Shot out / barrel life over?

[Nitupsar]

Hi everyone,

I just happened to come across the Highroad site which looks good. I am in the market for a rifle and I am thinking of a M67 sharpshooter Mauser in 6.5x55. I have been offered one at a reasonable price, at least according to local standards (Norway) for the price of $340. Now my question, bing a novice shooter is how much life is left in a rifle like this? I have learnt these were refurbished German military rifles, Mauser M98, left behind by the Germans when they surrendered in '45. I have been told the gun has been shot 1000 shots after the refurbishing, but how many can a gun take before it suffers? What about the breech block? I guess the barrel goes before the breech block, right? And then you change the barrel and keep shooting.... I could of course buy a more modern rifle, but what fun is that, no challenge, and besides I treasure getting something out of nothing so to speak! There must be many experienced shooters and hunters out there with tips and things to share about these rifles. Would love to hear a few words. By and by I plan to mount a scope on it and use it for hunting.

 

[rangerruck]

it has probably been shot way more than 1000 times, but the good thing is, it is a 6.5 swede. this is a very acc round, and it is mild to the chamber/throat areas. Also who did the refurb? Is it a very good company. here in the states, you get those that are marked karl gustav and are redone by kimber, and other fine companies, I would have no problems getting one from them.
See if the guy will give you a 1 or 2 day return wrrty with the rifle, make sure you have as many diff brands of ammo to buy as well. if he says okay, buy the rifle , the ammo. and go test. If it won't shoot moa at 100 yds, take it back.

 

[Firehand]

Most quality barrels will serve for thousands of rounds before being shot out. Especially if properly cared for- cleaned properly after shooting, etc. It may not give the same accuracy after a thousand as it would new, but may still be quite good.

On a bolt-action rifle, unless the heat-treatment of the receiver or bolt was not done properly, they should last almost forever. Again, as long as they were cared for.

It might not work as a match rifle, but if the bore is sharp & shiny and the action tight, it should serve you well.

 

[Low-Sci]

Firehand is right, and I'd also add that if you perhaps did want it to shoot like a match rifle, that wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility.

You can have a new barrel put on it if you're happy with how it shoots initially but want it to do better down the road. For the particular rifle, I don't know how much that job would cost you, but it would almost certainly improve your accuracy quite significantly.

 

[Kentak]

Welcome to THR. You might want to repost your question on the Rifle Country or Hunting board.

Good luck.

K

 

[CB900F]

Nitupsar;

I read the book "Hell, I Was There", by Elmer Keith some years ago. In it, I remember him relating his experiences working at the government arsenal in Salt Lake City Utah during WWII. During his work there, he conducted testing of barrel life in service rifles using the .30-06 cartridge. If I remember all of this correctly, he concluded that useful military barrel life for that round was about 8000 firings.

As has been stated above, the 6.5 X 55 is an excellent round for accuracy and it should be easier on barrels than the .30-06 I'd think.

900F (though you Europeans knew it as the Fireblade)

 

[M67]

Hei, velkommen til THR.

You don't wear out a Mauser 98 action. The refurbishing of these rifles was excellent, they are probably in better shape now than when they were new. The barrels do wear out. When they do, you replace them. It should last a lot more than 1000 rounds anyway, even for match use. If the rifle looks ok, I don't think you can go wrong at the price you mention.

For our American friends who don't know the rifle: The closest thing I've seen for sale in the US would be the Swedish CG 63 and CG 80. I don't remember the M67's barrel length, but I think it's at least 28 inches. There are two barrel profiles to choose from in replacement match barrels; the slim profile is 19mm (3/4") at the muzzle. These rifles are completely rebuilt for match shooting. It isn't a Mauser 98 any more, it's a purpose-built match/sniper rifle based on hand picked Mauser actions, built by Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk in Norway. Caliber choice is 6.5x55 and 7.62 Nato - and .22 lr for indoor practice in the winter.

Nitupsar, what do you want to do with it? It's an excellent entry level rifle for DFS (high power) match shooting. I'm sure it's great for hunting as well, as long as you don't have to carry it a lot. If you want a DFS approved target rifle that can also be used for hunting, it's fine. If you want a rifle primarily for hunting and informal shooting, maybe you should look at a plain military k98 in .30-06. Those also have Kongsberg made barrels and are generally very accurate. And if you plan to use it as a base for cusomization, they are half the price of an M67.

 

[Nitupsar]

Thank you all!

Thanks to all for good answers! This was more than I had hoped for, very helpful, - and a special thanks for a welcome greeting in Norwegian!

Do I undestand you right, M67, that the KVM67 was rebuilt with a selected receiver and got a brand new barrel when they left the Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk in 1967 or therafter?

My conclusion is then: If the receiver is as good as everlasting and the barrel ok, then I guess there cannot be too much else to be concerned about.

