8mm or 7.62x54R for cheap 300 yard bolt rifle?

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'Scope for a Mauser

Hartzpad--Second what Ajax just posted! There are several mounts for 'scopes for Mausers that attach to the rear sight base, and that allow the use of a 'scope w/no drilling, tapping, or otherwise permanently Bubba-izing the rifle. I'm currently working on just such an adaptation; it's coming along fine, and the 'scope seems VERY firmly affixed to the rifle.

BTW, with a 'scope mount 'way out there on the bbl you have to use a Scout 'Scope. Leupold makes one; also IIRC Burris. I ordered--and had to pay store price for--the Leupold; it is a fixed power 2.5x which is very nice. Getting the rifle bore-sighted @ the range took some amount of adjusting, but then you only have to do that once.
 
I would get a Swiss K31 in a second if the ammo were more affordable. The whole reason why I'm looking at 7.62x54R and 8mm rifles is because of cheap ammo, otherwise I would get a Remington 700 and shoot some .308 match ammo.
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I don't want to start an argument with you because you will buy what you want to buy eventually, but you are missing the boat by not trying the K-31.

.308 match ammo costs about a $1/round while GP-11 ammo costs about $0.30 a round and is just as high of quality if not better than than the match .308 stuff. The K-31 rifle only costs $100 while a Rem 700 costs $400 for the cheapest model.
You could get about 800 rounds of match grade GP-11 ammo for the price difference between a K-31 and the cheapest remington 700. Put a scope on a K-31 and I'd be suprised if it didn't shoot as good or better than an out of the box remington 700. The only complaint about the K-31 that you might have is that its so accurate and predictable that its boring to shoot.
 
cracked butt, I would love to get a K-31, but I stated that I want a rifle that will shoot surplus ammo, I don't want to buy match .308 or even surplus Swiss 7.5x55. That is why I really want to shoot 8mm, it is dirt cheap.
 
That's not a bad thing, though. The inherent design of the M1891 is excellent. It's lasted through two world wars and countless brutal conflicts all over the planet. It can also be an extremely accurate rifle
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Yeah, not arguing that it is bad. Just tht at the end of the day, both still have that ackward bolt. I like smooth actions, not clunky ones.
 
Agreed, even a sloppy Mauser bolt is better than a decent 91/30 bolt (in my opinion).

54R ammo is iffy though, and inconsistant (at least the cheap stuff, lots of cracked brass, useless primers).

-Colin

PS My "Bubba'ed" m44s are pretty nice shooters...
 
Yeah, not arguing that it is bad. Just tht at the end of the day, both still have that ackward bolt. I like smooth actions, not clunky ones.
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Good Mosin actions are smooth in their own way. Yes, the bolt is in three parts, but when it's in action it just slaps through the rounds.
 
The cheepest overall will be a Mosin firing the 7.62 x 54R. Surplus ammo is cheep and readily available. My favorite in this caliber is the 91/30.

A Chech 98/22 or a Turk 1938 would be my choice if you are looking for a Mauser. Surplus ammo for this still available.

I've had the most fun shooting these longer versions. They always seem more accurate and are easy to shoot.
 
91/30,or an M39 is definatly your best bet. Sure, Mausers are fun and all, but they LOST two world wars. The nagants sure didn't :neener:
 
91/30,or an M39 is definatly your best bet. Sure, Mausers are fun and all, but they LOST two world wars. The nagants sure didn't
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The Russians suffered, including civilian deaths, some 48,000,000(48 million) casualties between the two wars. The Germans lost 10,320,000 people(10 million), respectively. 4.65 MN users will die for every one Mauser user. Like them odds? :evil: :neener:

(All the numbers used were from Wikipedia's article on WWI and WWII casualties.)
 
The Germans lost because they bit off more than they could chew, not because they had inferior weapons.
Personally, I would like to revise my suggestion.
I think you should get both a Mauser and a Mosin.
That should settle it. :D
 
But them both... :) They are nice in their own kind of way.

BTW, if you decide to use the ATI stock, it does not looks too bad if you don't install the top portion for the scope mount.

-Pat
 
A lot of people don't liek the Mosin safety, but let's face it, there's few (if any) safties that are as safe. I mean you're turning this big honking piece of metal to hook over the receiver. They were designed so that a stupid peasant who can't read could operate it and tell its status at a glance. It really isn't hard to tell if it's on "safe" or not.

One nice thing about the Mosins, that you won't find on many (any?) other rifles is the magazine disconnector (the proper term escapes me at the moment) which separates the top round from the rest of the ammo in the magazine. It keeps rims from getting hung up, or any other ammunition-interaction from being a problem.

Next, being a rimmed cartridge, it has been mentioned that it headspaces on the rim and is less sensitive to headspace than a rimless cartridge. It goes further than that. Several people I know have fired various round through Mosins that have split at the neck and in the body of the case, with no stuck cartridges and no adverse effects.

The Mosin is not the most elegant design, but it is extremely tough and reliable -- typical Russian rifle design. Many are pretty accurate as well.
 
Another advantage with the Mosin safety is that it is utterly quiet. No clicking, no snapping, no noise at all. And, if you stick the butt into the crook of your arm and only use your forearm muscles and fingers, the knob is easy as pie to twist. I can do it so that only my index and middle fingers, as well as my thumb, do all the moving. Plus, that thing almost can't be bumped off of safe. It isn't as easy as an Enfield or Mauser, the former being the best as far as reaching, the latter being just as bad as the Mosin in that you have to move your hand from firing position to actuate them.

Ash
 
i have both. i like em both, doesn't matter which one you get they are both nice. aimsurplus has some surplus rounds so they are just about as cheap to shoot.

If i had to pick one i would go with the mauser tho. and maybe that is only because i just got it (new hotness for me)
 
I know, I know, the russians lost MANY more troops than the germans and the victory/defeat wasn't because of the rifle choice. I just wanted to have a little fun at the mausers expense. :)

Seriously though get both. And not a long mauser and a short mosin or vice versa. Get a long mauser AND a short mauser, as well as a long mosin and a short mosin. And you'll need more than one of each so make it 3 of each. Then you'll want to get into springfields, and swedish mausers so pick up a few of those. Then there are Lee Enfields, no collection is complete with out 4 or 5 of those (each mark of course ;) ). And who could forget the k31?

*Saliva running down my chin* sorry. :eek:
 
The biggest problem I have with the Mosin safety, is when wearing gloves. There, the Mauser is more better. Which is odd, considering Russia is a frozen wasteland.

Other than that, the Mosin safety can be quite effective when you get the hang of it.
 
The trick is to grip the Mosin safety far back on your fingers, then use your arm to move it. You can also wrap your index finger around the top of the safety thorugh the glove. I've been able to manipulate it even with heavy snow gauntlets.
 
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