Best WWII bolt action rifle

I asked the same question here. Folks love the K31 Mauser. I'll admit after handling one Saturday, theyre pretty sweet.

Folks love the K31 Mauser

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Huh?

It's either K31 Schmidt-Rubin (Swiss) or something else Mauser such as K98k (of German origin, but also could be made elsewhere). Two very different designs.

max popenker said:

Huh?

It's either K31 Schmidt-Rubin (Swiss) or something else Mauser such as K98k (of German origin, but also could be made elsewhere). Two very different designs.

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You're right. Someone called it that in my thread of the same subject.
Shows how much I know! It's the one with the straight pull bolt I'm talking bout.

For a WWII bolt action, the easy choice comes down to a decision between the Mosin Nagant or the k98K Mauser, and the cartridges for each, either the 7.62x54r or 8mm Mauser.

Both would be fine choices, and both do the job they were intended to do. Personally, I like the Mosin Nagant sights better as I feel the inverted V front sight on the Mauser is getting harder to see as I age. If you had to arm an army and couldn't (or wouldn't) spend time training said army, the Mosin Nagant wins with it's simple design and ability to be maintained with no tools required (firing pin depth could be "guess-ta-mated", using the tool is better of course!). The Mauser's bolt is more difficult to disassemble and reassemble, and the entire weapon requires more training (how to operate the three-position safety, etc.). With training, the Mauser would be my choice as the k98K is a very fine weapon (if a few years could be added to the selection, the Yugoslavian M48 is the most developed Mauser style rifle, with a bolt stop for an empty magazine, etc.).

To me, the k98K is the superior choice to the Mosin Nagant (and I love the Mosin Nagant!) with it's size being a huge factor in my choice. Shorter than the M91, and light enough to lug around while retaining enough weight to make shooting comfortable. Opening up the selection of Mosin Nagant models, the M38 model would rank high on my go-to list, being shorter and better to handle in an urban situation; but one needs to be ready for the stiff recoil of the M38 (learn how to shoulder the weapon correctly!).

Both the 7.62x54r and 8mm Mauser cartridges will do the job they were intended for, and ammo supply would be equal versus more exotic cartridges such as the 8x54r Mannlicher, the 7.5 Swiss or 7.5 French.

One rifle left out in the discussion thus far, which was an excellent weapon, is the British Lee Enfield with the .303 Brit cartridge. With 10 rounds in the magazine, very good sights on the Mk. 4 and an excellent cartridge, the Lee Enfield must be considered. The slickest action of the bunch, it again strikes a balance between weight and shooting comfort. Easy to load, simple to maintain and rugged, the Lee Enfield is different from the other choices, but must be considered as one of the pinnacles of development for the bolt-action rifle.

My all around choice of WWII bolt-actions? Lee Enfield Mk 4. hands down.

I currently own several Russian and Finn M91's. Finn M39, M27, and M28. 98K Mauser, Swede M96, and a 1903A3.

My two favorites are the Finn M28 and the 1903A3. If I had to choose between the two, I would probably choose the 1903A3.

I would stick to one of the Big Three-
1) British SMLE
2) 03-A3
3) Mauser

Being American, I'd carry the 03-A3 and swap it for an M1 Garand with a Doggie asleep in his foxhole first chance I got.

I am very glad I've never had to go into battle with the Mosin Nagant, Arisaka or Carcano

For a bolt action in a battle environment the Lee-Enfield No. 4 wins hands down. Acceptable battle accuracy, the fastest cycling action, most capacity (10 rounds), and good sights. It may not be the best sporter or precision rifle, but when the Huns are coming over the wall those extra rounds and fast action would be a life saver.

Not that much experience with WW II bolt action rifle but from what I've read the Lee Enfield gets my vote. 10 round mag,low operating presure,short bolt throw and the fact that the average Tommy could lay out a serious level of fire with the Lee Enfield.

I read that it was often said:

"The Germans had the best hunting rifle...the Americans the best target rifle...and the British the best battle rifle."

The Lee Enfield.

The Lee Enfield may not have had the strongest action, today the British NRA is warning not to shoot the things in the rain!

This is the current stance of the British NRA safety warning which first appeared in the Summer 2009 NRA Journal:

http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=20339

And it was certainly not the cheapest rifle to build, and the 303 Brit was a rimmed round and subject to rim lock, even so, considering reliability, ease of cleaning, sights, magazine capacity, it was the best overall bolt rifle of WW2.

Now if the Germans had put a 10 or 20 round box magazine on the K98, I might have ranked it as number one.

i wonder if the british armies of the past 100 plus years ever heard of not shooting in the rain. 303 british,two piece stock(easy fix if broken),different head space bolt heads,10 round detachable magazines,ex battle sights. more than enough power,all bets are off if i could get a garand. eastbank.

Best WWII bolt action rifle was the Enfield..................

