Mausers anyone?

cheapshot -- I prefer peep sights myself. You can get a no-gunsmithing peep sight for any Swede or '98 Mauser from http://www.nidlink.com/~tdjones/MojoSights.html

Williams Gunsight company makes a no-gunsmithing peep sight for the Swede (not compatible with the other Mausers without some fitting).

Dnagus -- The 6.5mm is awesome, but the 8mm is nothing to sneer at - 2800 fps is nothing to compain about with a .32 caliber projectile! Retained energy is better "way out there" with the heavier bullet weights (as is true in any caliber). When all's said and done, with handloads or milsurp, it's at least comparable to a .30-06. Now if you're talking about the anemic US commercial loadings, it's another thing. They load the commercial stuff so nobody blows up their rebarreled 1888 Mausers intended for black powder or other guns with low-pressure receivers.
 
Of course it's nothing to sneer at. I'd be pretty scared if someone was trying to shoot me with an 8mm Mauser, but personally I'd much rather have the flatter flight of a 6.5 and the better ballistic cross-section... for right up close though, the 8mm would be better for raw stopping power, but up close I'd hardly want either.
 
For $75 I recently bought a beat up and half-sporterized 8mm Mauser. Why? Well, it had a Redfield jr. scope mount and rings (the rings are worth $45) which sported a Weaver 330 scope (worth $200-300). Oh, it also came with a Lyman 57 rear aperture sight (value at $65). I'm happy as a clam and will try it out. If it shoots straight, I'll keep it as a bash-around gun. If not, I'll part it out.
 
8mm load info..

8mm is nothing to sneer at; think about the following:

175 grain SP at 2700-2800 fps, or
150 grain SP at 3000-3200 fps.

These were measured from one of the surplus mausers with the stock 22" barrel, approx 50 degree F, 5kft altitude. With the 150gr bullet, the 22" barrel, and Win748, I would run out of barrel length before I hit an overpressure condition, which is nice.

I reload this caliber and I figure it costs about $30 per 100 rounds to do so.

I lament the lack of a 150gr or 175gr boat-tail bullet in this caliber which limits the BC to < .40.

-z
 
I have a 6.5 Swede Mauser and it is an absolute blast to shoot and can be fairly accurate at longer ranges, it just looks like your firing artillery once you try anything over 400 yards.

The only thing that keeps me from shooting this more is the price of ammo. If you're thinking of picking one up to shoot a lot I would really think about reloading your ammo.
 
I saw a fella out at our local range couple of months ago shooting one of the VZ24 Mausers, he was using ammo that was produced during WWII and easily acheived 3 in groups at 75yds (iron sights). The bore was immaculate, wood nice, blueing at least 80% matching numbers all for less than $200. Now I like my Swede but...........
 
If you can inspect before you buy, Turkish mausers are one of the best buys in military surplus rifles in decades. The M1938 I have has a pristine bore and a beautiful walnut stock. The metal work is not up to a Swede but few rifles are. The Turkish 7.9 (proper name for 8mm) is hot,2900-3000fps for a 150 gr bullet. I was fortunate in that I could pick from 10 rifles.

Also, I don't advise converting old mil surps to sporters, new or excellent condition used commercial sporters are better buys and/or investments from a monetary point of view. Conversion can be expensive. Mil surps are for collecting, shooting and preservation of history.
 
A safety thought if you buy a Swede

I made the mistake of buying some PMC 6.5x55 ammo for my 1917 M/96 Swedish Mauser, and hoo-boy! That stuff is loaded way too hot, flattened/flowed primers, stretch rings, sharp recoil, (which is not a normal characteristic of the 6.5 Swede), just bad news! My buddy bought some of the same stuff, and wound up with the same results. Remington, WInchester, and Hornady all make good ammo for the Swede now, Hornady even has their Light Magnum, which, although zippier, isn't so scary as the PMC loads. There's also the Sellier & Bellot, which I find to be good stuff, in 6.5x55, 8x57, and .303!
 
A Turk is a great project gun to work on.Mine is currently disassembled and awaiting refinishing of the furniture.Found a greasy leaf from an extinct species of tree under the barrel.:)A Yugo M-48 would also be a great gun and you can get one in hand (like new condition) for about$200.The Swede ammo is too expensive for my taste!.
 
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