Mitchell's Mausers

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LeverGunJunkie

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These rifles any good? I 've seen some comments on the forum before, but the search didn't turn up enough info. K98, M48, 24/47...which is best and why? Starting to get into historic rifles, and thought this would be a nice complement to my Garand and Mosin.
 
They're okay if you don't mind spending about twice what the gun is actually worth. None of their guns have any historical value, so if you're looking for something like that then I'd recommend shopping elsewhere. And a lot of their stuff is refinished, so if you're looking for something in original condition then there are better places to look. Or if you're capable of wiping down the metal good and know how to use sandpaper, you can save yourself a lot of money that way too.
 
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none is best... One in good condition is a decent shooter or a base for a very nice custom rifle.

The differences are mostly place of manufacture, action length, calibre, stock material, bolt handle (bent/not-bent), etc... They all look marginally alike but there are differences model to model.

Decide what you want from the gun and buy the book: "The Mauser M91 through M98 Bolt Actions A Shop Manual" By Jerry Kuhnhausen. You'll need one to know what you're doing beyond looking at a repeating bolt action rifle. A real K98 would seem most appropriate if you're looking for thematic consistency depending on when your Garand and Moisin were made.

EDIT: and pick another place to buy from... there's a lot of hate around for Mitchell's. SOG international may be a nice source.
 
In general.

Mitchell's Mausers takes milsurps and gives them a makeover, and an expensive one at that. If you want a pretty, expensive, otherwise shooter grade milsurp, they are your ticket.

K98 - World War II era German carbine, source unknown (likely Russian capture at present). Various manufacturers (Germany made their guns at any factory that could qualify). Some manufacturers are more rare, but Mitchells makes no distinction. Late war manufacturing standards and quality are poor compared to pre- and early war.

M24/47 - Yugoslavia under took a standardization and modernization program of their M1924 Mausers to this new configuration.

M48 - A follow on program of a series (M48, M48A, M48A(B), M48(BO)) Yugoslavian produced rifles with further standardization and simplified manufacture. Zastava in Serbia still makes similar rifles to this day.
 
Apparently you didn't do a search deep enough, because they have been mentioned many times at this site.
Mitchell's Mausers basically provides refurbished Mausers for sale. Rumor has it that they make "historic" rifles from plain Mausers by applying their own stamps.
If you want a clean Mauser for shooting or hanging, then with that understanding, they do work. But if you are looking for actual historic models, I would look elsewhere.
I'm sure others will comment on this.



NCsmitty
 
Rumor has it that they make "historic" rifles from plain Mausers by applying their own stamps.
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I'd very much like to see the proof of this allegation. I've also heard this rumor from time to time but never the evidence supporting the claim.
 
Smitty & Jimmyray: If you tire of commenting on the subject, then move on to another thread; its not like you provided a wealth of info anyway.
 
Actually I like this subject and never tire of speaking about Mausers(my favorite rifle). My comment concerned your search not turning up much.
 
They're great guns, but extremely overpriced. Look on gunbroker and you'll find them for about 2/3 that price, and privately you can find them for half or less.
 
LeverGunJunkie, in light of your comments, I encourage you to purchase several Mitchell's Mausers, as you certainly deserve them.
Good luck!


NCsmitty
 
There is a picture of them in dictionary under "Over Priced" :fire: I am sure there are much better places to get a Mauser of any flavor.
Best,
Rob

P.S. I did copy and print their M48 manual off the website many years ago.
 
IMHO: Mitchel's Mausers = "Run Forrest Run!!!" :eek:

As has been noted:

Seriously overpriced.:mad:
Zero collector value... despite their ads.:fire:
 
I purchased a K98k from them a couple years back, and I have learned my lesson the hard way.

NEVER buy anything sight unseen. I ended up with an almost complete mis-match and the metal had been ground down.

Do yourself a favor and look at one on gunbroker or at a gun show.
 
At one point I actually considered buying from Mitchell's Mausers, but luckily I did my research on them. Looks like whether you want a K98, M48, or M24/47, you're getting an M48 that was "German-made" ("German" meaning the equipment sold to Yugoslavia after WWII came from the old factories in Germany).

