Mauser 98 "Sporterized"

8

8MM Mauser

New member
Hello all! I'm looking for some advice.
A couple of years ago my gracious grandfather built for me a hunting rifle based around a very solid Mauser 98 bolt action. I have only shot it twice because until recently I only had access to a 25 yard range where I went to shoot handguns. Now I have a place to go that's free and I think I would soon like to take up whitetail deer hunting so my questions are:

1. Any tips of shooting rifles with a scope? I've only been out twice, though my results have been pretty good (about 2-3 inch groups, my first time firing a scoped rifle, not ideal and certainly not what I'm hoping for with some practice, I would like to keep it inside 1.5 inch groups), I have yet to take it out past 50 yards. A very nice man at the range helped me to sight in the scope, but I would like to have it sighted at 100 yards ultimately.

2. Anything more you can tell me about my own gun? I have no idea what kind of stock is on it, never seen anything like it before this gun. I would ask my grandfather but he recently had a stroke and is somewhat incapacitated right now.

3. Any advice or tips on hunting? I live in Michigan and my knowledge is basically zero. I did take hunter's safety when I was twelve but never actually got to the hunting part, so, like I said, knowledge is low to zero.

Thank so much in advance!

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You certainly have a good start toward deer hunting. The Mauser 98 action is the grand daddy of all bolt actions and possibly the finest and strongest bolt action ever developed. 2-3@50yds is a good start. try to match that at 100yds and your ready for hunting. sight it in about 2" high and you'll be fine. You also live in one of the best northern whitetail states. Check your state regulations and look for wildlife management areas. If you're real fortunate you might find some private land. Good luck and welcome to the responsible shooting and hunting community. Firearms played an important role in both our history and our survival as a nation and people. The responsible use of them should be passed on from generation to generation.
 
Hi 8MM Mauser,
I am positive that your grandfather made a good gun, mauser 98 action are excellent platform to build a sporter. Indipendently from the caliber, once you learn to control tour trigger and your breathing you will achieve the 1, 1.5" groups at 100 yards.
For the rest I can't help since no picture...!!
Best regards,
________
roberto
 
What kind of ammo are you using? The American companies load 8mm Mauser to weak levels due to the chance someone may shoot one of the ancient Mausers that aren't suited for full spec. And you had better watch out for old surplus ammo (corrosive!).

Can you find another host for your pic? Always love to see a nice sporterized Mauser, mine is a Euro sporter job. I want to get a full WWII era military Mauser eventually also just because they feel so nice in the hands and are beautiful.
 
Don't worry about the "weak" American loads for Whitetail. Those loads are every bit as potent as the old 32 Special that lever action afficionados use to take deer (and occaisionally elk) with every year.

Jimro
 
Hey all, thanks for the info so far! So far i've shot some surplus yugo rounds through it. Hated them, took me two hours to clean the rifle afterwords! Won't go back.
Now I shoot Mitchell's Mauser and Prvi Partizan through it. I think the MM is about 174 grains. Off the top of my head the PP is like 196 grains.
Alright, I have attached a picture, I hope it works!
 

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You probably already know this, but if you intend to hunt with it, do NOT use the surplus ammo for hunting. Full metal jacket ammo is just not good for hunting animals. Find some good commercially loaded ammo with a good soft point bullet around 180gr and you should be ready for the field.
In order to become capable, you should shoot your rifle, preferrably with the hunting ammo, at 100yds... a LOT. The more you shoot it, the more comfortable you get with it. Concentrate on consistency.... hold it against your shoulder the same way, every shot. Squeeze the trigger the same way, every shot, etc... Learn to control your breathing, to help minimize the movement due to your heartbeat (yes, you WILL have a thumping heartbeat when looking through the scope at your first deer) Learn to control it.. Hunt deer "mentally" frequently. Go through the whole scenario, mentally .... seeing the deer, getting in range, easing the safety off, lining up the crosshairs, waiting for the perfect moment, squeezing the trigger. The more you do this, mentally, the more control you will have when you actually DO it.
Your grandfather gave you a nice rifle. Do your part, think safety ALWAYS, and you should have no problems hunting deer with it.
 
I never intended to hunt with the surplus. In fact, I'm probably never going to put that crap in my gun again. Actually I was pleasantly surprised to find that I can get the prvi partizan ammo soft points for the same price as fmj's. So I'm just going to practice shooting with the soft points.
Sounds like this type of shooting requires the same mentality as martial arts, envisioning your target, what you will do... And the consistency of course! I will probably skip this hunting season and wait for next year, I'm too busy anyway this fall. So I should have plenty of time to get proficient at 100 yards.
I really do want to take good care of this rifle and treat it right, my grandpa may not last much longer and the rifle really means a lot to me.
Thanks for the advice hornetguy, that was exactly the sort of detail I was looking for, as this type of long range shooting is very new to me.
 
Prvi is pretty good stuff. Save your brass. If you don't end up reloading you can sell it to someone who does to help offset the cost of buying more ammo.

Don't worry about groups at 100 from the bench, if you can hit a paper plate at 100 yards consistently from a standing position you are ready to hunt. Groups from the bench are nice to post, but you'll not have the bench in the field. However you might have a rest (shooting sticks, log, tree trunk, whatever) if you are lucky.

Jimro
 
I like to take most of my shots standing anyway I think, I'm not one of those people who are obsessed with perfect accuracy, just a good scope sight-in on the bench and then standing shots.
I was thinking of getting a rest, or maybe even a bipod. Does anyone have thoughts on that? Like brands or compatable types of stands/bipods? I apologize for such blatant ignorance, but I am very new to rifle shooting and hunting in general.
Any advice is appreciated!
 
A bipod isn't necessary for a hunting rifle unless you plan on shooting from the prone. For Michigan you would probably be better served by getting a set of shooting sticks to steady your rifle on from the standing position, but maybe some Michigan hunters will chime in with some experience hunting those big Whitetails.

Jimro
 
That's a nice looking rifle and one you will be handing down to your kids some day. Take care of it and it will last several lifetimes. I'll second the shooting sticks recommendation, make sure if you buy them you practice with them. You'll want to practice from a variety shooting positions, I find I shoot from a sitting position more than any other due to the fact that I hunt from a tree stand so this is what I practice most. I do a little bit of still hunting, but not anywhere near as much as I used to so I still practice my off hand shooting to stay sharp.

Stu
 
Quote:
It's a new barrel.
That is a surprise. It has the original military step profile.

All I know is my grandpa told me it was a new barrel. I beleive him, because unless someone cleaned it every day for the last seventy years I doubt it would still look so nice Inside.
He may have intentionally selected a barrel with the original profile; it sounds like him.
 
FWIW, Your Grandad's rifle has been custom-stocked with a laminated wood stock in the thumbhole style, now offered by several gunstock companies for the home/hobbyist stocker.

It looks like he had a strong idea of what he wanted, and got 'er done ! :D

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8MM, how do you like the Mitchell's Mausers loads? If I recall correctly, they are 175 gr SPs at 2600 fps, sounds like a nice combo. Similar ballistics to the $$ Nosler Custom 180 gr.
 
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