Mauser 98 question...worth it or not?

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cchris

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I was at a local gun store a few weeks ago and found what the owner labeled as an "Amberg rifle", chambered for the 8mm mauser round. For $100, I didn't think it was such a bad deal, since I don't own a centerfire rifle. It was dated 1916 and sitting near a rack full of Mausers and M1's. I picked it up with the guarantee from the shop owner that it would fire and if not, would be repaired by the shop.

I figured the risk wasn't too high, so I picked it up and inspected later to discover the "Gew 98" marking on the stock. It was sporterized, which I found unfortunate after researching the gun a little more...

Manufactured at the Bavarian Amberg facility in 1916
Fitted with the K98 rear sight, turn-down bolt, and stamped 1920 (for the "transitional" / Weimar Republic rifles)
All other numbers matching, serial no. 18X with no suffix

So I've seen a few complete 98 stocks running for under a hundred (one was an Amberg 1917), so would it be worth it to purchase one of these, or just use this one for shooting and purchasing another with matching numbers for a higher price?

This gun is pretty accurate and fun to shoot, but I've been told to just make it a hunting rifle (I don't hunt though) and buy another somewhere down the line. I just hate to possess this gun, with the history it had, with the stock all chopped-up.

So what, in your opinion, is the best thing to do with this?
 
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You have $100 in it (well done). It will not be a deluxe sporting rifle without great amounts of effort and money. Why bother? You said you're having fun shooting it.

There you go. Leave it as is and enjoy shooting it.

I wish all problems were this easy.
 
Sporterized milsurp rifles break my heart. :(

If you can pick up a decent stock for it at a fair price, I'd go for it. It wouldn't necessarily even need to be the "correct" stock. The "Amberg 1917" stock you mentioned would work for me.
 
First, if it's already sporterized, well it's hard to go back in time and un-sporterize them.

It will not be a deluxe sporting rifle without great amounts of effort and money.
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I have to agree with Saxon here, I started working on a shot out 98 a couple years ago. I have around $3k in it to date (includes scope, reloading dies, Lapua Brass, etc.) but I still have to get another stock to finish the gun. (Yes I said another, I had a temporary, but serious, brain-fart.) So I'm looking at another $4-500 to finish it. Yes it'll be a nice gun, but after investing that much money, I could probably only get $1000-$1500 out of it. I knew this going in, and I was building it for me (and future heirs), not to sell.

I don't want to scare anybody out of doing this. But I do want to make them well aware of the cost and the lack of money you'll recoup if/when you sell the gun.

If it's your first centerfire rifle, I'll assume you're moderately new to shooting. In this instance, I'd leave it as is, and enjoy the gun. Maybe after you have quite a few years of experience under your belt, then customize it to your liking. (When you can do most of the work yourself, as I did on the aforementioned rifle.)

Wyman
 
The correct wood is not hard to find.Sportsmans guide sells repros,SAMCO and Sarco the real deal.Restore that bad boy ....far too many classic Milsurps have been ''Bubba'd'' already.
 
SaxonPig

:) Pretty rifle, BUT...

...while I certainly appreciate the beauty of a fine hunting or target rifle, I prefer my milsurps "as issued". Just my preference.
 
As issued? Ok.

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BTW- While I have rebuilt numerous military rifles, mostly 98s, I have never and would never cut up one in good original condition. I always start with clunkers or junkers or parts guns or previously altered specimens.
 
Thanks for all the help. The gun seems like it hasn't been shot in a number of years and I don't think anyone tried to modify any numbers as they were...the other modifications, as mentioned, match the rest of the Weimar Republic rifles.

The only parts that are missing that might have been serial stamped are the cleaning rod and buttplate (both missing from the rifle). That's why I'm thinking that, since these parts are not with the rifle, it doesn't have as much value.

I'm taking it out to shoot tomorrow at some good targets and see how good it shoots, other than messing around last time when I had just purchased it. Still can't decide what to do with it, as I don't start work for another 5 days and won't get paid for a couple of weeks.
 
So what, in your opinion, is the best thing to do with this?
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Sell it to me...I'll take it...even pick it up in Clemson, SC...then you can buy a sporter rifle to save a bit of effort. :D
 
Hehe...tempting Maverick, but after getting in some good shooting time today, I don't want to get rid of this thing.

In fact, the way it is feels great - the weight is distributed well and even my unsteady hand and shooting from a standing position got me 5/10 shots on target at 100 yards.

If I had sandbags and if I was shooting from a bench, I'd bet I could do much better. At 35 yards, this thing was just spot on, edge of the bullseye almost every shot. And without a bit of sight adjustment, would hit bullseye at 100 yards.

This may have been why the government opted for the 98k rear sights (V notch sights) in place of the original 98 sights, this thing was hitting wherever I was aiming it - as I stated, I have a problem steadying myself. Once I can correct that, this gun will (and is becoming) one of my favorite things to shoot.

The only thing is that it heats up a good bit after a couple of rounds, so I let it cool for 5-10 minutes before shooting again. I've heard that those guns heating up isn't going to kill them, but I just let it cool for peace of mind, to know nothing will be damaged.

Hopefully the Romanian surplus ammo will arrive in a week or so and I can see how it shoots with that.
 
Hehe...tempting Maverick, but after getting in some good shooting time today, I don't want to get rid of this thing.
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Darn...looks like you got a buy.
The only thing is that it heats up a good bit after a couple of rounds
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Shouldn't heat up nearly that fast...shouldn't be more than mildly warm.
 
After a bit more research, I learned that very few Weimar Republic 98's got a turned-down bolt, so I'm starting to question whether this gun is as "original" as I thought. I plan to hang on to the thing, since it is the only true rifle I own (by that, I mean the only centerfire rifle).

As for the heating issue, this concerns me quite a bit...I've heard of 91/30's heating up at this rate with cheap ammo, but an M98 with Winchester ammo? Didn't think it'd be that much of an issue.

Apparently it can still heat up...maybe just the gun? When I get the 70's Romanian ammo in, I'll have to see how it performs. I'm really kind of curious as to why it'd heat up like it does, especially with it being sporterized.

When I get that milsurp ammo in, I'll give everyone an update.
 
Update on the ammo...arrived a couple of days ago, it appears to be in excellent shape. No corrosion or anything unusual, FMJ, and on stripper clips. Haven't shot it yet, but I've heard about how bad the condition on the casing on some of these surplus rounds are, and these look brand new.

So now for the same price as 60 rounds of Winchester 8mm Mauser ammo, I've got 340 rounds, and it arrived in a few days via UPS. They still have it in stock, and if I had the money I would've jumped on the 680 for $175.

The heating problem, well I'm still not sure. I'll have to research it more when I have time.
 
Although the exterior of the surplus ammo is good, that doesn't guarantee that it doesn't use corrosive primers: which IIRC is common with Romanian military ammo.

If in doubt, use boiling water after every shooting session to break down the (possible) salt residue.
 
I agree Reid, nearly all of the Rommy ammo is corrosively primed, scrub her down when you get done shooting, soap and water is your friend. :)
 
Just the bore (at least that I'm aware of/ever did), but it wouldn't hurt to scrub the bolt a little better than normal.
 
I've already polished the bolt from brown to a dull silver color, so that won't be a problem - getting my hours cut to 30 a week has given me more time to clean my guns, hehe. I clean the bore out when I get done shooting anyway. No. 9 solvent any good for that?
 
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