Which mauser

[eightmd]

I'm looking to get at least one more C&R before the end of the year and I don't have a mauser. I have some mosins and a K31, but I would like to get a decent, good shooting mauser also.

I don't know much about mausers so I'm throwing out the question; which would be a good one to get that would be a good to excellent shooter, for a good price. I spent close to 500 for the K31 from Simpsons. I was looking at mausers on their site and the one's that are original seem to be more than that.

I don't know the difference between rifles from different countries. So any advice on which rifles to concentrate on would be helpful. Also what would I expect to pay for a good bore, original mauser? Any info on the best places to look? Thanks in advance.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

I would say that for $500 you could find a mint Yugo M48 and probably a decent supply of ammo for it as well. Wideners also has Yugo M24/47's and they are $269 + shipping (I have one inbound). The 24/47 has a straight bolt and is a reworked M24. The M48's were basically built and then stored, so they often turn up with no wear or signs of use whatsoever.

I recently shot my M48 and my K98 RC, and they both work great!

Here is a picture of my M48


And here is my K98. They cost more than M48's, but they are worth it.

[pro-nra]

If you want an outstanding shooter Mauser IMO the Swedish M96 can not be beat hands down as far as accuracy. Swedish high nickel steel, quality craftsmanship and the inherent accuracy of the 6.5 round makes it a super shooter.

Go back to Simpson and you can find a good M96 for less than $400.

[DennisCA]

Depends what your budget is like. If your short on funds, then go with a Yugo M48 or 24/47. FYI - Here's a pic of my Yugo 24/47 (Bought from a calgunner a few years back)



Not the best picture - but you get the idea

[saigarocks]

conventional wisdom will say german k98, although i have alsd read good things abt swedish mausers and argentine mausers - personally, i have abt. 6 mausers and my yugo mauser is the most accurate - and that is compared to a k98, czech mauser, and turk mauser - the downside to swedish and argentine mausers is that is impossible to find surplus ammo for them and they cost more also - any 8mm mauser you can still find surplus for less than .75 per round

[2shotjoe]

Yugo would be a good start.

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[Bobby Ricigliano]

Depends what your budget is like. If your short on funds, then go with a Yugo M48 or 24/47. FYI - Here's a pic of my Yugo 24/47 (Bought from a calgunner a few years back)



Not the best picture - but you get the idea

Dennis, how does your 24/47 shoot? Ever any sticky bolt or duds with hard primers? I am really looking forward to getting mine and I'd love any feedback please..

[DennisCA]

"how does your 24/47 shoot? Ever any sticky bolt or duds with hard primers? I am really looking forward to getting mine and I'd love any feedback please.."
Sticky bolt -No the action is smooth as glass.
When I first had it, I had a lot of "light-strikes" (hitting the primer but not firing).
This esp accured with yugo ammo, however I installed a heavier spring a short ago (which is not that easy - despite what they say). Haven't had a chance to fire it, planning to do it this week. Hope that helps!
Also it shoots high at 100 yards; like about a 1/2 foot - which is common (from what I've been told) The windage is fine - just shoots high. I would to take it some place and crank off a few rounds at 200-300 yards, to see what it can do!

FYI - iraqveteran8888 has a great video on the Yugo M48!

[Bobby Ricigliano]

"how does your 24/47 shoot? Ever any sticky bolt or duds with hard primers? I am really looking forward to getting mine and I'd love any feedback please.."
Sticky bolt - the action is smooth as glass.
When I first had it, I had a lot of "light-strikes" (hitting the primer but not firing).
This esp accured with yugo ammo, however I installed a heavier spring a short ago (which is not that easy - despite what they say). Haven't had a chance to fire it, planning to do it this week. Hope that helps!
Also it shoots high at 100 yards; like about a 1/2 foot - which is common (from what I've been told) The windage is fine - just shoots high. I would to take it some place and crank off a few rounds at 200-300 yards, to see what it can do!

Thanks for that info. It is ironic that Yugo rifles can be temperamental with Yugo ammo, but I have heard that a lot. I put about 80 rounds through my M48 and I had one dud, but I don't know what kind of ammo it was other than it was extremely old. As a rule it shot everything fine. Hoping for the same with the 24/47.

