Mauser?

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Panzerschwein

Panzerschwein

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I've got me a big case of Romanian steel case 8x57mm Mauser ammunition sitting in my closet.

I'm not sure why.

I don't have a Mauser to fire it in. So... I could sell it... or, I could buy a Mauser.

I don't know much about military surplus Mausers. Have they all dried up? Are there any pockets of surplus Mausers out there I should be aware of? I don't need anything in perfect shape, but do want a decent shooter, and want a milsurp one, not sporterized. Other than that, I really don't care.

So, what Mauser pattern milsurp should I go after that isn't so much for collecting, but more for shooting, that's relatively affordable and decent? Or are they all gone for good?
 
AIM Surplus still gets Yugo M48s from time to time. I prefer the 24/47 myself, and they're occasionally around too. Lots of them available in private sales, if you're patient.
 
Are we talking like steel case commercial stuff? I've actually been looking for some of that.
 
If you're just looking for a shooter, the Yugoslavian M48 or 24/47 would be good, relatively inexpensive choices that are still available from online suppliers occasionally.

Or just look around at your local gunstores, you may find a Kar 98, GEW 98 or other historically significant rifle at a decent price.

You're probably already aware of this, but be advised that your Romanian ball is definitely corrosive. It's not a big deal as long as you clean accordingly, which is pretty easy with any Mauser bolt rifle.
 
If you attended gun shows in the late 90's you couldn't help but see big stacks of Turkish 98's from the late 30's. Most were selling for around $99 and I ended up buying a couple. They had extra long barrels and the vast majority were marked Asfa Ankara.

I see them come back on the market on Armslist frequently. Both of mine are good shooters and they aren't historically significant enough to worry about shooting corrosive ammo in them.
 
A shooting buddy had a Yugo M48, is was a nice rifle. He got it for $129 a few years ago. He was able to consistently hit clay pigeons (4.25") on a hill at 100 yards.
Shoot up your 8mm then sell the rifle, it's a win-win.
 
I would go the Yugo route... if you like the rifle, start researching and find something more collectible at that time.

Just be careful with pricing. AIM's last batch of M48s were EXPENSIVE! I know all surplus prices have gone up, but if you are paying more than $400 for just an M48, I'd look elsewhere. I paid $295 for an unissued M48A, with bayonet... when AIM had a comparable rifle (unsure about bayonet) for just at $500.
 
Is there a site that lists the general classes (and years) of Mauser rifles?

Are these Yugo Mausers everyone is referring to the most recent of the military surplus Mausers? It seems like most armies would have moved to semi-autos for infantry battle rifles by that point? Are they drilled and tapped for rings in stock form? Single stage or two stage trigger?

Are all of these 8mm Mauser or were some chambered in 7mm Mauser as well?

I see some 8mm Mauser ammo listed as "0.323 bore non-WWII dimensions," what does that mean?
 
Cooldill

So... I could sell it... or, I could buy a Mauser.
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When I was younger I often bought ammo (and quite a few accessories), for guns that I didn't have. Life is short; get yourself a Mauser and put that ammo to good use!
 
Ammo might be worth more than a rifle these days
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Agreed.

Buying a gun just to shoot a case of non-reloadable (500 +/- rounds?) doesn't seem like a very good investment to me. Of course if boxer primed brass cartridges and bullets are available at a affordable price and it is a gun you really want to add to your already impressive collection then that is another story.

November 9th will decide on the value of your ammunition.
 
Cornhusker, Military Mausers were made over seventy years by a number of different firms for a legion of countries. Get Robert Ball's most recent book for pix and descriptions.
If you want a Mauser fairly cheap then the yugo m48 or the 24/47 models are a good place to start but even they are drying up so move quickly. These are usually in good repair but may have mismatched bolts, cracks in the stock, etc. German Mausers, even those captured and put together by the Russians are bringing from a couple of hundred dollars more than yugos to sky high depending on collectibility. Swede small rings are now high too with Swede 94 carbine scarce and pricey. Spanish and south American Mausers are around and decently priced but some are well worn and not suitable for shooting.

Best bargains are Spanish 98 Mausers, yugo Mausers, and czech Mausers. Turks have a funky barrel arrangement for the most common models but can get infuriating with strange action lengths, bolts, etc for some variants. Try Steve Wagner's webpages on Turks. You can sometimes get a deal on some sporter Mausers but need to know what you plan to do with them. The great era of cheap Mausers is pretty much over but there are still some bargains out there relative to new entry level stuff. Just don't buy an unmolested rifle and try to convert it to a sporter. It will be expensive and you will probably subtract rather than add value when you are finished. Buy one already sportered or get a new mid grade rifle from any of the usual suspects. It will be cheaper in the long run unless you can do most of the work competently yourself.
 
boom boom said:
Cornhusker, Military Mausers were made over seventy years by a number of different firms for a legion of countries. Get Robert Ball's most recent book for pix and descriptions.
If you want a Mauser fairly cheap then the yugo m48 or the 24/47 models are a good place to start but even they are drying up so move quickly. These are usually in good repair but may have mismatched bolts, cracks in the stock, etc. German Mausers, even those captured and put together by the Russians are bringing from a couple of hundred dollars more than yugos to sky high depending on collectibility. Swede small rings are now high too with Swede 94 carbine scarce and pricey. Spanish and south American Mausers are around and decently priced but some are well worn and not suitable for shooting.

