Local dealer has a early small ring 98 mauser on a bubbaized sporter. This is one of the KAR 98 marked smallrings which was a KAR 98A carbine if memory serves me right (my Mausers of the World is at home.) Now, I intend to do the work myself, and I know all the pros and cons of buying new actions etc. What I need to know is this gun worth buying ($385 asking) for the action for a project gun? Besides the usual mods and enhancements, is there anything to beware of? It has been buffed heavily, but should polish out with stones to a clean action. The stock is for a LR mauser and I can salvage it and use it on another project. Not a bad piece of wood. The barrel will go in the pile as I don't need another 30-06. I figure it will be easy to get for $350, but that may be bottom line.

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What I need to know is this gun worth buying ($385 asking) for the action for a project gun?

IMO it's too much.....

To me the action would be worth $109 and the stock would be worth another $100 to $150.

If it has an adjustable trigger I'd add $35. If it has a low swing safety, then another $30-50.

You might be able to sell the barrel.

Steve

Just yesterday I saw a sporterized K-98 30-06 "Large ring" for $169.00. No way I would pay that much for a small ring Mauser. You could find a nice argentine with hinged bottom metal or possibly even a J.C. Higgins for that much.

The Kar98 is a small ring reciever that uses large ring barrel threads. This was considered to be a questionable practice and was aboandoned after the war. All subsequent small ring recievers used small ring barrel threads.

You should be able to get a modern sporting rifle in -06 for that price, for a bubba'd sporter, that's way too much. $250 would be about right, and then I'd keep thinking to myself, but it's still a small ring action.

Not to make anyone feel bad but I just bought a J C Higgins model 50 used but not abused for $185.00 inc tax. Dont know what I am going to do with it but I couldn't resist.

Lyle

Thanks for the input guys.
I agree with Vapodog about it being high, but Paul hits it on the nail. It is a small ring.

KurtC thanks for that insight, I was ASSuming that it was small thread.

SKL1 is real close about the value and I can probably sell the barrel on eBay for a fair bit of change. I forgot to mention it was an Ackley bbl and they should take to it like a duck to water.

Yuman go away I just paid 299 for one last week (with a Swift scope WOW) and felt good, now after your post

I have a Mexican 1910 and a Chilean small ring in the works right now. I live in a small area and don't get the selection that you do in a larger city. So it's either take em when I find them or play the auction game. My jury is still out on this one and I appreciate the input from everyone.

Thaine, you do what makes you happy. If this is the rifle you want to buy and make it into what you want....then so be it.

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Originally posted by Matt Norman:
Thaine, you do what makes you happy. If this is the rifle you want to buy and make it into what you want....then so be it.

P.S. Wasn't it Rick Nelson that sang: "You can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself."

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So it's either take em when I find them or play the auction game.

If you just want some Millsurp actions for sporterizing you could try sarco. They have some M-98's for under $100.00.

If I was going to build a rifle on a small ring action, it would be a G33-40 and I would pay whatever I had to..The Brno 21 or 22 would be even better but I have never seen those in action form, only complete rifles and I sure wouldn't chop one of them up...Maurice Ottmar used to find those actions, but I never could, I think he had a guy in canada...

Ray,

Maurice was buying complete rifles, too. Rarely did he find the actions only. I do believe you are right about most of the guns coming from Canada.

I have one of the1948 Brno 21-22 actions. It has a round front receiver ring not the double square bridge type. It also does not have the rear safety lug on the bolt body or the bolt guide rib. Which model is this and is it as safe as ones with the third locking "lug"?

I have had several of the 46-48 actions and they all had the 3rd (rear) safety lug, but lacked the guide rib on top.

I have never seen one without the safety lug. do you have any pics?

Unfortunately I do not own that rifle now. I was worried that it had been messed with and to be honest, I was not knowledgeable enough on them to know what was right. I do have a couple of the actions without square bridges, that do not have the bolt guide rib. Why was it done that way and are they any less safe than the others I have with double square bridges and bolt guide rib? I am looking at making one of the actions into a 9,3x62.

The guide rib merely removes some of the bolt slop, making it less likely to bind during a full stroke. Commercial mausers are usually built to closer tolerances than military actions, so its presence is not that noticeable.

Brno may have felt the same way, and simplified their milling operations in the immediate post war years. The conversion to the square bridges in 49 required different tooling, and they obviously returned to the more traditional bolt as well.

The lack of a 3rd lug would concern me, however.