action. The earlier rifles were designed for a 45,000 psi cartridge while .308 is 52,000 psi. See http://www.gunandgame.com/forums/mau...questions.html

[TRAP55]

At one point they had a sleeve soldered into them to rechamber them to .308. Now remember, these were done by Chilean arsenals- not back yard gunsmiths. So they are safe...

The ones that had been 7x57, and had the barrels bored, and the .308 chamber inserts, are not what you want. I've seen one of these barrels after being cut length wise to settle a bet, when the rifle got re-barreled to .257 Roberts.
Where the chamber insert meets the rifling, the gas had etched a ring. Picture a hacksaw cut from the inside, with about the thickness of a penny left before it cut the barrel off at the chamber. And I had shot it the week before!
Remember the .308 Navy Garands that used the chamber adapter? Guess why they stopped that, and made solid chambered barrels?

[N_S]

Someone took one of those barrels and cut it in half?
Is there a picture of it?

[Argonaut]

These guns were rebarreled, Not Rechambered or rebore. Terms are being used here that have no relevance. You can rechamber a barrel to a cartridge that is within the bore diameter,(IE 308-30-06-300mag) but no one is going to go to the trouble of reboring an entire barrel to change the bore unless it is some sort of collector gun that they are trying to preserve the original on. These had new 30 cal barrels installed at some armory that were chambered to 308. The reference that I have on them says they used US military barrels (03A3?) That were shortened, rechambered (metal recut by a Reamer) to 308 and rethreaded to fit the Mauser action. All of these processes are valid time proven methods to modify a rifle. New barrels are sold unchambered so you can cut them to whatever chamber you want. We made a lot of 308 Norma mags from 30-06 bolt rifles. It was a short enough round to fit well in the magazine and added several hundred feet per second to the bullet. There is also a difference in "tested to" and Strong enough in the machines we have. These early actions were tested (proofed) to 45,000 PSI because that was all the manufacturer asked for. They have proven to be adequate to whatever the pressures of modern 308 were loaded to.....also different than the 52.000 PSI SAMI specification. We all get hung up on the 3rd locking lug on the newer Mausers as being stronger, but we like the 700 Remington's and Steyrs with 2 lugs. I like Quality, fit finish and metal treatment. These are quality German built guns that have all that going for them. The only rifle that I can bring to mind that had problems blowing up were the AR10's that were issued to the Dutch troops. When we trained with them, they were terrified of going to the range because so many of there guys had been injured by them blowing up.

[eighteenninetytwo]

Where can you get one of these things. They sound interesting.

[N_S]

Where can you get one of these things. They sound interesting.

http://www.militarygunsupply.com/shop2/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=813

Only 30 something left. The one in the photo looks a little rough though. What's that tape around the bolt?

[Milsurp Collector]

Wish this was mine

This is NOT my rifle, unfortunately, but this is what those 1895 Chilean Mausers originally looked like

[N_S]

I have a sneaking suspicion that if I pay 290$ I won't be getting anything that nice.