My Mauser 98 Sporter...Thoughts, Ideas

[CamaroDMD]

My grandfather was a WWII vet and fought in the south pacific. Some time after he returned home, he purchased a European theater bring back Mauser 98...specifically a Karabiner 98k and like so many people did back then he sporterized it. He used it as a hunting rifle for many years.

Down the road, it became my fathers...who also used it for hunting. It was rebarreled and changed over to a 30.06 somewhere along the way. It has an old sporter stock on it but neither he or my grandfather ever got around to getting it drilled or tapped for a scope. Even though that was always the plan.

Then, I used it for hunting in my youth...still open sight with the plan of putting a scope on it one day.

As I have gotten older (I'm 32 now) my flare for hunting has all but disappeared. I love shooting, I spend a ton of time at the range working on my skills...but for me it is more about improving my abilities. I simply have no interest in hunting.

Typically, I enjoy shooting military type (or similar) firearms (I own a M1 Garand, another Karabiner 98k, AR-15, Mini-14, MPi-KM type AK-47, Colt, 1911, Beretta 92FS, P08 Luger) and that's what I shoot. This Mauser doesn't fit my interests for shooting as it sits and I only keep it because it has been through three generations with my family.

I have a hard time keeping a firearm I don't shoot. It takes up space and I just don't want the excess. The range where I spend most of my time does 600 yard competitions and I have been thinking it's something I want to get into. My thought was...maybe I should rebuild this rifle into something for long range target shooting. As a kid, I planned on rebuilding it for hunting so it would basically be the same thing.

The trigger is garbage and needs to be rebuilt. It has a decent barrel on it but part of me think it might be worth rebarreling it for .308 for long range shooting. A new properly bedded stock and a nice scope and I think I could put this rifle to good use.

I guess my first question is caliber. I know most people consider .308 to be better for long distance shooting than a 30.06. Is it worth rebarreling this rifle? As it sits, the bore is good but I don't know the twist rate and I have read for this distance that you want a heavier bullet so you want a faster twist.

My initial assumption is the 30.06 is probably fine...I'm not a professional shooter and I think the shooter makes the difference over the gun (experience has shown me that). But, if I'm going to restock the rifle, add a scope, do the trigger and make a really nice piece out of...is looking into a new barrel (in .308) worth considering?

 

[adcoch1]

First you may want to determine the barrel twist you have, and see if the magazine will allow the bullets you want to shoot to be seated at the length appropriate for your chamber. If that all works out, you probably don't need to rebarrel. Keep in mind too, that accurizing a Mauser can run into more cost than a new gun and may never achieve new gun accuracy potential. With this in mind, and realistic expectations, it sounds like a very fun project!
If it were me, I would probably build a practical rifle out of it, something along the lines of a scout rifle, just set up for field shooting positions, instead of the bench. Mausers really excell at this type of use IMHO.

 

[CamaroDMD]

First you may want to determine the barrel twist you have, and see if the magazine will allow the bullets you want to shoot to be seated at the length appropriate for your chamber. If that all works out, you probably don't need to rebarrel. Keep in mind too, that accurizing a Mauser can run into more cost than a new gun and may never achieve new gun accuracy potential. With this in mind, and realistic expectations, it sounds like a very fun project!
If it were me, I would probably build a practical rifle out of it, something along the lines of a scout rifle, just set up for field shooting positions, instead of the bench. Mausers really excell at this type of use IMHO.

I had given the idea of building a Practice Rifle out of some thought before and I decided against it. I have half a dozen rifles that can work for that type of shooting (including an 8mm Mauser 98k). My thought was I could take this rifle that I don't use and build it into something that I could. I could use it to learn a new type of shooting and hopefully get competitive enough at it to not be dead last at the local events.

I know that a new rifle would probably be both better and less expensive...but I think it would be fun for me to be able to use something with some real history behind it (I have a deep interest in German history and have extensively studied it) as well as has been passed down through my family.

I think your right, the first step is to determine the barrel twist rate. Can someone explain to me the best way to do that?

 

[GBExpat]

Welcome to THR, CamaroDMD!

So ... that BringBack K98k has long since ceased being a K98k (except from the BATFE perspective).

If it were my family longgun & story, I would invest no more money & effort into that rifle to change it again into something different.

 

[CamaroDMD]

Welcome to THR, CamaroDMD!

So ... that BringBack K98k has long since ceased being a K98k (except from the BATFE perspective).

If it were my family longgun & story, I would invest no more money & effort into that rifle to change it again into something different.

Thanks for the welcome!

You are right...it long ago ceased being a K98k (and honestly I wish it were not the case). If I do decide to do nothing with this gun...it will undoubtedly sit in the back of my safe for the next several decades forgotten. I would rather that not happen. But, maybe that's exactly what I will do. I'm honestly not sure. That's what it's done for the last decade.

 

[dieselchief]

who cares how much you spend on it making it something for you to shoot. this whole hobby doesn't pay anyway. maybe get a at one stock from boyds or a archangel mag fed stock for it.....

 

[GBExpat]

... it will undoubtedly sit in the back of my safe for the next several decades forgotten. ...

Yeah, I have a few of those in my gunsafes; "family" guns with history.