[DennisCA]

Yugo 8mm ammo are notorious for ultra-hard primers, not sure why but they have that rep.

[kcheung2]

In general terms: for a good looking, good shooting Mauser, a Yugo M48 is a great choice. They also tend to be the most affordable, often under $400. They were made postwar without any wartime pressures and more stored than used, so they're typically in the best condition. Matching parts & all that. If you want just one Mauser to shoot, this would be a good choice. However, they don't have the cachet of a wartime German Mauser.

For something more historical and pricier, a true German 98k. Most expensive are the wartime bringbacks, but they're generally in good condition with matching parts. $1000+. Russian Capture (RC) Mausers are still plentiful but going up in price rapidly. Approx $450. They were refurbed by Russian arsenals. Their condition can vary greatly. Some have the approval stamps blocked out, others still retain them. All will have mismatched parts. Most shoot well, but they also have the "been there and done that" look. Some like that, some don't.

Czech Mausers are kinda inbetween. They were used in the war, and their production standards were good, but they don't get the same following as German production. There's some real opportunities here for some historical bargains if you look carefully. $250-$500

South American & Mideast contract Mausers were also generally good. Persian Mausers are supposedly some of the best out there. I don't know much about them though so I'm just repeating what others have said.

Swedish Mausers are very accurate. however, 6.5mm not 8mm, and never been in a war. Those factors may make a difference, may not.

"small ring" Mausers are the older ones, (pre-WW1 .318 caliber) and are kinda like the low-number Springfields, better for a display than shooting. They can be shot with reduced charge loads. Large ring Mausers (.323) are safe to shoot with modern loads.

Avoid a Mitchells Mausers. They are actually just a RC but ground down and refinished with fake matching numbers and an equally fake Certificate of Authenticity. These look good but have limited historical value.

The Mauser experts can chime in with more detail but this is a very approx guideline.

[2shotjoe]

Yugo 8mm ammo are notorious for ultra-hard primers, not sure why but they have that rep.

most i've seen were made for machine guns. wolff springs fixed it for me.

[SKSer45]

well OP the first thing you should do is sell those ****ty mosins but hang on to that k31. Then get yourself a yugo m24/47 since it will be your first mauser. SOG has them for about $199 still in cosmoline.

See how you like it, learn to field strip it, bolt assembly etc...shoot it and the awesome 8mm and if you like it then grab yourself a m48, 98k RC pending on your budget.

Why don't you ask BB how long it took for him to see the light and be converted to team mauser. I'd say about 5 minutes

[7.62x63mmUS]

I agree. Yugo's are good first Mausers and still affordable. It's what I started off with. Generally in better condition as well. Be prepared for lots of cosmoline. It seems like the Yugo cosmoline is stickier than other countries, but it sure does preserve them well. I agree with what is said about the Swede quality (owning 2 myself) but I prefer '98 action. It's the strongest Mauser action made.

[Mustang]

"small ring" Mausers are the older ones, (pre-WW1 .318 caliber) and are kinda like the low-number Springfields, better for a display than shooting. They can be shot with reduced charge loads. Large ring Mausers (.323) are safe to shoot with modern loads.

I think this needs clarification.

The .318 bore rifles are GEW88's. They are referred to as a "Commission rifle" and are not Mausers at all. They can be safe to shoot, with caution.

The "small ring" Muasers are Mausers with a 1.3" receiver ring. This includes the 1891 Argentine, 1895 Chilean, 1896 Swedish and many Spanish Mausers.
If in good shape, these rifles are entirely safe to shoot.

The "large ring" Mausers, or "'98 Mausers" have a 1.41" receiver ring. They were designed and built years before WWI and have a number of improvements in addition to the larger receiver ring, such as a third lug on the bolt and better gas venting in the event of a ruptured case. These actions are very strong and generally considered safe for any modern ammunition.

Many of the "small ring" Mausers were made before WWI and are older than the "large ring" Mausers, but not all of them. Many, many Swedish Mausers, which are "small ring", were made long after the advent of the "large ring" Mausers and the same is true of the a number of Spanish "small ring" Mausers.