I've seen Shilen, Adams & Bennet and douglas barrels listed. Any recommendations on a barrel for a Mauser 98?

ODDBALL
You might look at a Lotham-Walther Barrel. I have had several in the past and the workmanship was excellent. They have ready to screw on barrels for large ring Mauser 98s in several contours and calibers.

Good hunting,
Steve

Oddball,
This is a good idea. The person to talk to is Woody Woodall. He is very knowledgeable about all things Mauser. The barrels are of top quality. The best part is that they will thread and chamber the barrel for you at a reasonable price.
www.lothar-walther.com
Bill

Bill,

The way I understand it the L-W large ring Mauser barrels come long-chambered so that anyone that can do simple flat cuts on a lathe can headspace the barrels by adjusting the face and shoulder cuts.

Do I have it right?

Don

[This message has been edited by Don G (edited 06-11-2001).]

Don,
Yes Sir, that is correct. The last one I did was about 0.045" long. I like their formula for chrome-moly (normal)steel. It lets me cut great threads and reams cleanly. I'm running the lathe one notch up from our regular steel. Their exterior finish is better than the other manufacturers in my opinion and that's just an opinion. The crown was nice as were the threads. I did have to polish the chamber as it didn't seem quite as nice as I wanted. All in all I think that based on the price and delivery that these barrel are very good value.
As a small aside, Woody Woodall is probably one of the most committed people I ever spoken with as well as having a great depth of knowledge about firearms and their history.
Bill

Bill,

The only thing I'd change on them is that they kept the original Mauser major diameter of 1.14 inches. That doesn't give much of a shoulder to form the secondary torque face.

The more common US practice of 1.2 or 1.25 gives a little more contact.

I realize that's nitpicking, but since all I can do is talk and think about it I have plenty of time for picking nits...

Don

Don,
It's not being nit picky, it bothers others also. But the solution is to order one of the several different contour selections that they offer. The shank area can be the diameter that you want (within reason). E-mail Woody and request a brochure, it shows the different contours available besides the typical Mauser and they can thread for other receivers as well.
Bill
* realize that I am smiling*
"Now Don, you know as well as I do that the torque lock up on a Mauser is against the internal ring not the face of the receiver!"
Just kidding.
Bill

[This message has been edited by Bill Tompkins (edited 06-11-2001).]

Don,

You are not nitpicking. The stockbarrel M98 is limited in calibers and contours. These are produced in quantity for general use. But, there are needs that people have which it does not address.

The other system offers complete flexability based on a customer's needs. Most of the barrels there have the 1.2" or larger breech. But even this does not do the job properly. If a customer is dulpicating a pre-war commercial sporter or working on a Pre-64 M70 and a particular cylinder is necessary for the perfect job, this is not a problem. The barrels are divided into 6 levels of diversity. Level #1 is the catalog item. Level #6 is every specification is amended so as to assist the gunsmith in their job. This level sets cylinder dia. and length, overall length, chamber and its position, etc.....

The combination of the M98 and a Win. "dog-knot" barrel can make for a very elegant light weight sporter.