I want a old military style rifle in .308. Any suggestions?

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Pops1085

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Hey all kind of an odd request I know, but does anybody know of something like a Mauser k98 in .308? I'm new to bolt actions and want one with good iron sights, maybe the ability to use clips, and a bolt that's fast to cycle. I know I know just get a mosin, and I would but I specifically want one in .308 since that's what I reload, know, and have enough of. An Enfield in .308 would be kind of neat!

Oh and if I can keep it under 5-600 bucks that'd be the cats meow :)
 
Hit the pawn shops and look for a Mauser that's already been rebarreled to .308. It probably wont have iron sights tho.
 
Ishapore in india made enfield number 1 type rifles in 7.62 nato in the 60s and 70s. CMP has M1 garands converted to 308. other than that you would have to do the conversion yourself. most would have either too much chamber space or too large of bore to just run through a lathe and be done with it but perhaps a 6.5x50 jap like a type 38 arisaka could be bored out to 308. , the action is strong enough and the ammo could still fit in stripper clips. but the barrel may not do so great when hot due to the amount of metal that would be removed.

there really are no other cartridges of the era which I can think of that are small enough to be bored out to and I'm not aware of any conversion kits available.
 
Alright well let's say I give up the .308 and just keep reloading it for my ar, of the 3 big ones I can think of 8mm, 7.62x54r, or .303brit, which do you think would be easier to come by as far as factory loads and reloading equipment? I live in an area where the only real practical source for shooting supplies comes from a mom and pop store downtown. So you can see why the .308 was so tasty, I can get factory rounds for that at the gas station haha!
 
Oh I know about the ol 300 savage :) I've got a savage 99 on the wall that my grandpa fed his family with back in the day!
 
if you are excluding surplus and only looking at modern factory ammo, x54R has the best availability however if you want RELOADABLE factory ammo then 303 is the best game in town. both 303 and 8mm are fairly easy to come by but it seems like I see 303 on the shelves more often. x54R takes a little shopping around and it's mostly PRVI.

now if you want my opinion on whether you should get a mosin, mauser, or enfield hands down get an enfield. my first milsurp bolt action was an enfield no 4 and she is still firmly in the top 3 favs in the safe. mosin nagants are not even in the same league as mausers and enfields.
 
Israel rechambered their Mauser K98s to 7.62 NATO in the 50s and 60s.

Some were post war FNs, like this one currently on Gunbroker:
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=372506669

Some were Nazi era, (like this one that recently sold) and some were even built from WW1 Gewehr 98 rifles, like mine:

danzig_ring_sm2.jpg


idf_k98_full_sm.jpg


Excellent rifles, if you find one in good shape. There were two batches of imports, the first (Armscorp) came direct from Israel, and are generally in good shape. The second, not sure of the importer of the second batch, but they did time in Central America, and are generally in much rougher condition.
 
There are lots of Mausers 98s in 308. Most of the South American armies rechambered their rifles in the 1950s, either to 308 or 30-06. Many European nations rechambered their M98 rifles to 308 in the 1950s. Israel rebarreled rifles to 308 in the 1950s. Most of these were rebarreled and set aside for reserves in case of war (remember that many nations did not have automatic rifles until well into the 1950s or even 1960s). Look on Gunbroker, Auction Arms, GunsAmerica, etc. They are on there.
 
Check SAMCO
Spanish mauser in 308. $169.00
Click to expand...

They are selling M1916 Spanish Mausers converted to 7.62. The 1916 is a 1893 small ring action lacking the safety features of later designs.

No Thanks.

Maybe with low pressure handloads, definitely in the original 7X57, but in .308, nope. Small ring Mauser with modern 7.62 or .308 Win ammo is trouble waiting to happen.

Some details here, and a Google search for M1916 Spanish Mausers will bring back dozens of similar threads.
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=444816

Same goes for the Spanish FR-7, they are built on the same action.

Now the FR-8, on the other hand, (Like this one) is a .308 built on a M98 action, and I would love to own one of those.
 
The .303 brit would be the best to fit your criteria, it is way better than any Mosin, faster cicyling rate + a 10 round magazine, ammo is not hard to find .
If you are happy to reload , RCBS , Lyman & Lee sell the dies. Try to get a Canadian '' Longbranch'' No.4 , cost should not exceed $300-350 for a good example. I've done plenty of load development for 120 - 180gr bullets in my No.4
& am happy to share the results
 
Israeli Mausers have kinda dried up, but you can still find them around. Ishapore 308s are a bit more common, but getting harder to find.

A Yugo M48 can be rebarreled by any competent gunsmith to 308, but many of them come with very good bores already in 8x57. At gunshow prices you are looking around 2 to 300 for the M48, and a rebarrel job can usually be had for less than 300 from reasonable gunsmiths (maybe more as you seem to want the iron sights transferred over). But all in all it should run you around 600 to get exactly what you want.

Jimro
 
These are the aforementioned rifles ( I love these 7.62"s WITH handloads ;)).

My favourite is the 2A1 on top.

The Spanish mod 1916 , as mentioned it's a small ring action so it's " little weak" for hot loads....:rolleyes:.

And the bottom one is my FR8, large ring receiver ( I think the Spanish used the mod 43 as a parent for this little gem)...

All shoot great but me thinks the FR8 's sights are a tad " difficult" to use,, lets say..:mad:
 

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Does it have to be a blot gun? M1's can be had in .308. Great shooters too.

I had an Ishpore "Jungle Rifle" in .308, and it was nothing but trouble. Fired single shot, which is basically what it was, it was accurate, but reliable function was non existent.

The mag that came with the gun was crap, and ill fitting, the replacement cost me $35, and helped a little. 90% of the time, it would leave the empty case sitting on the top of the mag well, or if it did eject, it would just fall off to the side. I replaced the ejector with no change in results. The extractor seemed to work fine.

It also had headspace issues, and was getting case head separations on the first reload. I understand bolt heads are available, but at that point, I was done with it.

I have a couple FR8's, and they are great rifles. Handy and accurate.

If you get one, resist the urge to turn down the bolt. Once you get used to it, you'll understand why. That straight bolt makes operating it a breeze. It also make carrying the gun at the balance comfortable and easy.

.308 works with the 8mm Mauser strippers fine. The best ones Ive found so far, are the "chromed" strippers. They work and feed the best. The "parked" strippers I have work, but not near as smoothly or easily.

If youre familiar with the HK "90"/G3 series of guns, and know their sights, the sights make sense. A lot of people dont understand what it is they have, or how they work. That big "notch", when used with the front "globe", is your CQB/100m sight. When you use the full notch and the globe as a whole, that is your CQB sight. Use the small "V" in the bottom of the notch, with the "post" in the globe, and you have your more precise sights for out to 100m. The following pic explains the rest of the elevation settings easier than I can type it........

ry%3D400


Windage is accomplished with the front sight. Its got a very fine thread, and the post is eccentric.
 
AK103K , was the Ishapore "jungle rifle " similar to the 303 jungle carbine ,?

PS. the diagram of the rear sight explains the adjustments, a picture is worth a thousand words ,, thx:D
 
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was the Ishapore "jungle rifle " similar to the 303 jungle carbine ,?
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It "looked" like the jungle carbines, but I believe it was simply a cut down, full sized rifle, to fill the role for the American market. It didnt have the recoil pad stock, had the MK1 type sights, sans guard, and I believe the flash hider/front sight was a replica.
 
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