Mauser 98 - scout-style project rifle?

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atomd

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So I picked up a Mauser 98 recently. It is one of the large rings that was changed to 7.62x51 by FN. The bolt and action #s match but the stock doesn't. The action and bore are in fantastic condition and the stock is in good shape (no cracks, etc). I'm not sure what it's worth but I would guess not a whole lot. What do you think retail value is on it? I know years ago there were a few of these around but I haven't seen one of the 7.62x51 FNs for a while.

I am not a huge fan of going all bubba on milsurps but this one has already been modified when it was sent to Peru anyways (7.62 barrel and reversed safety) so I wouldn't feel as bad messing with it.

I'm leaning towards an inexpensive scout-ish rifle setup just because I don't have one and it could be done easily. I was thinking of getting a cheaper stock (maybe Hogue, maybe a Fajen or something under $150). I'd really like a B&C stock but I am not gonna shell out that kind of money on this one. Then get the XS scout mount for it and a LER scope. Putting the barrel at ~20" and maybe later on installing some peep sights and quick detach rings. Maybe having the barrel threaded might be alright too.

If I did it this way I could keep the original barrel on it for now. I wouldn't have to bend or replace the bolt handle. I wouldn't have to change the safety to a sliding safety. I wouldn't have to tap the receiver. Seems pretty straightforward and cheap. Would make a handy truck gun / sort of scout style rifle. It wouldn't be truly meet the criteria for a "scout" but that's ok. What do you think?
 
id go with a boyds stock. they look good, are good quality, and come in a few styles to fit your needs. not to mention they are very reasonably priced
 
I like the looks of the Boyds but I was thinking synthetic since it will be more of a knockaround kind of gun. The Choate one seems ok too for $100. The boyds looks real nice and it's cheap....it's tempting. The only issue with boyds is that I'd have to fit it more, sand it, and then finish it. The other ones seems to have better bedding from the getgo whereas the boyds you would have to do more work to get to that point. The boyds also isn't checkered or stippled which I would kind of like also. I do like some of the designs though so I'm going to think about that one.
 
Don't bubba-it. It'll never be a scout rifle and will just be a bubba.

It's collectible as is. Leave it alone.

Buy a short action .308 from any reputable maker and enjoy making up a rifle. It'll be a better rifle and you won't be called bubba.


Willie

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Yeah, I have a hard time messing with anything like that unless it's been trashed or already been messed with. I don't know how collectable this particular rifle would be anyways but maybe I'll grab one that's already been bubbad at the next gun show. I like those Mauser actions. I need something to tinker with.
 
^^^ As I said, a good example of ruining a good collectible to make a bad scout rifle. I don't mean to be harsh, and I hope you shoot it well and enjoy it, but ... <sigh>

Is the FN one of the ones with ABL on the ring and a notch in the ring for .30-06? If so it's pretty desirable as a collectors item. These were not conversions but were new postwar manufacture.


Willie

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I mainly work on these rifles for my own satisfaction and a side benefit is to get the purist freaks all warped out of shape.
 
I have an FR-8 that I turned into a scout rifle. It is similar to yours, in that it was arsenal rebarreled to 7.62x51. I used an XS scout mount and the Fajen F54 profile k98 stock. I love the stock -- it is good and stiff, and shaved enough weight that it wasn't any heavier than factory trim even after adding the scout mount. It also has a hollow butt, which gives you some watertight storage space under the butt pad. Hard to beat for a $60 stock.

Here is my rifle:

image_zps0cfd537a.jpg
 
This one is a .308 (technically 7.62x51). FN rebarreled them and it has the Peruvian crest on it. The 30-06 ones were earlier I believe.
 
Hemschman, that is very much like what I had in mind. The FR-8 is a better starting point than mine would be but it looks like we had about the same thing in mind. See, I've seen some bad bubba rifles but I don't see anything wrong with that. It's functional.....those FN barrels are pretty accurate. I'm sure it would shoot with some of the much more expensive scouts out there and just have stripper clips instead of mags.

I am still hesitant to chop up this gun but I've seen some really nice examples of what you can do with them out there.

If I started with a new rifle....that's going to be $350 for the rifle, would require drilling and tapping, new mount, iron sights, and chances are the stock would be crap and the action wouldn't be any better than mine either. The accuracy might be a bit better (some of these new stevens/savages are MOA or better out of the box even at the $350 price) but we're not looking to build a benchrest gun here.
 
Go ahead and chop it up and have fun with it. If it was an all-original K98 I would think differently but as you say it has already been re-barreled. Life will go on without another non-pristine Peruvian Mauser never to grace a museum showcase.
 
