Could somebody please tell me what type of magnum mauser action was made by MAUSER itself.
Would it be a longer action than a normal action, or would it just be an action with the bolt face opened up to take magnum caliber cases.

The reason I ask is becasue of this auction.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=32193939

A genuine Oberbdorf Mauser Magnum action is quite rare, extremely desirable and very expensive. They were made before WWII and were longer and broader than the standard '98, with various configurations of top, magazines and so forth. If, through some miracle you were to actually buy one of these for the $200.00 mentioned on your link, it would be the steal-deal of your lifetime, figure about $3500.00 UP for one in decent shape.

The seller shows no photos! I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole!

Well without more info it might be a normal length Mag like an FN or something. The $200 is a starting bid. No clue what the reserve is. I have a real problem bidding much less paying for something I can't see a picture of.

quote:

Originally posted by kutenay:
A genuine Oberbdorf Mauser Magnum action is quite rare, extremely desirable and very expensive. They were made before WWII and were longer and broader than the standard '98, with various configurations of top, magazines and so forth. If, through some miracle you were to actually buy one of these for the $200.00 mentioned on your link, it would be the steal-deal of your lifetime, figure about $3500.00 UP for one in decent shape.

Obviously, you cannot buy this one for $200.00! RESERVE NOT MET!!

many people who have a regular M98 opened up for a .375 will call it a "magnum Mauser." It may no tbe worth $200. Or it could be an Oberndorf that is worth $3k and the guy has the reserve set accordingly. Opening bids mean nothing. If you are really interested, just email the guy. Speculation here won't accomplish much

Now the guy has photos posted. WHAT IS IT?

Obviously I can't tell for certain from the pictures, but it sure looks like a standard size Mauser action.

I suspect the seller means that the bolt face is opened up for belted magnum cases like the 338 Winchester.

All of the pre-war Mauser Magnum actions I have seen were square bridge from the factory.
Someone correct about that if there were other configurations.

Garrett

He must be pretty proud a that box, he took better pics of it than he did the action.

John

That's a knock-off, not a true Mauser produced action. AKA Charles Daly/Zastava/Yugoslavian made M98 clone. Bolt face is magnum 0.536" faced, but all else is standrard 06 sized.

looks like a Santa Barbara that is set up for .458 Win mag length Magnum rounds. They were about $175 each in the white a couple of years ago

It appears to be a Santa Barbara.

The true magnum Mauser action was designated the Model 20 if I recall, and it was big, there was also a French Mauser that demanded a bit less money and didn't compare to the Mauser version...I can't remember if the mod. 20 was a double square bridge or not...

Today I wouldn't even mess with one, because their are fakes out there..NECG, Searcy, and a host of others are making them in double square bridge version now for about $3000 and they are far better than the originals IMO..That might stir up the purest but so be it....

The action on GunBroker is probably a Santa Barbara, but could be an FN or other standard length commercial 98 with magnum bolt face. At any rate, it is not a true magnum length 98 Mauser.

The first magnum Mausers were developed around 1899 by Mauser for rimmed cartridges and had a slanted magazine to accommodate the rim, the #20 was introduced with the 416 Rigby in 1911. It was used in German Oberndorf sporters with the longer metric cartridges like the 8x68, 8x75, 10.75x73. Most #20s were imported by the British makers (Rigby initially had the exclusive distributorship) for use with the 300H&H, 375H&H, 404, 416 & 505. The double square bridge actions were developed around 1930 as scopes came into broader use and are very rare in the #20 size. Except for limited production after the war during occupation, production halted with the war.

An engineer named Polanski who worked with Radom in Poland immigrated to France after WWII and purchased Mauser machinery from MAS and started producing "Brevex" magnum Mauser actions around 1950. They were available to gunmakers and are slightly longer than the Oberndorf #20. The styling is more along the lines of the FN Deluxe than Oberndorfs. Jon Speed estimates between 400-800 were built until 1960. Cost of the action in the white was a steep $160 from Tradewinds in 1950. Jon also states that custom rifles made on these actions are collectible themselves and until the recent advent of various Oberndorf clones (Vektor, Prechtl, Granite Mountain, etc.) sold for more than original Oberndorf magnums.

Until around 1985, custom gun builders needing a full length magnum Mauser didn't have many good options with the exception of the various 1917 Enfields/Remington 30s. That changed with the wider availability of the Brno/CZ ZKK-602, CZ550, Olympic Arms UltraMags and the more expensive Oberndorf clones in the last few years.