I've got a few 98 mausers around my house.

Nothing special, just old military guns.

I dont have a particular use for them, and they aren't really worth enough money to sell, so I was thinking, I might enjoy it more if I gave the action to someone who was going to build it into a rifle and enjoy it themselves.

So. Maybe I let people email with their ideas of what they would do with it (ie, what rifle they'd build it into) and the person with the best idea gets it? Give maybe a month to let people offer, and then make a choice?

I'd be happy just getting a couple of pictures and a story on the finished rifle.

What do you guys think about that?

Well sometimes the early bird,,,ect ect...
I have a great respect for mausers myself and their is a void in my rifle stable the addition of a miltary action could fill,that being a small caliber speedster,,I would like a 22-250 built using another PacNor Barrel,thumbhole stock from Great American stocks,A Timney trigger would do fine duty,a Leupold 6x24 in matching mounts,Finished in RoBar for long lasting tough duty in harsh Central Oregon's temperature extremes. This would do just fine thanks
45nut

I have long wanted to build a custom rifle. I have a nice blank of fancy American black walnut waiting for a project! I would like to build a 243 or 7X57 with a 20" barrel and mannlicher style stock. This would be a great project for an old mauser! This rifle would be for my daughter who becomes old enough to hunt next year. The stock would have a 12.5" LOP and a decelorator recoil pad. Hand checkered and oil finished stock. I would put a new safety that allows the use of a scope on it. I would also replace the trigger. It would be topped off with a Leupold 2-7 scope. This would be a rifle she could have for years to come!

[ 01-11-2003, 05:26: Message edited by: Iron Buck ]

GSXR7/11---

It depends on what Mausers you have ......

If one is a suitable action I'd love to see it go to the Education Committee of the American Custom Gunmaker's Guild to help an up and coming gunmaker finish his Guild project.

This is an example of what can be done with a good M-98

http://community.webshots.com/album/43272641PObsRc

http://community.webshots.com/album/43272641PObsRc

I would have the headspace checked and shoot it.

I'm with gsp. Shoot it for what it is and enjoy.

Probably build a 25 or 6.5 wildcat with a 26" Shilen select match barrel, Mcmillan or even a laminate wood stock.

Glenn Bevin

Hopefully JBelk can email this to some budding young gunsmith he knows, I think the BEST use of this would be in a young gunmakers guild project! However, if it is an age-appropriate action (I'm looking for something made up to the mid 1930's) it would be a good candidate for a Rigby-styled 375 H&H that I have been planning on building. Rigby style stock, 25" Lothar Walther barrel, barrel band swivel & front sight. Don't think I will put a scope on it, just a peep in the back. Action opened up to the back and not just in the front, I'd like to take a stab at making the mag box myself then too. One of the few non-traditional things I'd like to do though is put a tritium insert in the hooded front sight, that and a peep should be a dynamite early morning and late evening setup. I don't know when I'd be taking this to Africa, but already I have a brother wanting to go and hunt brown bears, this should work on those too!

In the 3 years I have been playing with Mausers, I have bent the bolt on 20, but have only been shooing 5 of them so far:
.243
.257RAI
6.5x55
.308
8x57

I really love the Mauser action. I used to buy allot of guns just to take them appart, look at them and then do destructive test. When I first took appart a Mauser, I stayed up all night looking at the parts. I have been unable to hurt a Mauser. Great design.

GSXR 7/11 that is a gracious and most altruistic offer .
I have dreamed of getting 2 actions and build a father and son light sporter set using parent/offspring cartridges (.308 & .243, .30-06 & .270, or 7x57 and 6mm for example) using near matching english walnut in classic straight comb stocks with slim schnabel forends, #2 contour 23" barrels by Krieger, M70 type safeties, etc, but alas you are only giving one away so if chosen it will be medium sporter in .338 Win Mag or a 9.3mm with a 24" #3 or #4 contour Krieger barrel. Walnut stock would have a heavier forend, but retain the straight comb. Optics on any of these dream rifles will be Leupold or Nikon 2x7 or 3.5x10, depending on caliber, mounted in Talley rings.

In any case, the rifle(s) would take awhile to build to my liking.

GSR7/11, how does that bike run? What would I do with another Mauser action? I would buil a classic European sporter, in 7x57.

GSXR7,

I have long waited for an opportunity like this; I am a Mauser fan from my days of owning my first Mauser 95 in 7x57. My grandfather gave me that rifle. I still own it today 30 years later.

Now with two young boys 11 months apart I would like to build them twin rifles on Mauser actions. Our daughter would like something in a designer rifle. All three or our children have grown up in the outdoors and watching me hunt, heck they were shooting 22's at 6 years old. I would build working rifles for their first deer/medium games tools. They are always admiring my semi custom Mausers, dad when can we have a rifle like yours?

Here are the choices;

1) Mauser 98 action, nice piece of oiled walnut w/ebony forend tip, 24-26" Shilen match grade barrel chambered to 7x57 Mauser, matte blue finish or rust blue, jeweled bold and follower, 3 position safety.

2) Since my sons are so close I would build a twin to the above rifle in 257 Roberts or 6.5x55.

