M48 Mauser or Finn M39?

[Jlr2267]

Just noticed that CAI stamped the barrel "98/22 CZECHO"...somebody was smokin' that day I guess

 

[WardenWolf]

I don't think .308 bullets will give good accuracy in a .311 bore. Be nice if they did...lots more choices in 308

Depends on the gun. Plenty of people have handloaded for 7.62x54R and found .308 bullets shoot as good or even better. As long as the bore isn't worn, 3/1000ths of an inch isn't enough to make a real difference. Most Finns have pristine barrels, so it comes down to just finding the specific bullet it likes best.

 

[GBExpat]

Ultimately, you're comparing the Cadillac of Mosins to the Ford of Mausers. Both good, but there's nicer Mausers out there.

Well stated.

 

[Jlr2267]

Depends on the gun. Plenty of people have handloaded for 7.62x54R and found .308 bullets shoot as good or even better. As long as the bore isn't worn, 3/1000ths of an inch isn't enough to make a real difference. Most Finns have pristine barrels, so it comes down to just finding the specific bullet it likes best.

That's not been my experience at all. I have gotten the best accuracy when running jacketed bullets to actual bore size, or + .001. Anything under-sized and accuracy has severely deteriorated.

 

[morcey2]

That's not been my experience at all. I have gotten the best accuracy when running jacketed bullets to actual bore size, or + .001. Anything under-sized and accuracy has severely deteriorated.

Same here. I've got a sporterized Argentine 1909 Mauser that has a 0.312" bore, but it has been reamed out from 7.65x53 to 30-06. (31-06 to be more precise) The only 0.308" bullets it likes are some 180 gr round nose rounds I found on clearance a couple of years ago. Anything spitzer or boat-tail and it's all over the place. It's not a mosin, but the measurements are the same. I shoot it with 0.311" Hornady 150 gr SP loaded in 30-06 cases and it shoots very well. (I don't want to accidentally load any of those in my normal 30-06s, so that rifle is going to become a 6mm Remington shortly. I only loaded enough to verify the theory and that was good enough for me.)

Same with mosins, with a few caveats. Most of the non-M39 Finnish-produced or -commissioned barrels (Belgian) were made with 0.308" grooves as opposed to the Russian/Soviet 0.311-0.313" bores. Most of these later had their throats opened up to allow them to fire the Finnish D-166 bullet that was introduced to correspond with the release of the M-39. M-39s always came with larger groove diameter (0.310-0.311" ) than the other Finnish barrels. The change made to the older barrels also allowed them to safely shoot captured Soviet rounds with larger diameter bullets.

There isn't an overwhelming selection of 0.310" - 0.312" jacketed bullets, but there are more than enough for most uses. You can even get premium hunting bullets from Lapua.

Matt

 

[Jlr2267]

Someone suggested I get both, so I thought about that for a while, then this showed up today in a brown truck



Took about 4 hours to degrease it, but it cleaned up well. Hope it shoots as good as it looks.

 

[nathan]

M39 for ammo availability.

 

[Jlr2267]

M39 for ammo availability.

I have plenty of ammo for both, and dies/components for the Mosin. Guess I'll be reloading 8mm soon too.

I can't believe the condition of the Mauser...I might get another while they can still be had for less than $300...maybe another Finn too.......it never ends

 

[valnar]

I'd get the Finn to match the other Mosin's you have for ammo. If you don't have an 8mm Mauser at all, you may not need one. It's kind of punishing for a range toy. A 7mm Mauser variant or the Swede's are much nicer to shoot more frequently, and still powerful enough to take down any game in NA. See if you can still get the Venezuelan Mausers.

 

[Rubber_Duck]

Another vote for the Finnish M39. They are phenomenal rifles.

 

[Charly Fox]

Take the Finn Nagant, they are quite seldom.

They made by Sako and the run with .308 Bullets, the russian need .311 ets. is a better quality as the russian Nagant.

I think they are easier to get in USA. The M48 is more often to get, but it's a intermediate system.

My Backround: I own
Mauser ES340
Mauser M96 6,5x55
Mauser DWM 1909 Argentine
Mauser Oberndorf M1935 Chileno
Mauser-Borsigwalde K98k 1939.
and some others like Brno ZKK600 and CZ 550 and HK. All rifle were numbermatching

All my Rifles were made in Europe. My family history forbids me to honor russian constructions because my Grandfather was shot down in Stalingrad

But for you take the finn Nagant and you can get the bullets more easily. If you want to shoot a Mauser than by a 7x57 Mauser, better recoil, more precise. The K98k is a rifle with strong recoil, often cheated with numbersmatching and less precise than a 7x57.

 

[tahoe2]

Jlr2267; Congrats on both your purchases !! Let the Fun ! begin ! I have still not shot an M-39, but I have squeezed the trigger on a few Russian 91/30's.
I also have several Mauser variants.

CharleyFox, I don't know about less precise? I have a "run of the mill" Yugoslavian M-24/47 in 8x57,
I cut & crowned the barrel @ 20", welded on an M-700 bolt handle, D&T'd for scope, a Timney trigger, and a Boyd's stock.
It will put 3 into an inch and 5 into 1-5/8". I do trim my brass and tumble it, but I don't weigh my bullets or brass and no magic powder weight.
I have results across the board with R-P, Federal and PPU brass and CCI primers, the bullets are Nosler 180 Ballistic Tip's.

 

[Jlr2267]

for the guys still looking for a K31, Classic Firearms has them for $329.

https://www.classicfirearms.com/swiss-k-31-carbine-rifle