Mauser sporter.

[mwood1985]

Lets have some fun.. I've got a couple Mauser barreled actions in a 98 model. I already have a Swedish 96 in 6.5x55 and a Spanish 93 in 6.5x55. Might be the best rifle cartridge out there in that size. Gonna rebarrel either one of my 98 .257 roberts or my 98 6.5x55 in one to a more common caliber. Let's say a something I can make a general purpose shooting and hunting rifle from. If GON could pick a long action cartridge what should I chamber it in and why

 

[mwood1985]

3 options

 

[NE GA Pappy]

I chose 30-06 when I did one. Dang near perfect all around cartridge for a number of reasons

 

[Big7]

Lets have some fun.. I've got a couple Mauser barreled actions in a 98 model. I already have a Swedish 96 in 6.5x55 and a Spanish 93 in 6.5x55. Might be the best rifle cartridge out there in that size. Gonna rebarrel either one of my 98 .257 roberts or my 98 6.5x55 in one to a more common caliber. Let's say a something I can make a general purpose shooting and hunting rifle from. If GON could pick a long action cartridge what should I chamber it in and why

2 things.

Don't get rid of that 6.5X55. I did and have regretted it since the day I sold it.

And.. If one if those 98 barreled actions is in 7.92X57, aka 8MM Mauser, I'll buy it if the barrel and action are good. Don't care about the furniture.
Had a 98, large ring in 7.92X57. Another HUGE mistake but I had it for years and never put a stock on it. Beautiful. It was an FN Belgian made beauty.
I'd take another FN or a 98K

 

[mwood1985]

2 things.

Don't get rid of that 6.5X55. I did and have regretted it since the day I sold it.

And.. If one if those 98 barreled actions is in 7.92X57, aka 8MM Mauser, I'll buy it if the barrel and action are good. Don't care about the furniture.
Had a 98, large ring in 7.92X57. Another HUGE mistake but I had it for years and never put a stock on it. Beautiful. It was an FN Belgian made beauty.
I'd take another FN or a 98K

I've got 3 in 6.5x55 and one in .257 roberts at the moment. Nothing in 8mm although I'd love one for a deer and bear rifle. Im leaving towards a rebarrel on the. 257 because it's ammo is so scarce. I really wanna restock and blue my Spanish that's a 6.5x55. It would be gorgeous.

 

[heggy]

Had this Mauser sporter for a short time. It was converted to 30.06

 

[RamblinWreck88]

Hard to beat 30-06 for general purpose, but I'm sure you know this. One thing to keep in mind with 30-06 in a Mauser--at least this is true in commercial Mauser actions--is that if you handload, you really can't exceed the 3.340" OAL by much at all. There's just not that much room, according to several sources I have found.

If you do handload, and you're rebarreling anyway, a fast twist (e.g. 1:7.5) 25-06 is a really neat option. Lets you stabilize the newer high-BC 133gr hunting projectiles as well as commercially-available cartridges with 115-120 gr projectiles. Granted, I have only seen 25-06 in-store once over the past few years.

 

[weagle]

You've got the mid size caliber covered. Go Bigger. 35 Whelen.

 

[Mauser]

Here’s my ol beater truck gun 93 in 7x57 ain’t much to look at. Built when I was 17 all original hardware except for the safety. lots of stock sanding lol. Had to rebarrel,drill and tap for the scope mounts,bend the bolt,glass bed. Had to fit a new bolt last year. Just love tinkerin with em. But back to the question, I would rebarrel whichever you wanted into a 35 Whelen,I tend to like the not so common stuff.

 

[Mauser]

You've got the mid size caliber covered. Go Bigger. 35 Whelen.

I was just typing the same thing.

 

[mwood1985]

Im open to all suggestions. Id love a 7mm Mauser. Big Jack O'Connor follower and he loved the 7mm and .270 of course. Id though about the 25-06 basically a supercharged .257 Roberts. I want a commonly available caliber but something different than the ol Bubba and his hacked up 8mm. Not that the ol German war horse isn't up to the task of killing anything in Georgia.

 

[Redbow]

I had a 6.5 x 55 Swedish Mauser made in 1919 it was a beautiful gun and in excellent condition but I gave it to my cousin for preaching my Mom's funeral in 2019. I have seen some really great looking Mauser's that were sporterized.

 

[jglenn]

I have two old FN mausers built in the 60s while i was in H.S. a 25 Neider and a 6.5-06.. the 6.5 is my favorite.. great mule deer rifle with 140gr... both rifles carry Douglas barrels..had to reload for both of them in those days.

 

[mwood1985]

This is the one im debating rebarreling. 98 German action with a .257 Bob barrel. Im leaning towards a 25-06 just to keep the .25cal and have a more readily available load.

 

[jerkthetrigger]

Just going off the top of my head here, but I think a Bob can be rechambered to 25-06. No need to rebarrel. Makes that choice kinda painless!

 

[mwood1985]

Just going off the top of my head here, but I think a Bob can be rechambered to 25-06. No need to rebarrel. Makes that choice kinda painless!

I was wondering about that. Wonder how much a rechamber costs? But the other thought is to keep the .257 Bob barrel for a future build if this ammo shortage ever goes away

 

[rosewood]

You've got the mid size caliber covered. Go Bigger. 35 Whelen.

I rebarreled my 98 Mauser many moons ago to .338 Win Mag because I didn't have one. Considered .458, but talked myself out of it.

Rosewood

 

[rosewood]

The 98 "large ring" is ideal for conversion to other higher pressure cartridges. The 93 and 96 are best left to the original lower pressure cartridges.

Rosewood

 

[Bobby Bigtime]

Like you I have and love the 6.5x55 and the 7 Mauser is a real gem. I load and shoot 30.06 more than anything. The Mauser 98 I put together is a great rifle and shoots wonderfully. I made her into a light weight mountain rifle(7lbs). The beauty of the 06 is you can load it to be anything performance wise from 30-30 or 300 savage to nearly magnum range. You can also make plinkers, pipsqueaks or whatever. No caliber I have ever played with is anywhere near as versatile. I have had more enjoyment creating loads than I can express. The economy of doing so is also there.

 

[mwood1985]

Just to throw this thread back in the mix. I ended up with quite a collection after my last post. I decided to rebarrel one of my 8mm sporters to 25-06. Being built now up in Ellijay. The 257 Bob I decided to restock with a more traditional boyds stock and a new bolt handle that isn't a hack job. And the other two new purchases. A 1950s era 8mm sporter thats beautiful is getting a classic style scope and I picked up a 7mm Mauser sporter just to have. Guess I better get a military original German K98 just to round out the bunch