My Mauser

J

johnnydollar

New member
I've always wanted a sporterized Mauser and was lucky enough to stumble upon this one. It is a '98 Mauser (Spandau, 1917) in a cut down military stock. The barrel has been trimmed to 22 inches, a Williams receiver sight replaced the stock rear sight, and a Williams front sight has been added. It is chambered in the original 7.92 X 57 mm Mauser. I got it from a friend who had it in his collection for some 26 or 27 years, so neither of us know who did the work on the rifle or when. I do know that it shoots very well!
 
The steps in the barrel contour indicate it is the military barrel. This is a basic sporter job, and while some idiots will call it "bubba'd" its not.

Extra unneeded wood and metal removed, decent sights installed, barrel shortened to a handier length. Turned a WW I clunker into something better suited to hunting.

Can't tell from the pic if it has the original trigger. Lots of the budget sporter projects retained the original two stage trigger, particularly if the pull wasn't too bad to start with.

Nice gun.
 
Just to piggy back on what 44 Amp said...While "bubba'd" is often used as a general term for any military surplus rifle that has been altered from its original configuration, most of the time what is really being referred to is this...




Also, are you sure the front sight was replaced? The front sight looks like the original to my eyes. If the barrel was cut down, but the original sight still in place it very well could be a Mauser 98 that was altered to the K98 configuration prior to the start of WWII.
 
Thats definitely a nice looking rifle, my preference for military Mausers aside. Whats the purpose of cutting the barrel down? Just to lighten the rifle and make it more manageable or is it cartridge performance related?
 
Another view of the rifle:

I'm not really sure the front sight has been replaced, but the barrel is 22 inches long and I thought the '98K's were cut to 24 inches (maybe?). The ramp on the front sight appears to be finely checkered (to prevent glare, I suppose) and there is a dab of gold material on the rear upper edge of the sight blade. This gold material is not just paint; whatever it is, it slightly overhangs the sight blade on both sides and needs to be filed smooth. The trigger is the standard military two stage affair, but it is quite smooth and manageable. One other interesting touch: where the brass disc would normally be set into the stock, there is, instead, a pair of cut-off cartridge case heads set into the stock (one per side) that read "8mm Mauser Super Speed". I thought this was a novel way of identifying the caliber of the rifle. And thanks to all for the kind words.
 
I'm pretty sure the standard barrel length for the 98k was 23"

Also "super speed" on the headstamp means those are from Winchester cases. I've got some old, old Winchester 8mm Mauser ammo that says "super speed" on the box and cases
 
What does it say on the left side of the action?

I'm pretty sure the standard barrel length for the 98k was 23"
Click to expand...

K98k were 24", with an inch of it inside the receiver ring. If you measure from the front of the receiver to the muzzle it will be damn close to 23". That being said, if that is a 1917 Spandau, it isn't a K98k, or at least it didn't start life as one.

It is a probably a Gew98, which would have had a ~29" barrel. The front sight does look like a standard military sight.

Are there any markings on it?
 
It does say "Gew 98" on the left side of the action. It is marked "Spandau 1917" in large characters on the receiver ring, with a "18" in smaller characters following the "1917". I assume this meant it went back to the arsenal in 1918? The barrel length on this one is 22 inches from muzzle crown to bolt face, so I'm sure it has been cut down at some point in its life. Any additional info anyone can add is appreciated.
 
I don't know if there is really anything else to tell.

In the beginning it looked like this:
Mauser_m98.jpg


Hard to tell from the photo, has the bolt been bent? When it was new it was straight.

Winchester used the "Super-Speed" headstamp from before WW2 to the late 1960s.

The 1917/18, I have heard that means the action was made in 1917, but the rifle was not completed until 1918, but that may not be correct. Your best bet is to probably take detailed photos, register an account on Gunboards forums and post them in the Gew98 research thread here: http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?855-Gew98-Research

How does it shoot?
 
A $40 Bold trigger will really dazzle you on that gun. I put one on a Swede sporter and it is a really amazing feel. It will be a drop right in fix. I'm partial to that kind of rifle.
 
Checkering and a gold (brass?) insert on the front sight argue for it being a replacement, but.....

I don't have a Gew98 to look at (and can't find a pic right now) but the 96 Swede and my 98Ks front sight blades all have a triangular shape.

The stock on your gun doesn't match the pic emcom5 supplied, but that in itself means little.

Look closely for importer markings, usually on the barrel, near the muzzle. It is quite likely it doesn't have any. Importer name & address were required by the GCA 1968, so if its not marked, it could have come into the country any time after the end of WW I.

I could have been restocked with a different stock (finger grooves) before being sporterized. It could have been rebarreled, with a shorter military profile barrel or it could have had the original barrel shortened.

My 98k has the barrel numbered to the action. My Swede has the bolt shroud and bolt stop numbered to the action. Don't know if the barrel is, its under the wood.

Not sure what is proper for a Gew98. If the number are there, and match then those parts would be original. Otherwise, no way of knowing. Not that it matters in this case, just fyi.

Lots of possibilities all pure speculation. The rifle could have come to the states after WW I and been sporterized any time afterwards up through the 1960s or even 70s. It could have stayed in Germany and served through WWII, either in original shape, or reworked, been brought back by a GI and later sporterized. It could have been imported commercially before 1968. Lots of possibilities, no way to find out really.

It is never a bad idea to have the headspace checked on any of these old guns. Take a good look at any fired brass you have. It is quite possible for a rifle to have excess headspace, even if the previous owner shot it every month for the past 30 years with not a single problem. Unless you get it checked, all you can know for certain is that it isn't dangerous..YET. And you won't know if its going to be, until something goes badly wrong. Which could be 5,000 rounds from now, or it could be the next time you pull the trigger.

It looks like a sweet gun. Its likely fine. Get it checked, and you will KNOW.

The metal in these old guns isn't as good as it was just a few years later. Heat treating was done by eye, and results depended on the qualities of the steel alloy and the skill of the craftsman. Mauser made good rifles, but everybody has an off day. And what was good enough to pass the proof tests nearly 100 years ago might have changed since.
 
The barrel and receiver have matching serial numbers. There is a different number on the magazine floorplate, and yet another number on the root of the bolt handle, so it is a bit of a mix-master. It is a good shooting gun for all that.
 
About the barrel length issue, different strokes but around here we generally measure from the bolt face to the muzzle. That usually gives an even 60 cm for classic mausers whick is about 23.6".

The longer rifle pictured probably was about 74cm or just over 29".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top