Good Mauser Sporter Barrels...For Cheap

[mrh477]

Ya, I know, high quality and cheap don't tend to go hand in hand. Apparently building a mauser sporter and saving money don't either. At least, that's what I'm finding.

Anyway, I took apart my old .30-06 Mauser beater last year and resolved to build myself a nice sporting rifle. The last one I'll ever "need"...or something like that. Next up on the list is a new barrel. The old military barrel did the job if the shot was within 100 yards but it is pitted pretty badly so a new one it is. This being a budget project I really can't afford to spend $300 on a barrel before it's even screwed on. Brownells and Midway both have budget barrel options, and then the other option is to find a new old stock sporter barrel or something similar on the interweb.

Does anyone have any experience with the cheaper barrels offered by Brownells and Midway? Or, if I take the latter route, are there any old barrels to keep an eye out for? Or perhaps more appropriately, is there any way to recognize the quality of a new old stock or used barrel before buying?

Thanks!

 

[LoonWulf]

I personally like ER Shaw for cheap barrels. Their 160-230 thru a smith, and tend to be as good or better than any ive gotten on factory guns.
Ive never used them but GMs have a reputation for being pretty good, especially for the price, and again about in line with a good factory barrel.
Im not sure who makes Brownells mauser barrels for them, and ive not used them but ive used other Brownells marked barrels for different guns and had good sucess.

Id say if you can get a short chamber barrel from either midway or brownells in a caliber you want thats the route id go. If you want something different than take a look at ER Shaw for a lower cost barrel.
If you need to have the barrel installed Shaw does a good job of that as well. Turn around is a few months tho.

 

[db_tanker]

Another vote for Shaw. I have two friends that have Shaw's. One Savage and one Mauser both in 308 and both are as good as a factory barrel can be. I helped work up some 308 loads for the Mauser action. Offered to buy it right there after seeing what it would do. He told me to kick rocks of course.
I got lucky and found a nice Shilen for my Brno action for a song though about 10 years ago. You can browse Ebay or other auction sites for barrels for sale...that is a roll of the dice however.

Others to look at...PacNor and Hart are good choices.
I have heard others taking pulled factory barrels and getting them rethreaded for their action and re-reaming to the caliber of their choice...with the reaming being the important part of accuracy. it isn't done in a factory setting and therefore would make for a more accurate barrel. these can be found sometimes for less than 150 bucks but you take chances...

 

[HankC]

I built a few 308 mousers with Midway Green Mountain barrels. My current one with 24" heavy barrel shoots 5 Shots touching each other in one hole at 50 yds with Nosler 168 gr bullets. I bought mine at clearance at $60 something each. No complaint. Keep in mind that you still need to finish cut the chamber and finish the barrel, remove the old barrel and install the new one. Won't be cheap unless you can do the work yourself and have the tools. Tools can be DIY no big deal and you can rent chamber reamer.

 

[Elkins45]

I have a 25-06 Mauser built with a <$100 Midway barrel, and a Savage in 35 Whelen. Both are one-holers at 100 yards. I bought a 270 barrel when they were on sale and will eventually convert one of my junky 98s. I couldn’t be more pleased with the Midway barrels.

 

[Slamfire]

This being a budget project I really can't afford to spend $300 on a barrel before it's even screwed on. Brownells and Midway both have budget barrel options, and then the other option is to find a new old stock sporter barrel or something similar on the interweb.

Does anyone have any experience with the cheaper barrels offered by Brownells and Midway?

A gunsmith friend of mine, who is a Long Range National Champion, has been impressed by the groups these low priced barrels will provide. Not on a "value" basis, but on a group basis. He quoted some sub MOA groups with the things. Still, he won't use one on a competition rifle, but as a hunting barrel, go for it.

If the barrel has been broached to the proper dimensions and the chambering job is correct, they will out shoot any issue service barrel. The chambering job and whether the receiver rifle has been trued are very important. If the receiver ring is not concentric with the axis of the bore, resulting in a titled barrel, then the barrel won't shoot well. If the chambering job ovals the chamber, then the barrel won't shoot well. These things are equally as important as barrel quality.

 

[boom boom]

FWIW, I bought a .308 Brownells 98 Mauser barrel on special last year for about $80. The exterior is parkerized, the bore appears fine, it is rather thin and lightweight, and the finish work was competent.

