Hello gentlemen!
Does anybody have any thoughts on what kind of accuracy one might expect from a turned-down and shortened military Mauser barrel, provided that it sits in a good action, free-floated and properly bedded? Let's assume that the rifle is scoped; we're not taking into account the user factor, only the barrel's inherent accuracy. The rifle in question is a 7x57 mm DWM 1908 Brazilian in excellent condition.

From prior experience I'd say that any original, open-sighted, full-stocked military Mauser that shoots within 4 moa is quite normal, within 2 moa is good, and sub-moa is exceptional. I'm not sure though, whether free-floating and bedding might significantly improve these figures, or whether the barrels themselves are the limiting factor.

I recently got my hands on this apparently unissued DWM 1908 Brazilian Mauser, with the intent of turning it into a lightweight sporter. The bore is bright and shiny, with no sign of rust or erosion. I'll keep it in 7x57mm calibre, that's for sure, but I haven't decided whether I should install a new Lothar Walther barrel straight away or turn down and shorten the original barrel. I imagine that the materials and manufacturing techniques used 100 years ago weren't nearly as good as today, but then again, the rifle itself is beautifully made even by today's standards, so I don't know...

Any insights will be greatly appreciated!

- John

I bought a German K98 that was sporterized when I acquired it. I get 3 shot groups right at 1" with this rifle. It's a good looking rifle and I like it very much. The 1" groups are with a scope at 100 yds.

I have a couple of Mauser sporters with one having a turned down military 8mm barrel, and another with the military barrel, still stepped but shortened. Both in 8mm-06 AI at the moment. Both are very good shooters. - Dan

Alchemist, it's your rifle to do with as you wish. But I think it's a terrible shame to take a fine rifle like that, in that condition, and chop it up into a sporter. I'd far rather have the original, and I'm sure it'll be more valuable in the future. Sporterized Mausers are a dime a dozen. I don't give 'em a second glance. Good examples of the originals are becoming scarcer all the time. I've seen this happen in the past with people making hot rods out of nice old Fords and choppers out of good old Harleys. Later, other people have gone to lots of work and expense trying to put them back in original condition. The originals are way more desirable and valuable. IMO, if you want to make a Mauser sporter, it's best to start with one that's NOT in excellent condition originally; cutting that up's destroying a piece of history. Just my opinion, which you can take for what it's worth.

I have a VZ-24 in 8x57 cut to 20" steps turned out, glass bedded in a Ramline, that does sub 1/2 moa.

Most military 7x57's shoot well if the bore is good, but they're throated for 175-gr. RN's. other bullets or hot loads may not do as well. Federal factory ammo was easily the best load I found.

Your rifle will probably do best with the barrel left alone or just cut and recrowned -- turning it down is a huge unknown. So if you put a lot of money in the GI barrel, it may still only shoot well with one load. On the other hand, a 7mm RN at 2,400 fps has a gleaming reputation, so things could be worse. Having said that, I also vote to leave it alone -- but it's your rifle. Hope this helps, Okie John.

I agree with richochet and oakie, there are some Mausers like my Yugo that are still quite plentifull in original condition and quite affordable, but something like yours is more valuable as it is and getting hard to find. With that said, I had mine recrowned and it now shoots practically anything I feed it within about 2" and some loads less than 1 1/2". Its an 8X57 thats been scoped.

Thank you all for your inputs.

Ricochet, Okie john and Wstrnhuntr, you do make a good point. I will certainly think twice before tearing this rifle apart. I agree it would be a shame, and if we were talking about an original Oberndorf sporter, I wouldn't dream of touching it.

But my problem is that here in Norway, Mauser actions aren't that plentiful, and good ones are hard to come across, aside from beat-up, surplus m98k's that have been milled out for .30-06 and don't feed smaller cartridges reliably. The collector's value of a DWM 1908 is close to zero around here, its value (about $250 I'd say) lies in the potential of turning the action into a fine custom rifle. (I was unaware that it might have significant collector's value abroad.) Also, the ever tighter firearms legislation doesn't allow me to sit on it and wait for it to become valuable, as I'm only permitted to possess a very limited number of rifles. And when applying for a permit, I have to justify my need for that particular firearm, normally I can't own two rifles suitable for the same purpose. When applying for a .416 or .404 I was required to sell either my 9.3x62 or my 8x57, my only two hunting rifles at the time - figure that one out!

So, when I stumbled across this DWM, with a permit for a 7x57 already in my pocket, I jumped on it. Of course, I could sell it and buy a Remington or Sako off the shelf, but it just wouldn't be the same.

That being said, if I decide go through with my plan, it won't be a budget hack-job, but a custom build using the best materials and workmanship. By saying that I guess I've already answered my initial question. The cut-down military barrel might give decent accuracy, but I won't chance on it. I'll get a quality barrel from Walther or Shilen, along with new bottom metal, stock, scope and all the other bits and pieces. I'm more of a hunter and shooter than a collector, and to me, it will then have a greater value than in its original condition. If I rebuild it the way I want it, it'll be a rifle that I'm not likely to ever sell anyway, it might be joining me on future deer hunts for as long as I live, and hopefully, unless civilian gun ownership is banned by then, it will be passed on to the next generation of hunters.

Thanks,

John

well said.

Yep.

i agree wholeheartly with richocet. original mauser rifles are becoming rare, with even russian captures fetching prices 250-300 and up (US dollars). like richocet said, you are permaently destroying a peice of history. hang on to what you got, it will make an excellent deer rifle in its present military form.

As a collector, I have a number of mauser rifles in excellent condition including a 7x57mm, and some that are sporterised. The first question I resolve is 'What is the accuracy potential of the original barrel'?
If the darn thing won't shoot to an acceptable degree of accuracy with the 'as issued' barrel then shortening and reprofiling is not going to make it shoot any better. If poor or mediocre accuracy is the case, then leave it in original trim as a collector's item.

When you take that rifle apart try not to put vise marks on the original military barrel, it has some value which will only increase as time goes by. You might even consider trying to see how it shoots, it might be worth keeping, I think B Square here in the US makes a mount for a "scout" scope which fits the military rear sight base. So that all you would have to do to make a pretty nice sporter is restock it - and twenty years down the line you could restore it to original military configuration.