Old bolt actions

L

Little-e

New member
Any of you guys get in to those old, beat up, bolt action guns you see by the hundreds at gun shows for about $150.00? I've been thinking about picking up one or two, just to play with.

Problem is, I don't what brand is considered good, and what isn't. Any input is welcome. I don't expect much out of it, just want to blast some ammo.
 
The best military rifle would be the Mauser 98; those made prior to 1942 are probably the best quality. Right after WW II they were highly desired as the basis for multitudes of sporters.

There were many Mausers made under license, in South America as well as the mideast. Many of these, in 6.5mm, 7mm or 7.65, are good shooters.

A 7X57 is probably the best all-round cartridge, if you are not thinking about re-barrelling.

There are quite a few after-market triggers to replace the original. The Mauser trigger isn't all that bad, after a little stone work. Some folks just don't like the two-stage military trigger.

Competent gunsmithing is required for drilling and tapping for scope mounts. The original iron sights are pretty coarse...

Whaterver strikes your fancy, the main thing is to check the bore; if you buy one, get a gunsmith to check the headspace.

After that, go shooting, and make changes as time and your billfold permit.

Have fun, Art
 
Current under $200 military Mausers:
I agree that these are likely choices for just having fun. These are appearing at shows and are being advertised at the current time:
1.) Swedish M96 (long) and M38 (short) Mausers. These, in my opinion, are the best currenty out there. You should be able to get a beautifully made, all matching serial numbered rifle in the 6.5 swedish round. These are lots of fun to shoot.
2.) VZ 24 Czech Mausers in 8mm Mauser. I don't know what country these are coming from, but they are good guns. My local gunsmith just bought a bunch for sale. He says they came from some arsenal that took good care of them, doesn't know which. All that he and I have seen have mismatched bolts, but all of his, at least, head spaced right. I want one that is all matching, but cannot find one.
3.) Yugoslav M48 Mauser in 8mm. These were made after WWII by the Yugoslavs. The finishes on these are rougher than on the pre WWII mausers, but they are cheap and apparently good guns. I don't really want one that bad, but am tempted by the price and by the great condition that they all seem to be in.
4.) Turkish Masuers in 8mm. There are a whole lot of models being sold right now. All seem kind of beat-up, have mismatched serial numbers and have been arsenal reworked, which makes them less appealling in my eyes. Some of the earlier ones are actually Waffen Fabrik Mauser Obendorf made rifles, originally rifles of the highest quality, but the name is written in Turkish script, making it hard to notice at first. These were made when our master Paul Mauser himself ran the shop. I want a nice one of these, even if the Turks put some of their own work on the rifle.
5.) There are lots of British and allied Enfields and Russian and allied Mosin Nagant's out there, but I don't use these rifles or know much about them.
 
Glad I found this thread, I was about to start a new one to plead for help. I have just acquired a long Turkish Mauser in 8mm. I have started detail stripping it to remove the accumulated grime, and I've run into a snag. I can't remove the forward band that holds the bayonet lug. It must come off in order to allow me to seperate the barreled action from the stock. There appears to be a metal bar on the underside of the stock, just aft of the band. It can be deflected inward, toward the barrel, but the blankety-bleep-bleeping band just sits there and defies me to remove it. I've already boogered up the stock a little (not that it was pristeen, anyway) removing the band that holds the forward sling swivel, so I don't figure I have much more to lose on my 50 buck M98. Any ideas?
 
Hutch:
I think you have identified the problem: the little deflecting bar. It has a hook going into the band and these can be real devils to get unhooked. I have had to get a C-Clamp, make little wood blocks to put on the barrel and bar in order to get this bar deflected enough to clear the band. You often cannot do it by hand.
Make sure there is no pin through the band as well. This is unlikely and would be obvious if it were there.
 
Good steer, Herodotus. I took a large set of channel lock pliers, padded the barrel, and squoze (that's Southern), and off it came. Yuk. What a mess. I bet there's 60 years of crud in that piece. Can anyone recommend a good reference work so I can find out more of the history of this and other milsurp bolt guns now entering? I feel the need to go give a good home to a bunch of 'em. I'm going back this week for a Moisin Nagant. I feel confident there will be an SMLE in the safe soon, as well. Thanks again for the tip. Any other do's and don'ts of de-gunking old milsurps, feel free to chime in. Reference to other "how-to" web sites welcome.
 
Mauser Bolt Rifles is a good book to start with on the Mauser. I have found Frank deHaas book Bolt Action Rifles a good source of information on a wide variety of military as well as commercial bolt guns.
Hank
 
For info on the "innards" of bolt actions, the best books are the two-volume set, The Bolt Action by Stuart Otteson. Volume 1 is the best and covers the "classic" actions.

Jim
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top