I would define best by accuracy, function, and quality. This means the Mauser action rifles including the 1903 and the M1 Garand. The Mosin Nagant isn't known for it's accuracy and the quality of production is generally lower than anything the US or Germany built.

The Mosin wins for reliability, for ease of maintainence and repair, for cost of production, and for simplicity. Enfields and Springfields are horrendously complicated, Mausers take thousands of operations, and even late-war Arisakas are fairly complicated compared to a 91/30.

And your average Mosin is as accurate as your average anything else.

I've only been into Milsurps for 7 or 8 years. Prior to that, being a life long hunter and gun tinkerer, I had lots of experience with Mausers. Then I got a C&R. First came the Enfields, then Mosins, an odd 1903 and a couple of 03A3's and finally K-31's.

I tried SO hard to love the Mosin. After all it's so inexpensive as is ammunition. I left 'em alone, I piddled, I tweaked, I modified, I bedded, I cut & crowned, I cut & rewelded and I drilled and tapped. I even devised a way to modify the bolt handle so that I could mount a receiver sight on a couple. No matter what I did, when I was finished I still had a clunky rifle with a difficult to operate bolt firing a cartridge with a huge rim that didn't like to feed with stripper clips. And I always wondered: WHY the little stubby bolt handle?!?!? A couple of times I watched a guy fire a Mosin at a High Power match. Rapid fire was challenging to say the least.

The Enfields are nice, but I'm averse to rimmed cartridges, too much to go wrong when using strippers. I don't trust two piece stocks where accuracy is concerned. Too much wiggle here and wobble there.

Mausers...I have several hunting rifles built on Mauser actions and I trust them completely. But as a battle rifle, I don't like the sights or the cartridge.

1903's are really nice, but I don't like the sight way out on the barrel.

As far as a high quality, mega-accurate rifle, smooth operating rifle, the K-31 wins hands down. I love them and have more of them than anything. Their one bad point, same as many old battle rifles, tangent sights.

But you said battle rifle. 1903A3. A very sufficiently powerful cartridge with good, although not precise, aperture sights. Cartridges feed easily out of strippers. The rifles are really light, trim and handy. I own one as-issued 1903A3 and am constantly amazed at how accurate it is sometimes rivaling my best K-31.

35W

Bolt action, K31.

Read some history on the K31 and you will learn why Hitler did not invade the Swiss!

because the swiss were in bed with hitler,, jewish gold and money found there way there in the middle of the night. the swiss have been paying back the loot hitler sent their during the war. eastbank.

1911Tuner said:

I read that it was often said:

"The Germans had the best hunting rifle...the Americans the best target rifle...and the British the best battle rifle."

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Ayup.

I've shot all three, and if my hind-end were on the line I'd take the Lee-Enfield all day long and twice on Sunday.

Enfield for sights , fast bolt, and capacity.

I tend to agree with the sentiment of the old comment but my own preference is still:

1) Mauser, especially Czech made
2) M1917
3) Lee-Enfield No 1 Mk III*

My picks:
1) No4 Enfield
2) 1903A3
3) K31 Swiss
4) Finn M39

Sorry, but I really don't get the love for the Mauser as a *battle rifle*. It sure has great machining and a helluva cartridge, but whoever thought those sights were a good idea is out of their mind. Tiny little notch and knife-like front blade do not make for something that is quickly acquired, never mind while in battle...

Had to bump the K31 down a notch because the bolt throw is too long, forcing me to take my cheek off the stock while cycling. It also loses out having inferior sights to the A3's receiver mounted peep.

BTW: for anyone who has problems with rimlock in a Mosin, your cartridge interrupter is not working. The funny little levers and stuff on the left side of the action are designed to hold the top round in the magazine up and prevent rimlock. If it is all working right, you can load the magazine intentionally placing the rim of each cartridge *behind* the rim of the one below and then cycle the rounds with no issue.

Arisaka 99 for the lovely sights and mauser action.

#4mk1 Enfield is my vote for top bolt action WWII.

Fact of the matter is, the longest confirmed sniper kill in World War II was with a Mosin Nagant (approximately 1/4 mile, as I recall). It wasn't the prettiest gun. It wasn't the most refined gun. It WAS, however, equivalent or better than anything the rest of the world had to offer.

When it all boils down to it, every main player's primary bolt action rifle was effectively equal. Technology had refined it to the point where there was no significant difference in performance or accuracy. In terms of sheer power, the German Mauser wins out. In terms of overall strength, the Japanese Arisaka rifles are the undisputed kings, as P.O. Ackley demonstrated post-war. The Enfield was honestly a somewhat outdated design by that point *ducks to avoid heavy things thrown at me*. Its action was comparatively weaker, as was the cartridge it fired.

If I were to choose my personal favorite, it would have to be the Mauser. I just like the action. I have a beautiful Turk and a sporterized K98, and they're just a pleasure to shoot. The recoil characteristics are also pleasant. I personally find the Mosin to be a bit sharp with light ball (~150 grain) ammo, though heavier ammo evens it out nicely.