I picked up one that wasn't a numbers-matching gun, but was complete, and authentic, for just over $200 this past weekend. I guarantee you it'll shoot just as good as any Mitchell's Mauser will, has a little more collector's value over their guns, and was priced quite nicely.
 
i keep seeing "no, they suck" (basically) but ive only seen one person suggest an alternative source????

any others?
 
i keep seeing "no, they suck" (basically) but ive only seen one person suggest an alternative source????

any others?
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if you were planning on spending the amount of money a mitchells sels for i would look on gunbroker for a few weeks untill the right one pops up.
you can get a very nice german model 98 or a nice gew98 for under $500 if your patient.
i prefer the WWI era gew98s over the WWII era mod 98's.
 
Gents: I'm grateful for all of the feedback. It isn't a near term acquisition. I meant this to be a starting point for my research, and probably won't take any action for a while. Just something that caught my interest and would be cool to have.
 
My son bought me one of the Serbian model 48's from them Christmas 2006 or maybe 2007. The price was 299.00. The gun was advertised as being unissued and having been stored in an armory since 1948 or so. The gun was as described and is a very good shooter. It has no collector value since not used in a war.

Every where I read that Mitchell's is scamming people. Maybe they have but in my case I don't think so. As I said the gun is as described with matching numbers and in like new condition. I don't feel that the price was too much for a "LIKE NEW" gun. I would like to have an original German made war time model but I guess not bad enough yet. I'd prefer getting an M1 first. Besides, my son got it for me and that carries a lot of weight with me.:)
 
I have a beautiful Corvette Porsche...

I'll sell you
I even have a Official Fake certificate of authenticity...
I hope you like yugos, cause it's all I carry......
 
sorry but the repro MN snipers with "$300" of free accessories, kill me
guy is a fraud and swindler
part I like was the Waffenampts he was selling in Shotgun News.
 
ive only seen one person suggest an alternative source???? any others?
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I'd suggest starting with the many websites that offer historical overviews of the Mausers, and I'd suggest browsing the auction sites to see what's going for what. If you're looking for a high quality pattern 98 Mauser and are willing to pay even half of what Mitchells' is asking, you can pick up a pristine Persian Mauser, a South American Mauser, or a couple of VZ-24 Mausers for the same price.

I would say the Czechs, including the Persians, are among the very best because many were never used in combat and were well treated. The Yugo M48's were also largely unissued though they're notoriously coated with cosmoline. The South American models are among the most valuable for collectors and are often Minty. The Argentine 1909 pattern is one of the best Mauser 98's ever made, though it's in an off-beat 7.65 cartridge. The German K98k's and other German Mausers were often rode hard, so you'll have a tougher time finding a minty one.

All in all, though, to act as a complement to the other WWII rifles, I'd steer you to a minty, all-matching VZ-24 with the straight bolt. Cruise the auction sites and price shop. You'll be able to find a good deal.
 
Mitchell's Mausers=misleading ads and high prices.

If you are interested in the Yugo Mausers you can find them at much better prices on Gunbroker. Most models sell for $250 or less for a nice example. The Yugo capture MOD98/48 are some of the nicest refurbs I have seen, very well done with many original German marking on some.
 
My son bought me one of the Serbian model 48's from them Christmas 2006 or maybe 2007. The price was 299.00. The gun was advertised as being unissued and having been stored in an armory since 1948 or so.
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The central problem is that they freely provided information, which turned out to be inaccurate. Until Branko Bogdanovic published "Serbian and Yugoslav Mauser Rifles" in 2005, little was documented about the Serbian and Yugoslav.

In that book, it clearly states that due to design problems, M48 production did not start until 1951.

The gun was as described and is a very good shooter. It has no collector value since not used in a war.
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Unfortunately, some were used in the Balkan wars.
Besides, my son got it for me and that carries a lot of weight with me.
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By far, the best reason to hang on to anything :D . Enjoy it because he cared enough to give it.
 
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