Got to fire a German 98k Mauser last month

G

GaryED50

New member
Belongs to my Nephew. beautiful rifle but boy it kicks like a Mule when firing.

Saved the shell from the first shot

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Gary
 
My Dad bought me my first one as a birthday present back in 1963. I still shoot it and hunt with it on occasion. I was a young teen back then and I prolly shot 2000 rounds thru it by the time I got my first 30-06.

I killed my first deer with the old Mauser. It was and is a dream to shoot with steel buttplate and all. It is still almost original with very little modifications.

To me it has no more recoil than any other centerfire rifle that I have, but they are all 30 caliber and up except for my 22 Hornet.
 
OK, I can see that. Must have been quite a bang compared to the 10/22.

I hope you can start shooting more center fire rifles in the near future.

There are lots of them that don't have quite the "push" as that old Mauser.
 
K98

My best CMP score was shot with my K98. The military surp ammo is either 196 or 198 gr and does have some recoil. That being said it is accurate as all get out. Its no wonder German snipers were so good .
 
I just had my Gewehr98 out today. I guess I've been softened by the 22s and the AR15 I've been shooting more of lately, cause it kicked the snot outta me! I don't remember it kicking that hard. I guess it could have also been the light attire I was wearing, or the imported ammo, or maybe an improper shouldering, but ouch.
 
Some variant of the 98 Mauser has been in my collection since the early 70s. I've had them in stock GI issue condition and also as spoterized rifles in calibers ranging from .22-250 to .458 Win Mag. There is a 98k, a VZ 24 and a Yugo 48 in my milsurp rack right now (all in 8mm Mauser)

US 8mm Mauser commercial ammo (such as Remington Cor-lokt) is noticeably "softer" kicking than European sporting or milsurp 8mm. Not loaded to the full possible potential of the round, but good enough for big game hunting, and an excellent source of reloadable brass.
 
My grandfather gave me the one his older brother brought back from the war,,,
This was back in the summer of 63 or 64 .

I've still got it and fire one magazine from it a year.

GaryED50 is correct,,,
That old gal kicks like a mule,,,
It might have something to do with that steel butt plate. :eek:

Fairly soon I'm going to gift it away,,,
I have a much younger (than me) friend,,,
Who will appreciate the history of the old gal.

Aarond

.
 
Back in the 1960's the most common rifle available was the 8x57 Mauser, every closet contained a bring back or $29.00 one from the Army Navy surplus store . Before 1968 you could mail order them and the postman would bring it to your door .
I restocked so many with Herter's sporter stocks for friends and family I lost count.

Funny to see someone who hasn't shot one.... I'm getting old I guess .
Gary
 
I never thought my K98 kicked that hard.... although my buddy swore it did.

The real question is: did you hit the target?
;)

edit: Don't know the relative prices of 8mm Mausers anymore, but a Spanish M43 8mm is basically a K98 w/out the questions about potential war-time metallurgy shortcomings.
 
gwpercle said:
Back in the 1960's the most common rifle available was the 8x57 Mauser, every closet contained a bring back or $29.00 one from the Army Navy surplus store . Before 1968 you could mail order them and the postman would bring it to your door .
I restocked so many with Herter's sporter stocks for friends and family I lost count.

Funny to see someone who hasn't shot one.... I'm getting old I guess .
Gary
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I think mine was $25 from sears. Then that was 13 hours of work or back when a dollar was close to an ounce of silver.
 
I bought a used K98 about 10 years ago...that has the original stock and sights, but with a shiny deep blued barrel, jeweled bolt with a Mueller safety, and a see-thru scope mount topped with a Weaver 4x --- That was intended for elk hunting by the last owner.
 
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A slip on?

The cheapest fix I know of is likely in stock at your local wally world. As long as you can put up with the increase in the length of pull.

Wally sells the Limbsaver slip on recoil pad for 20 bucks. I really like them for trap shooting with my old model 12.

A good slip on pad really softens up that steel buttplate. It's a good idea to remove it for storage.
 
Back in the early 1970's I lived in Colorado and often hunted with a Korean War veteran named Joe who carried his German Mauser in 7.9mm for mule deer, antelope, and elk. Barrel length was about 24 inches. The bolt had no downward curve; it stuck straight out from the action. Original military sights had been professionally replaced with a receiver sight at the rear and a white bead post up front. Joe had been behind enemy lines and knew how to use cover and concealment to get close to animals for a sure shot. His 7.9mm rifle downed many animals with no problems.

Jack
 
I never thought my K98 kicked that hard.... although my buddy swore it did.
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I think for the most part people complain about the recoil of these old milsurp rifles because of the lack of any kind of pad and they quite often are not holding them tight enough to their shoulder.
One big exception I have found is the M95 Steyr in 8X56R Hungarian. Those babies pack a wallop no matter how you hold them.:eek:
 
Yeah I love my K98K Mauser's & my Gew's98 as well. Good thing for me is I stocked up on mil-surplus 7.92x57 (8mm Mauser) ammo a longtime ago. 196gr mostly some 154gr. That's mil-spec full power ammo I love the "Kick" it has.:) You can't find that stuff any more.
 
Do remember that almost without exception, surplus 8mm Mauser is corrosive primed, so an extra couple steps are needed when cleaning, or it will rust.
 
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