Don't bubba it. If you want to bubba something just buy a Stevens 200 in .308 or some other new-production rifle and do whatever you want to it. I bubba'd a mosin (the bore was dark and it shot poorly) and I did as good a job as anyone could with the supplies I purchased. And yet, i still feel bad about it.

I'd feel 10x worse if I'd bubba'd a mauser instead of a relatively poor mosin. But feel free to swap out stocks, sights etc. Just think twice (or thrice) before making any permanent modifications.
 
^^^ what he said.

*Any* commercial short action bolt gun in .308 will make a better scout than *any* full length Mauser action, no matter what you do to it. Save the old veteran and just start with something else.


Willie

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Anyone know which of these work on vz24's? Is there a way to mate a picatinny rail extension to a weaver rail?
 
Here is mine. 1912 Chilean Mauser with original 7X57 bbl. Filed the rear sight base flat, drilled and tapped it, and put on a Weaver base. The scope is a Tasco 2X pistol scope with a big 8 or 9 moa dot. The stock is a B&C, the trigger is Timney, and the bolt was bent just cause I like’em that way. Using 175 gr Hornady RN bullets at 2300 fps, it is 6 for 6 on whitetails, all one shot kills. I use it exclusively for stalk hunting and man drives. All the deer were running or walking. Just put that big ole dot on their chest, pull the trigger, and it’s all over.

Before you collectors get all in the air, this was a beat up, user grade Chilean and I made the conversion back in the 80s when no one had any idea they would become collectable.

001.gif
 
^^ Nice rifle in a nice caliber. Bet it's a beauty. Love the 7mm. That's one to be proud of. And welcome to THR as well.



"I made the conversion back in the 80s when no one had any idea they would become collectable"

Like many of us have done too...

Sort of like when I look at my gorgeous .338 Win Mag that was built with loving care and huge expense on a German G33-40 Mountain Carbine action. I've got a beautiful custom rifle that's worth an easy $500 to sell (what most "custom" Mausers are really worth if they are *really well* done, with Bubba's worth $125), instead of a nice custom rifle worth more, that I could have had built on a Remington 700 action or a Mark-X Mauser action *and* I would also have a nice G33-40 in the rack that's now worth $2K... :eek:


Nowadays we can make the same mistake on a 7.62 FN... and in 20 years we can say:

"I made the conversion back in about 2014 when no one had any idea they would become collectable"



You can't undo Bubba... even if Bubba is a master gunsmith. With so many commercial actions around, many bolted to perfectly suitable barrels, maybe it's time to learn from history and while enjoying the "custom Mausers" and "custom Springfields" of yore, which can be bought for pennies on the dollar if you look for them, not continue to thin the numbers of military configured ones.

I even think we ought to save the Nagants... for what reason I cannot fathom... ;)


Willie

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Willie, I can understand your sentiment, but I am not a collector. I would not 'undo' the bubba-ization (to coin a word) even if I could. That Mauser, in it's present configuration, means much more to me than it ever would have if left in the original form.
 
FYI, the XS scout mount does not permanently alter the rifle. It attaches with set screws and acraglas. It might be a PITA to get off with all the acraglas, but it could be done. On a Chilean, it would require you to remove the rear sight assembly though.

I personally wouldn't use any other scout mount. This thing sits so nice and low that my Aimloint co-witnesses with the irons on my FR-8.

I didn't want to use a new factory rifle for my scout because $0.50 stripper clips make a lot more sense to me than $80 DBM mags, and the FR-8 already came with decent aperture sights.

Personally, I am not a collector, and don't fret about what my rifles might be worth 30 years down the road. I have them for me to use and enjoy, and that is worth a lot more to me than any cash I might sell them for when I'm a crippled old fart, or what they will sell for at my estate sale.
 
henschman, I really like that FR8 of yours. I had one like it and let a friend get it away from me. If I had thought of fixing it up as you did yours, he would still be begging for it.

BTW, just to show that I do appreciate collectors, I bought a Chilean 1935 cavalry carbine about the same time I bought the scout (1912 Chilean) shown above. I had a yen for a 280 Rem and thought to sporterize it and rechamber to 280. Unfortunately, the 1935 was pristine and even came with the factory target fired in Germany before it was crated up and sent to S. America.

After handling, shooting, and looking at it for a year or so, I could just not stand the thought of cutting such a pretty rifle up. Had I had the eyes to allow me to hunt with those barleycorn sights, I'd have kept it as it was and used it that way. But, I found a collector that could apprecate it, sold it to him, and bought me a factory 280. I paid $150 for that rifle, and I imagine it is probably worth a tad more than that now. It looked factory new and shot like a dream, even with the issue sights.
 
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