Who has Sporterized a Mauser??

[Coltdriver]

If someone out there has picked up one of the old Mauser 98 or similar receivers and sporterized it I would sure appreciate hearing about your experience.

If you changed the barrel, what is entailed in doing so? Are there commercially available drop in barrels or is it an involved process?

When going to a different cartridge that the original, what all has to be done??

Thanks in advance for your info.

 

[Gewehr98]

How wild or mild do you want to go?

Purely a function of your budget, tastes, and gunsmithing abilities.

1916 J.G. Haenel Mauser 98 action, Krieger #5 barrel, etc., in 6.5-06:

 

[gburner]

I'm liable to be shunned by the milsurp purists here on this board, but I'll play anyway.

I purchased a Yugo 24/47 Mauser in 8mm about a year ago. I cut the forestock down to scout rifle proportions, cut appx. 3 in. off of the barrel, re-crowned it, re-seated the front sight and eliminated the top fore stock. I cut two inches off of the buttstock and added a rubber recoil pad. The rifle comes in right at 40 inches and weighs significantly less than in its orignal form. Accuracy is undiminished as it will still shoot more accurately than I ever will.

 

[Art Eatman]

Various folks make stocks that will work. The better the grade of walnut, the higher the price. Or "semi-finished", which means inletted, but a lot of the outside needs to be removed.

The more difficult metalwork, gunsmithing, is to drill and tap for scope mounts. Quality work makes for proper alignment of the screw-holes. It's not that big a deal to shorten and re-crown a muzzle.

Most any barrel-maker can supply a barrel in beaucoup choices of cartridges. As long as it's 8mm Mauser/.30-'06 based, no mods to the bolt are needed. This provides you with many choices.

The 98 action is one of the world's better platforms for a custom rifle.

Art

 

[Keith]

The cost of gunsmith labor and parts has made sporterizing a thing of the past unless you can do it all yourself. It's just not economical any more.

HOWEVER, if you take a little time to check out pawn shops and other places that sell used guns you can pick up old sporters for a song! I've seen absolutely gorgeous old rifles with actions honed to butter and extra fancy inlaid walnut going for $300! As long as the bore is good (and custom rifles tend to have been taken care of) they are worth buying at twice the price.

Used guns of all kinds are a great bargain, and I find it incredible when I see people turn up their noses at some old custom rifle and then plunk down $600 for some factory rifle stocked with ten bucks worth of plastic.

Keith

 

[iamkris]

I bought an Israeli Mauser 98 back in 1989. Already converted to .308 Win. I had a gunsmith reblue, cut the barrel to 22", crown the barrel, install a low mount safety, scope ring bases and cut and turn down the bolt handle (I think that all cost me something like $160 back then).

I ordered a semi-inletted Cali Claro walnut, Monte Carlo stock, finished the outside carving, put a schnabel forend, swivel studs, checkered it. Pachmayer red recoil pad. Reshaped the trigger guard. Put a detachable floorplate in. Bold adjustable trigger.

Had it 90% complete by 1993. Took a break until 2000 and finished it. First time I took it hunting I shot a fair sized antelope near Lusk WY with some buddies. My 12 year rilfe building oddessy paid off.

 

[Gewehr98]

Keith, sometimes it's not the cost of the rifle...

One forgets, a custom rifle like a sporterized Mauser transcends the simple savings of money spent. It becomes an extension of the owner's persona, much more so than any Wal-Mart Remington 710 could. That has a value all it's own. It's also why I have a safe drawer full of old 98 Mauser actions.

 

[BHP9]

I agree with Keith. Spending money sportsitizing a 98 is not financially viable anymore. If you ever decide to sell it you will not even recoup even half of the money that you have spent on it.

There are so many 98 sporters and even target guns on the used market that even if you have to rebarrel it you will still be money ahead.

If you start with a stock military gun you will have to have the bolt bent or replaced, an adjustable trigger put in, reciever drilled and tapped for a scope, feed rails modified to ensure reliable feeding with the cartridge of your choice. If it is a magnum caliber extractor and maybe bolt face work. A new stock installed.