Best bargains are Spanish 98 Mausers, yugo Mausers, and czech Mausers. Turks have a funky barrel arrangement for the most common models but can get infuriating with strange action lengths, bolts, etc for some variants. Try Steve Wagner's webpages on Turks. You can sometimes get a deal on some sporter Mausers but need to know what you plan to do with them. The great era of cheap Mausers is pretty much over but there are still some bargains out there relative to new entry level stuff. Just don't buy an unmolested rifle and try to convert it to a sporter. It will be expensive and you will probably subtract rather than add value when you are finished. Buy one already sportered or get a new mid grade rifle from any of the usual suspects. It will be cheaper in the long run unless you can do most of the work competently yourself.
Click to expand...
No, I will not sporterize it. I plan to get the rifle, the correct sling, and a stripper clip pouch. I won't harm the collectibility and also because I enjoy shooting milsurps as the soldiers shot them.
 
On the .323 bore question - there are two kinds of 8mm Mauser out there, the 19th century Gew88 "Commission" rifles and then the more modern Mauser 98 type rifles. The Commission rifles used a .318 bore, later rifles used a .323 bore. Ammo intended for older rifles is often labeled 8x57J while the later ammo is labeled 8x57JS.

The Turkish Mausers I've seen have almost universally been beaters, but they're usually inexpensive. There are always used Mausers kicking around at reasonable prices, just keep a lookout at local places that deal in used firearms and eventually one will catch your eye.
 
I'm an ammo collector...not as in I collect it for the fun of owning it, I just get partial boxes and such from time to time for things I don't own. Example-I have a couple hundred rounds for 30-06, dies, and brass for it...have never owned a 30-06 long enough to fire it. I keep telling my wife that's a good reason to buy an 03A3 but she disagrees, and we aren't in a spot for impulse buys at the moment. My suggestion-find somebody who has one of the rifles your interested in and burn up part of your ammo in their rifle. If you like it find one. If you don't like it, sell them the remaining ammo for a fair price.
 
You can find a Yugo Mauser for $250. They're great rifles... No nonsense steel and wood. I agree that AIM sells them high. However, a few months back, AIM sold shooter grades for $225 or so. I bought one and would have bought more if they didn't sell out. I don't know what is considered shooter grade because this M48A was in pristine condition... 98% bluing, hardly any marks in the stock, excellent bore, and covered in cosmoline. I wonder if they gave me a grade A by mistake. I definitely recommend you get a Mauser.
 
The Germans converted a lot of the M-88 commission to fire the >323 ammo. They stamped a large "S" over the chamber.

They got away with that by re-chambering the barrel and cutting a very long leade ( hope I spelled that right ) in the barrel so the bullet had an inch or more to squeeze down to .318" Seemed to work out OK.

I had one years ago and the fired cases showed no signs of distress.
 
I thought about pulling out my Mausers and taking a group photo but that would require getting off the couch and I don't see that happening right now. So, I'll tell you about them instead.

My first Mauser was a Yugoslavian M24/47; a gift from my then-fiancée (now wife). She'd seen me eyeing it at Cabela's and went back and bought it for me. Found it on the couch when I came home from work. It was one of the cleaned-up Mitchell's Mausers but it is a very nice rifle, shoots well and looks good and it really was a very nice gift. So that's one.

I started researching Yugoslavian Mausers and discovered that there were a wide variety of them around, including the pre-WWII Model 1924 rifles that could be found with the royal crest on them. I thought that was pretty cool and when I found one for sale on a forum I snapped it up. So that's two.

My next one was a 7mm Mauser, a German-built Spanish M93 that was probably Spanish-American War surplus. It's pretty rusty and badly in need of restoration. But it's a fascinating relic and those little M93 7mm rifles are handy little things. I keep meaning to buy the next reasonably-priced Chilean M93 I see but never have. So that's three.

I had been keeping an eye out for a nice Russian-capture K98 to fill a gap in my WWII collection, and one day I found one for sale here on THR and snapped it up. It was made in 1940 and who knows what it saw over the next five years. So that's four.

Most recent was a Swedish m/96, one of the famous 6.5mm Swedes with a well-deserved reputation for craftsmanship and accuracy. I only wish I'd bought the one I saw with a Finnish property mark. So that's five.

And there are a lot more out there than just those. Everybody and their brother used Mausers and they're fun to shoot and collect. Near-infinite variety in a quality bolt-action with countless stories to tell - what's not to love?
 
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I've got a Turk Mauser and could not be much happier with it.

The one I have came in really bad shape - rust, some warping of the wood, some screw heads were so boogered as to be un-removable, but the rifling still looked pretty good. I refinished the wood, cold blued the metal, and cleaned out the barrel, now the gun looks great and shoots even better.

I don't know what those guns are worth nowadays, but as tough as those old Mausers are, I can't imagine there actually being anything wrong with them. Mine had some problems igniting surplus primers, but that was fixed with a $10 spring and it has run like a top ever since. For the right price, they definitely make a worthwhile project gun.
 
i know your looking for a original 98 mauser, but a sporterized 98 mauser will let you shoot your ammo and get to know the 98 mauser and help you make your choice. i have bought several german 98 sporterized mausers for from 150-250 that have ex bores and shoot very well, now they did not look like weatherby,s. one is a 1940 and the other one is a 1944(out side is a little rough) ,but both work with out a hitch every time. eastbank.
 
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I have a K Kale Turkish Mauser and I couldn't be happier with it. My only gripe is that 8 mm Mauser ammo is hard to find here in Mi.
 
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