My first firearm was a K98k that one of the boys brought back with him from the ETO and gave to my maternal grandfather. He gifted it to me in 1968 after I had shown some real interest in it. He had used it for bear hunts and had disappeared the front metal to make it lighter.

I replaced the missing bits (not an easy task in the late '60s/early'70s) so it looks like a K98k again, and shot it a LOT. I really loved shooting over irons before my presbyopia developed.

Quite frankly, if I could sell that old K98k I would not, just for the memories and the fact that it was a gift from my old ex-cowboy grandad. But then I have both the room and the PackRat gene.

=====

BTW, quick way to determine rifling twist rate ...

Cleaning rod with a tight patch in/on the jag. Insert it in the muzzle. Close to the cleaning rod handle mark the "UP" side of the rod and also make a mark (Sharpie is good) on the rod right at the muzzle ... now slowly push the rod into the bore until the "UP" mark is back on top ... make another Sharpie mark on the rod at the muzzle. Remove the rod and measure between those two Sharpie marks to determine the bore's twist rate.

Enjoy!

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I have a hard time keeping a firearm I don't shoot. It takes up space and I just don't want the excess. The range where I spend most of my time does 600 yard competitions and I have been thinking it's something I want to get into. My thought was...maybe I should rebuild this rifle into something for long range target shooting. As a kid, I planned on rebuilding it for hunting so it would basically be the same thing.

Step One -- get it drilled and tapped for scope bases and mount a decent scope on it. Then shoot it enough to know how well it shoots.

The trigger is garbage and needs to be rebuilt. It has a decent barrel on it but part of me think it might be worth rebarreling it for .308 for long range shooting. A new properly bedded stock and a nice scope and I think I could put this rifle to good use.

Step Two -- put on a drop-in trigger. A Bold or Timney will be a low-cost investment. Then shoot it some more

I guess my first question is caliber. I know most people consider .308 to be better for long distance shooting than a 30.06. Is it worth rebarreling this rifle? As it sits, the bore is good but I don't know the twist rate and I have read for this distance that you want a heavier bullet so you want a faster twist.

Step Three -- if you.re not satisfied with accuracy, try glass bedding the stock -- or even restock it.

My initial assumption is the 30.06 is probably fine...I'm not a professional shooter and I think the shooter makes the difference over the gun (experience has shown me that). But, if I'm going to restock the rifle, add a scope, do the trigger and make a really nice piece out of...is looking into a new barrel (in .308) worth considering?

There is no difference in accuracy between .308 and .30-06. If you're set up to load .30-06 and not .308, stick with the .30-06. If not, flip a coin.

 

[theotherwaldo]

Never discard or erase your family history or you will regret it later. Improve the connection by improving the connecting device and you will feel closer to your fore-fathers - and so will your descendants.

 

[CamaroDMD]

Never discard or erase your family history or you will regret it later. Improve the connection by improving the connecting device and you will feel closer to your fore-fathers - and so will your descendants.

This was sorta my thought as well.

I tried to explain it to my wife by comparing it to handing down a wedding dress to a daughter (which we don’t have) and then modifying it for their needs.

To be honest...I don’t think she bought it. But I have purchased two new guns in the last month so I think I have her a little gunned out at the moment. Haha.

 

[Whiterook808]

If you pass that gun on, you will regret it. I agree with the others, scope it, add a trigger kit and see how it performs. That gun has something you simply cannot buy.

 

[CamaroDMD]

Do you think I should replace the original trigger with a drop in or try and tune the original trigger? I’d like to keep as much if the original gun as possible together. But then again, I wouldn’t throw it away if I replaced it.

 

[CamaroDMD]

Step One -- get it drilled and tapped for scope bases and mount a decent scope on it. Then shoot it enough to know how well it shoots.

Step Two -- put on a drop-in trigger. A Bold or Timney will be a low-cost investment. Then shoot it some more

Step Three -- if you.re not satisfied with accuracy, try glass bedding the stock -- or even restock it.

There is no difference in accuracy between .308 and .30-06. If you're set up to load .30-06 and not .308, stick with the .30-06. If not, flip a coin.

Really good info here. Thank you.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Do you think I should replace the original trigger with a drop in or try and tune the original trigger? I’d like to keep as much if the original gun as possible together. But then again, I wouldn’t throw it away if I replaced it.

Get a plastic box with a lid, and put the original trigger in there, and put it in the back of your gunsafe. If you ever want to put the original trigger back on, you'll know where it is.

 

[CamaroDMD]

Get a plastic box with a lid, and put the original trigger in there, and put it in the back of your gunsafe. If you ever want to put the original trigger back on, you'll know where it is.

Fair enough.

What can I expect it to cost to have a gunsmith drill and tap it for me?

 

[Jim Watson]

Rifling twist is overstudied.
A .30-06 is much most likely to have a 10" twist which is ok up to a 210 grain Berger.
It might have a 12" twist, same as most .308s which is good for a 168 Berger or 175 Sierra.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Fair enough.

What can I expect it to cost to have a gunsmith drill and tap it for me?

That I don't have an answer for you -- prices are all over the map on that. You'd have to check with several gunsmiths.