AS you can see the cost is just not worth it unless you are planning to have the rifle built up into an ultra expensive prestige custom gun complete with highly figgured and checkered walnut stock. Then you are getting into the thousands of dollars.

 

[Gewehr98]

And again, I say...

What's wrong with spending extra money on a personalized gun? Not all of us build custom rifles for the purpose of selling them for profit at a later date. Pride of ownership has value to the owner, who is, for the time being, the customer. A wildcat rifle I built that won a match wooed a certain book author, he offered me $5K for it. I offered to build him an exact duplicate for considerably less, but that particular rifle stays with me. Stupid of me? Probably. But I built it, the rifle and I ended up in Tactical Shooter Magazine, I know what the rifle's capable of, and that gives it a considerable personal value to me. It's not always market-driven, although the current crop of $250.00 Shuttle Columbia mission patches on E-Bay could sway that argument.

 

[PerfectGlock]

Milsurp purist here.

I agree with Keith, it is cheaper, but if you want to do it, that's your choice. Just watch out for any milsurp purists at the range, they may bayonet you

In my honest opinion, I feel that sporterizing a military surplus rifle is ruining a piece of history. Milsurp collectors admire its beauty, its scratches, dents, and other marks of character that tell a story. When you cut its stock, drill a scope mount, or other sporterizing action, all anybody sees is a sporter rifle, a casualty of the hacksaw and drill press. If I needed a sporting rifle, I would buy one made specifically for the purpose or take an unmodified military specimen with me.

If you must use a Mauser action, Charles Daly (I think) imports some made by Brno in Czechoslovakia. They seem to be military in appearance, I don't know for sure. If it is, please tell me, I would like to make a GEW 98 repro out of one

Of course, you don't have to listen to my opinion, but you must listen to this one thing: Do not sporterize any gun of high value. No Garands, Hakims, G43s, Lee-Enfield No.5s, SVT40s, Stalingrad capture K98s, etc.

Edit: I just looked at the Charles Daly website. The actions are not mil-spec, the design has been modified to be more like the sporting rifles of today.

 

[Gewehr98]

PerfectGlock, I agree wholeheartedly!

It's why ALL of my sporterized Mausers came to me as stripped actions, or with mangled barrels, forged bolts, or otherwise too far removed from original issue condition to be restored back to their military configuration. I've spent more than my fair share of disposable income restoring Mausers, Lee-Enfields, Springfields, Krags, and M1 Garands back to their as-issued condition over the years. There just aren't that many left for future generations and historians to enjoy.

 

[WilderBill]

I suspect that a lot of gun owners are also hotrodders. There is just something in us that wants to personalize or try to improve much of what we come in contact with.
It comes down to imagination and wanting to take on a challange of our own choosing.
I am sort of torn between the "preserve history" and "it's yours, so do what you want with it" veiwpoints.
If you do want to build your own custom rifle, the 98 Mauser has proven to be strong and adaptable. Just try to start with one that isn't too good to mess up. For example, if you intend to use a 30.06 barrel, then you might save both history and money by starting with a '98 with a pitted barrel.

 

[Keith]

Touche'

If you want a rifle that's "all about you", and saving money is not an issue, then go for it! There are plenty of old Milsurp rifles out there with mismatched stocks, bolts, etc, to pull an action from.

Keith

 

[scotjute]

I had a '96 Swedish MAuser done @ around a $1,100. Left it in same caliber and used original barrell & trigger. New - laminated stock, safety, Leupold scope/mounts, bent bolt, re-blued, shortened/recrowned barrell, glass-bedded.
The old military action is supposed to be tougher than standard sporting rifle, which may or may not matter to someone. I'm used to their trigger and prefer it.
As to whether or not to redo old military rifles, I deem that an individual choice. I have several Swedish rifles that are in original condition. Obviously tho, there are other opinions on this topic.

If you change barrells or calibers the work should be done or at least checked by gunsmith. There should be a variety of barrells commercially available that will fit a '98 Mauser. You will spend as much money on redoing one as just buying a new commercial gun, if you go all the way, so be sure it's what you want to do.