Israeli vs. Spanish Mauser (in .308)

T

twoblink

New member
So I've been reading up on the Mausers.. I am looking for one in 308. I was going to buy a Turkish one, and convert it, then I found out that there are Israeli and Spanish Mausers in 308 already! That's great!

Now can anybody tell me the differences, and which I should get?? Pluses and Minuses?

Thanks.
Albert
 
Make sure the Spanish Mauser is not a Guardia Civil 1917 or a FR-7, but an FR-8 instead. The former two are on the small-ring action and just not up to the pressures of 7.62x51 NATO, much less .308 commercial stuff.
 
What she said. There was a glut of "M1916" Spanish Mausers on the market 10-15 years ago, and they were modified M1895 pattern guns. My limited understanding is that they were designed for a downloaded .308 round generally referred to as the CETME cartridge. Can't verify this, but it's a good enough story that it OUGHT to be true. You can spot them easily as they are a "cock on closing" as opposed to the "cock on opening" 98 action.
 
I see one for $119. (For a Spanish) how much should I be paying???

I guess the small ring vs. big ring issue is true (enough) that a few people have sent me a "Don't blow your face off! Don't get a small ring!!" emails.. And as I've grown fond of my fingers and face, I'll keep that in mind... And in practice.

http://www.samcoglobal.com/rifles.html#gcm

I was going to buy this... So this is not good? All I know is "you want a '98 action, not a '93 or '95"..

Thanks.
Albert
 
Based on the warnings, Israeli.

From what everyone has been saying about the Spanish guns, I would go with the Israeli. They were made for .308 and are not conversions. If I didn't owe so much money on my credit cards, I would probably get one.
 
My father had a '95 action that was converted to .308 back in the fifties.
I can't say how many rounds have gone down range, but it and everyone who shot it are still in one piece.
 
Technically, these rifles were rebarrelled to 7.62 NATO (7.62x51), not .308 Winchester, which is not quite the same.

All the Israeli 7.62 NATO rifles I have seen were converted K98k's that Israel got in Europe in the first few years of the nation. They were, of course, in 8mm (7.9) and Israel made ammunition for them. Later, when they adopted the FAL in 7.62 NATO, they rebarrelled the bolt actions to that caliber. (They actually issued the Mausers during the six-day war when the FALs failed in the sand.)

Other nations had Model 98 Mausers converted at about the same time, and many of those are now on the surplus market.

I have found that Spanish receivers tend to be soft and would prefer the Israeli rifles to the Spanish, even the Spanish Model 1936 (Mauser 98) rifles. The Model 1916 is simply an upgraded Model 1893.

The old type Mausers (1893-1896 Models) are very unlikely to "blow up", but the working pressure of the 7.62 NATO exceeds the design pressure of those rifles; the working pressure of the .308 Winchester is even higher. The guns will not "blow up" but some of the receivers (especially the Spanish) will batter or stretch under the higher pressures. In effect, every shot is a "proof load" for the old rifles.

Jim
 
Well, if that's the case. I guess I will go Israeli.

Anybody have any suggestions on where to look for a decent Israeli Mauser? How much should I be paying for it??

I've always wanted a bolt action,
I've always wanted a mauser,
I want all my rifles to be in 308.

If I can get it all in 1 gun, great!

Albert
 
I am thinking about those two rifles too,
but I heard somewhere saying that when Israel made 7.62 NATO k98, they were so desperate to get it in quantity, quality suffered(kinda like late war production k98k),
not sure if it's true or not, I don't have either rifle,
so I am looking for spanish FR-8,
 
johnAK,

I have an FR-8 and love it. Not only is it the most "assault rifle" looking milsurp bolt gun out there, it's also a great platform for a "poor man's Scout rifle".
 
There are 2 kinds of Israeli Mausers. Rebarreled K98, and FN produced originally in .308.

SOG has FN produced guns right now. I think they are around $180 or so IIRC. www.southernohioguns.com I'm not sure if they are on the webpage, but they were in last months shotgun news.

www.cruffler.com has a very favorable review of the Israeli Mauser in their archives.
 
Ooops! Sorry, guys, forgot about those FN rifles when I said the Israeli rifles were reworked WWII rifles. They would be the best of all. I would not even consider an FR-8 in comparison to an FN 1950.

Jim
 
I would not even consider an FR-8 in comparison to an FN 1950.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah? Well does it have a secret stash compartment in the "gas tube" and a flash hider? Well does it?

Thought so! ;) ;)

You're right, though; those late-model FN's are among the nicest milsurp Mausers around.
 
Tamara,

If I'm on a road trip to visit Oleg and Betty, can I stop by your place to see your Mauser???

Err.. I'm not joking..

Albert
 
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