I put the barrel on a WWII era BYF midwar D&T 98 receiver and the barrel required a little finish reaming to headspace properly with the bolt. Shot in a old cut down VZ 24 military stock that I had on hand with military issue trigger, guard, etc. the barrel shot about 2-3 MOA out of a rest. Bear in mind, no accurizing whatsoever, Cheap 4X scope that I had laying around, decent warne scope rings and mounts, and cheap .308 range grade ammo (not steel cased stuff though) from Academy. In a decent stock with proper bedding, trigger, etc., I suspect that you could get around 1-1.5 MOA at 100 yards.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I'm curious about your current rifle/barrel. No Military Mauser was originally chambered in .30/06. Until you shoot it, you don't know if it is good or bad.

If it's a commercial Mauser, it may well shoot decently as is. Even with some pitting, the barrel can still be quite accurate. But, I understand if you just want something "different".

I've got two rebarreled Mausers. One is a 1938 Spanish LaCorouna that I had built into a custom featherweight sporter. It wears a 22" E.R.Shaw .257Roberts tube. When new in 1983, it was a 1/2" 5-shot tack driver with Sierra, Speer, or Nosler bullets. In 1991 I shot prarie dogs with it near Big Sandy, Montana.85gr Nosler Ballistic tips over H380 at 3,350fps reached out to touch them to 400yds+. Not bad for a "deer" rifle, with Leupold 2-7x scope. In 1993, I stored my guns in my attic during an extended family vacation. The rifle "sweated" during the humid summer heat and the bore rusted, and has some significant pitting. It still is sub MOA, if cleaned every 20rds or so. No big deal. I've killed over 100+ deer with it not to include those shot by my wife and daughters. It weighs 7lbs even with Bishop grade III Walnut stock, hand rubbed oil finish, Point pattern checkering, Rosewood forend and grip caps! It's a "looker", too.

Second is a Zastava MkX. It was a .30/06. I rebarreled it with a Adams&Bennet barrel from MidwayUSA I got "on sale" for $59 in 2003 in .338/06. It is/was a minor disappointment. Although I've shot some occasional sub MOA groups with it, it's really a 1.5-2moa shooter. I had it recrowned, which slightly improved it, but it is, what it is, -a "budget" priced barrel.

I too suggest you send it to E.R.Shaw. You won't be disappointed. If the barrel is a "stinker", they will warranty the barrel AND the work...

 

[dieselchief]

I learned no, none, and never taste bad sometimes. I owned a 98 mauser build in the 50s made by the fn plant. chambered in 7.62x63 or otherwise known as 30 06 to us. original military stepped barrel with military sights.
....bought for 50 bucks sold it for 50 bucks. WHAT A MORON. quality was as good as the sporting rifles fn built for browning in the 60s.

 

[mrh477]

I'm curious about your current rifle/barrel. No Military Mauser was originally chambered in .30/06. Until you shoot it, you don't know if it is good or bad.

If it's a commercial Mauser, it may well shoot decently as is. Even with some pitting, the barrel can still be quite accurate. But, I understand if you just want something "different".

Mine is a no-name sporter that I bought for $250. The action is actually a VZ24 made in 1937. The barrel is a stepped military-style barrel and only has one marking that looks like a crown. My best guess is that it came from the Kongsberg factory in Norway. The mark on my rifle barrel most closely resembles what I've seen from those. It shoots around 2 MOA at 100 yards with me shooting and Remington Corelokts. It may have been a good barrel at some point but it's probably been shot quite a bit and has some serious pitting.


The barrel has a machined texture along its entire length as pictured.

 

[LoonWulf]

so thats actually an 8mm-06? or did they do the stepped barrel in 30-06 also?
Ive never seen one like that.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Exterior means little. That is easily fixed. How does the bore look? Definitely a military barrel. It might really surprise you what it can really do with some premium bullets such as a Sierra, Hornady, or Speer bullet over some Vita VouriN140, IMR4064, Varget, or Reloader 15.
PPU makes some good European CIP spec ammo. That and of course Norma. Assuming it's NOT a .30/06.

Of course the question still is, is it an 8mm, or what???

A Kongsberg barrel could also be a .310" barrel originally a 7.62x53R (Scandinavian 7.62x54Russian). Possibly having been set-back and rechambered to .30/06. I recently encountered an Arisaka that had been rechambered to .30/06. Even with '06 ammo, it was decently accurate. Even better with some 150gr PPU .311" bullets.