3) Our daughter would like something pretty with some flash. I would build her's with a laminated stock or McMillan stock something with some flash (girls - She would pick pink!), matte or rust blue finish 22-24" barrel, jeweled bolt & follower, 3 position safety and caliber would be 257 Roberts, 243 Win or 7x57

I could not think of a better way to pass on the love of the outdoors and the tradition which follows. Heck I could get dear old Dad (Grandpa to them) to make it a project to work on together.

If we get started soon I could have everyone going by hunting season this fall. Wow !!!!! What a project

Thats what I would do with 3 Mauser 98 projects

BD

hey guys,

Wow! Never expected the turnout this has gotten already!

Only had time to read a few suggestions, but I gotta say i've already heard some great ideas

It (the 98) is at my parent's house, I'm going there tomorrow. I'll write down exactly what it is, model, year, etc (i think its a vz24, but really dont hold me to that)............

For all you dreamers and hopers,a VZ24 action can be had just about anywhere,for $75.Sure,it's a little funky looking,but it's just as good as a 98,and is a good way to afford a custom rifle.Getting one for free,would of course make it even more reasonable.

Brian.

Brian M---

The VZ-24 IS a Model 98.

The ones you get for $75 are mostly very badly done arsenal re-builds with not much value unless you just want one.......and this *might be* what we're talking about here....
...or it could be a G33/40, VZ-33, 1935 Costa Rican, or Standard Modelle, or 1909 Peruvian, or 1909 Argentine or any number of better actions.

The fact that someone is willing to give a rifle away in no way reduces it's value....it increases it.

Hey guys

I do know its just a regular rack grade M98. A little pitting below the woodline (just surface stuff), don't remember the state of the barrel.

However, it should be a decent base for a custom rifle

I'll even throw in shipping on the thing........ course it has to be to an FFL holder, or if you're a kansas resident we could do a face-to-face transfer. I live in kansas city, kansas......

I'd like to put in my bid. I'd drive to KC from here to pick it up.I'd like to make a nice 257 Roberts with it and give it to my son or wife. Of course I'd borrow it from time to time.

Hey, give it to me. I hold a C&R FFL so shipping won't be a problem. As far as what I would do with it, I'd give it to Jack Belk and let him do with it as he pleases. That man spends countless hours responding to questions on this forum and at least one other that I know of. Now, you tell me of any other field of endeaver were you can get absolute expert advise and answers to any questions just by posting them on the WWW.

Hey guys

I'm getting a bunch of replies on this. I'm working all weekend (i'm an accountant and we're in year end) so it might take me a few days to respond, but i do want to respond personally to all emails... and I will!

Thanks!
Steve

My first hunting rifle was a M95 in 7x57. If I got a hold of a M98 Mauser I think I would use it as my primary open sighted rifle and leave it in it's original configuation.

ZM

Okay, here is what I would do with the action if I had it. All the basic action work, square it, surface grind it, nice new sleek Belk hollow handle, three-position gentry safety, Blackburn trigger and trigger guard. 26� tapered octagon Lothar barrel chambered in 8x68mm S. Nice Grade A Fancy Bastogne walnut stock with 22lpi Fleur-De-Lis checkering with ebony tip. Topped off with Gentry�s bases and rings. I will not be able to afford this gun in the near future but that is what I would do with a Mauser 98 action

I am of the opinion that the best thing that can happen to a surplus grade Mauser is to make it resemble as closley as possible, an original Mauser sporter in an original chambering. To me, that means open sights which is most usfull in a large bore rifle. Therefore that is what I would do. Probably in a 9.3X62.

Of corse, donating it to a worthy cause like the guild, is probably the second best thing that could happen to your action.

I am far away in a foreign land, but here goes.

Clean up the action, new spring
Mill off the charger clip hump
Reshape the bolt handle to look like a pre-64
3 Position Gentry safety
Timney sportsman trigger
Short Vektor 20" barrel, chambered in 9.3X62.
One of Bruce Highman's jewel ghost ring sights.
Front sight has an ivory bead
Stock made of an African indigenous hardwood, such as Bergsering, or Drolpeer, shaped Mannlicher style, with a classic shape butt, NOT the European hogs back style.
Flush sling swivels, so if there is no sling there is nothing to catch.

The rifle must mount fast and point well. Accuracy is a secondary issue, reliability is paramount.

Nice checkering and a solid rubber recoil pad to round it off.

It will make a very nice PH backup rifle - light and handy

Cheers

Pete

These days the K-98 is pretty collectable. If you want to "give one to a good home" you should find someone intrested in cleaning up the stock rifle and leaving it in stock condition.

"Customizing" one of these old rifles is pretty destructive.

I'd clean it up and keep it unmodified. And I'm wondering where you found these rifles and what sort of markings they have.

I have a project just waiting for an action. I am going to have the bolt turned down, install a 3-position safety, a drop floorplate and trigger guard assembly, drill and tap as usual. Conetrol bases and rings. I plan to have a 280 barrel installed with a #3 contour octagonal to 24". I already have the extra fancy walnut stock that I am working on.

The best part is that I can come and pick it up since I live in Lenexa. I am even willing to throw in some bucks.

Thanks for the opportunity.