I have owned all kinds of rifles in my life but I have never owned a Mauser 98. There are Mausers of current manufacture right? Is a new Mauser as desirable as an older version? Which of the older Mausers are the most desirable? Is there a book you could suggest that I might pick up about the Mauser 98?

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Bush:
Is a new Mauser as desirable as an older version?

With their modern metallurgy, I find new mauser98 actions more desirable for todays high intensity loads.

This is interesting reading:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/old_mausers.htm

I may be wrong, but I don't know of any current production of a new Mauser. Maybe some of the very high end mfg make them, perhaps in the US, but certainly in Germany. Could be the Zastava Mauser is still available. I don't know who is importing them currently. It's difficult to keep up with, since it changes so often lately.

The CZ 550 comes close, at a reasonable price. I've been facinated with Mausers for a long time, but frankly I like the CZ 550 medium action just as well, and in many ways better.

KB

Zastava are still making rifles - I don't know who brings them into the US though.

I build a lot of custom Mausers and I prefer the older actions such as the 1908s, chilean, Pruruvian etc. The comm. mod 21 Brnos or the milsurp G33-40, They are much better actions than the modern mod. 98s and they are certainly better milled...They are also a more expensive route to take.

quote:

Which of the older Mausers are the most desirable? Is there a book you could suggest that I might pick up about the Mauser 98?

Pick up Speed's "Original Oberndorf Sporting Rifles" book and the Mauser Archive book. They will answer many of your questions.

Also, I would suggest reading all you can about the original sporters on this forum and the NitroExpress forum. Both will be full of info from the guys who really know them well.

IMO,the new Mauser retailed '98s are fascinating mostly because you can get a magnum length action with double square bridges. Finding an original one is needle and haystack stuff for sure.
I suppose the metallurgy discussion is valid up to a point but I would think that most folks interested in original Mausers aren't planning on ultra high performance chamberings for their rifles.
I doubt that in the long term the new Mausers will command as high a price as an excellent condition original Oberndorf Mauser.

Standard references include Speed's "Original Oberndorf Sporting Rifles", Frank de Haas' "Bolt Action Rifles", Olson's "Mauser Bolt Rifles", and the various books on custom rifles.

First, "Mauser Werke Oberndorf" doesn´t exist any more. The Mauser plant is a part of the Rheinmetall company. Mauser discontiniued the civil arms programm befor a few years and sold the name "Mauser Jagdwaffen" to the Blaser/sauer holding. Mauser/Oberndorf now, is making only the MK27 cannon. Every new made Mauser M98 and M98 Magnum of the last years, is made by Prechtl for the Blaser/Sauer company. Only the new Mauser M03 rifles are made in the Blaser/Isny plant.
New made M98 rifles costs a lot of money. Here in Germany the prices starting at ~7000.-€. Magnum Mauser at over 10k€. The actual Mauser M98 switched from the "standard" hunting rifle to an semi or full custom product.

Martin

Thanks Martin.

I like commercial FN mausers from the 50s-60s.

Martin is right! Blaser, Sauer, and Mauser, three different companies under one roof in Germany.
98 Actions regular and magnum are a ton of money. As memory serves me at DSC last year they were asking around 17K for a Magnum Square Bridge 98 action.

I've switched over to the M 03 Mauser and I am very happy with my choice!

I've seen a couple of the new Magnum Mausers slightly used in the $9,000-$10,000 range. Still a lot of money for a production rifle. I didn't see any M98s at the Harrisburg show last year, and asked why they didn't bring them. They said they were struggling with the cost of production on the Mauser M98, and were trying to bring the it to market at a price that people would pay. Turns out that's about $18K, as Rusty said. I don't imagine they're moving well at that price point.

Granite Mountain makes a very nice modern Mauser action in all sizes. Empire used to make a nice modern 98 but they appear to be out of business.

Dave- How can you possibly never have owned. M98? I bought my first one a G33/40 for 15 dollars in 1963. I personally like the Vz-24s because of the reliability of their heat treatment. You can build a magnum action on one and not worry. If you avoid magnum
Calibers and stick to 45kpsi cartridges most variants are just fine. Plan to go over 45KPSi and you need to re heat treat them. fNs etc are also fine for magnum actions. A M98 can be built into just about anything including the .416 Rigby and .500 Jeffery in a nice compact pkg without going to a full on magnum action. I've used Brevex, GMAs and CZ 550s for the bigger magnums with good results, but nothing beats the feel of a nice M98 in the hand. You can buy good replacement triggers, fancy bottom metal and pre- fit stocks. To be sure, they dpnhave issues, but there is over 100 years of experience in how to make them work reliably. -Rob

Jack Belk sez heat treating a VZ24 or a good 1909 Argentine or a good 1908 is like painting a tin barn, nothing is gained...

D'Arcy Echols sez heat treat them all.

There you have it, two of the best with different ideas on the subject..I have heat treated some and not others shot hot loads in all of them so I have no clue..

All that said I will continue to be an avid Mod. 98 Mauser fan as long as they remain available..I think ole Paul knew more about it than all the experts left in the present world, even those great monitors on AR.