How about some options for a Mauser 98, 8mm action? I was thinking of a 6.5/.270 or 8mm/06 or 6.5/06. A light recoiling rifle just for paper punching would be great. TIA

If your barrel is good, what's wrong with the 8m 06? Sur give the 338-06 and the 35 whelen a run for the money.

If the barrel is in good shape, why not leave it as an 8mm? It will punch paper with the best of them.

If you need/want a new barrel then I would suggest 260 or 7-08. either of which should make little round holes in the paper from some distance!

LouisB
Just my opinions of course!

If the throat is not eroded and the bore is in good shape, you might consider keeping it 8X57.

If the action is sound, the 8X57 can be loaded to the same performance level as the 30-06. I posted a thread on the reloading page titled "adult loads for 8X57 Mauser".

If the throat is eroded to the point that the bullet must seated to a COL in excess of 3.20" then you might consider 8mm-06 or 8mm-06 Ackley Improved. Both will require lengthening the magazine box about 1/8". This can be accomplised with a mill file and some slight alteration to the bolt stop.

8mm-06 Ackley Improved will give about 200fps gain in velocity over the 8X57, the standard version of the 8mm-06 will fall somewhere in between. I have loaded both the 8X57 and 8mm-06 Ackley Improved, but not the standard version.

I would advise against turning the flats off the barrel other than blending in the flat where the issue sights are sweated on. The taper on the tapered portion of the barrel will just clean up the sight flat if continued to the chamber flat. I had the flats turned off the original barrel of my 8mm-06 Improved. It really looked nice and handled nice, but the barrel would "walk" about 3 MOA if fired consecutively. Just a few moments cooling between shots would yield 3/4" groups @ 100 yards. I am replacing the barrel with a pristeen surplus barrel I picked up from Numrich. I removed the issue sights and plugged the locater holes, had the sight flat blended in and a flat crown job done on the muzzle. As soon as I get the barrel inletted loosely into the stock, I will send it out for rechambering.

The 8mm-06 Improveed is a real thumper, but you might want to give the 8X57 a try with "adult loads" first.

I agree with what Wildcat Junkie said (wrote). the 8mm Mauser can be handloaded to equal pretty much anything the 30-06 can do, and the 8mm-06 and 8mm-06 AI just add that much more. Give any of these a try, you won't be disappointed. - Dan