My demands are modest, I will not compete except with myself and maybe my little brother, and I will not carry the rifle over long distances, so he weight is no issue; plinking and later on a bit of hunting will be the normal use for this gun.

Being a novice I have to ask why a K98 Mauser would be better? If I initially pay $150 or $300 for the basic rifle as it is now, with a diopter sight, this does not matter that much really, it is more important that I am happy with the end result. I guess otherwise the price for modifying a M67 and a K98 is pretty much the same? Will a hunting stock for a K98 fit a M67? If I want to put a scope on the M67, are there any problems that will arise? Someone said that cutting down the barrel length would not influence the accuracy notisably under let's say 200 yards, is that correct?

The 6,5x55 caliber somehow appeals more to me than the .30-06, as I have the impression they are a bit softer on the ol' body. I have so far only fired a .30-06 and not the 6.5 so I cannot compare yet.

 

[dfaugh]

Usually the barrel was replaced when they were "refurbished"..1000 rounds is not all that much for a 6.5x55...It should still shoot well, or at least well enough for informal shooting and plinking. I would check the crown for any damage, as I see alot of muzzle wear on military surplus guns, because they used steel cleaning rods. If there's some wear you can have it re-crowned, very inexpensively The 6.5x55 is a very accurate cartridge, and I think you'll be happy with it.

 

[M67]

and a special thanks for a welcome greeting in Norwegian!

Det er fordi jeg er norsk, i fall du ikke la merke til det. But since this is an English-speaking community - when in Rome and all that. Besides, some of our American friends might think we were making fun of them in a strange language - if you're new to this corner of the internet, google "tinfoil hat". I'm now making fun of them in their own language, and that's much more fun.

Do I undestand you right, M67, that the KVM67 was rebuilt with a selected receiver and got a brand new barrel when they left the Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk in 1967 or therafter?

Yes.

Being a novice I have to ask why a K98 Mauser would be better?

Not better, just shorter and lighter if you wanted to hunt with it without any modifications. If size and weight is not a problem, the 67 is probably a better choice.

If I want to put a scope on the M67, are there any problems that will arise?

I don't remember whether the bolt handle is already changed to clear the scope. I think the M67 will work with a scope as is, the k98 will not. I don't have a scope on either of mine, and I'm at work so I can't take a look at them right now. In any case it's not a big problem. Any gunsmith will drill and tap the action for a scope mount and re-weld the bolt handle if necessary.

Someone said that cutting down the barrel length would not influence the accuracy notisably under let's say 200 yards, is that correct?

That's correct. As long as you get a decent gunsmith to do the job. Barrel length isn't really that important for accuracy, but the crown is.

Will a hunting stock for a K98 fit a M67?

I would think so, as long as there is room for the much heavier barrel.

The six-and-a-half does have less recoil than the .30-06, but the difference in felt recoil between a k98 and an M67 is caused more by the shape of the stock than by the cartridge. The k98 stock seems to me to be the most uncomfortable ever designed as far as recoil is concerned, the KV stock is much better if you don't like recoil. On the other hand, if you need to beat a dinosaur to death with the rifle butt, a k98 stock is pretty much indestructible.

Looks to me as if you know what you want and why. Bottom line: Buy the 67.

 

[Nhsport]

Sounds like this could be an great rifle. If it doesn't shoot well it is likely due to abuse or missuse that just plain shooting. Check the bore for pitting (improper cleaning after corrisive ammo).Check the crown area for cleaning rod damage or haveing been dropped hard. If the bore/crown look ok chances this gun will be a decent shooter,might be a great shooter if it was properly upgraded . If the bore is ok and the crown has problems it still might shoot ok but generally a recrown or counterbore job will get you up and running . As others have said if you are holding out hopes for a serious match gun you will be disapointed. If you are hopeing to get a reasonably accurate reasonable priced gun you could hardly make a beter choice.
I missed a chance years ago to grab up a 6.5 swede when I walked into a local mil surp store that was uncrateing a bunch of 6.5s and gradeing them into piles from $69-$99 . They must have had 200 guns and I didn't know much about them so I decided to fall back and do a little research. I do remember handleing a couple of the $99 ones that had matching #s ,good wood,and no cosmolene. The actions and triggers were smooth and slick. It took me three weeks to get back and all they had left were 6 or 8 dogs that were all beat and had crunchy triggers and non-matching bolts that didnt fit real well. If I had had half a brain I should have bought a dozen of the nice ones when I had a chance !

 

[Nitupsar]

It pays to ask!

Put an ad in at a local shooters forum to satify myself that I had done a thorough market research before making my final decision and was immediately offered another M67 in mint condition that had shot no more than 20 rounds! I am happy as a lark and will get back with a report when I have tried it out. Again thanks to all you knowledgable riflemen for your input! This is a great forum indeed.