Mitchell's Mausers

[Flatland Shooter]

Something that has been on my wish list for many years is a nice Mauser 98k. My father had one he brought back and it was the first center fire rifle I ever shot. It has always remained a favorite.

Though I've never taken the effort to track one down, I'd still like to add a nice once to my collection.

Has anyone on the forum bought or even handled one of those offered from Mitchell's Mausers?

They have several grades, some of which sound very nice. Are these originals or something Mitchell imported and refinished?

Thanks.

Bill

http://www.mauser.org/german-k98-mauser-rifle/

[MWBackus]

I purchased one of the 'Premium Select' grade K98 Mauser rifles from Mitchell's and am very happy with it. While it doesn't have the collector value of some other Mausers it is a great shooter and is nicely refurbished. If you want a Mauser that shoots well and looks nice you can't beat what Mitchell's offers. If however you are looking for a rifle with collector value you will want to look elsewhere. I knew what I was purchasing when I placed my order and I received exactly what I wanted. Be an informed buyer.

Michael Backus via Tapatalk

[tbarker13]

I'd suggest doing a little research on some of the military surpus sites. I'm sort of in the same boat you are - looking for a mauser, enfield, etc.

I can tell you that Mitchell's is something of a dirty word on many of those sites. A lot of the mauser experts suggest (to put it politely) that Mitchell's overstates what it is selling. One of the things they supposedly do is force match bolts to receivers. They renumber bolts to match the receivers on the gun. In the world of mausers - matching receivers/bolts is a pretty big deal. Doesn't guarantee proper headspacing, but you have a better shot at it.

Still, most of the critics still seem to agree that Mitchell's guns are good shooters. The big knock seems to be that they just aren't worth what the company charges for them. Oh, and the in-the-white bolt that Mitchell's does is a big turn-off for mauser purists.

My own searching right now is pushing me toward the 6.5mm swedish mauser. Seems to be very well regarded. The Czech mauser (v24, I think) also gets high grades. Of course the 8mm Kar98 would be a great option, though they really seem pricey when you look at the nicer models made before the end of the war, when slave labor and hurried construction supposedly contributed to a decline in quality on the rifles.

It's been suggested to avoid the mausers that went through Russian rearsenals. (often marked with an X on the receiver). Apparently the russians just sort of tossed all the parts in piles and put them back together at random - virtually guaranteeing you won't find them with matching bolts and receivers.

Maybe someone else will come along with more expertise. I certainly don't claim to be an expert. Just happens to be a subject I've been researching extensively this past month.

[SlowShooter]

I collect Mausers and other old guns...

Like anything else, It depends on "how much you are wiling to spend"....

Almost all of the K98 Mausers you see in the $350-500 range will be Russian captures, that is how alot of K98's got imported to the US recently.

The Russian captured k98 rifles have the bolt "force matched" to the receiver, there is an electro-pencil S/N written on the bolt to match the receiver.

A true "war bringback" German k98 (not import-marked and not Russian-capture, bolt matching S/N) is $$$ expensive.

There are many other variants of "Mausers" made by other countries (including the US) around the time of WW1 & WW2. If you want a Mauser that looks "unissued condition" as close to new as you are going to get, looks at a Yugo M48 or m24/47 version. all the ones I've seen are very nice (clean bores, no corrosion) around $250-$350 range, you can get a very high quality Mauser with that variant.

One site selling Russian capture k98's:

http://www.wideners.com/itemview.cfm?dir=700|701|1381

Mauser m24/47:

http://www.classicfirearms.com/c-r-eligible?caliber=49

Mauser m48:

http://www.wideners.com/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=100000268

Also the surplus rifle collectors forums can be a big help:

http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/

All the ones I've listed shoot the standard 8mm Mauser ammo. It's not as plentiful as it once was but is still out there. Keep in mind if you buy another variant that is not 8mm Mauser the ammo costs and/or just finding ammo may be a hassle.

Yes, "Mitchell's Mausers" is a dirty-word around the collectors forums. There are so many other good Mauser variant rifles still available (see above), I don't see why anyone would pay the money for a Mitchell's Mauser. Their rifles are created from mixed different variant parts. As far as I've seen, they are not completely "k98" rifles.

Edited January 18, 2013 by SlowShooter

[co-exprs]

I didn't need a mitchells. I inherited the 1936 98k my grandfather smuggled back from Germany under the floor plates of his M7 tank. It's pre nazi and has only royal crest armory stamps. No nazi hawks. Almost all matching numbers and it's still sub MOA with iron sights.

Not that I'm bragging or anything.

The only non matching number is the bolt. Unfortunately the rifles were stored without bolts. It is double extremely rare to find a German made 98k with a matching bolt. More likely to find an all matching Swiss rifle.

Edited January 18, 2013 by co-exprs

[SlowShooter]

it's still sub MOA with iron sights.

On a WW2 bring-back gun... Whoa, what is this, did I accidentally end-up on ARfcom ?!

But yeah, A K98 is capable of good accuracy, if you got a good gun and you handload for it and your eyes are really good.

I've got some old rifles that can shoot a sub-MOA groups, too. Might take me all day and 100's of round, but yeah eventually it happens

Edited January 18, 2013 by SlowShooter

[co-exprs]

I've managed a couple of 1" groups from factory loads. Can't do it every time, but once in a while. Trouble is it's expensive to shoot and the combination of power factor, low rifle weight and a steel butt plate, just about leaves me in tears after 20 or so rounds. Definitely a man's gun.

[ac4wordplay]

it's still sub MOA with iron sights.

On a WW2 bring-back gun... Whoa, what is this, did I accidentally end-up on ARfcom ?!

But yeah, A K98 is capable of good accuracy, if you got a good gun and you handload for it and your eyes are really good.

I've got some old rifles that can shoot a sub-MOA groups, too. Might take me all day and 100's of round, but yeah eventually it happens

"...ARfcom" - LOL, that's funny!

Thanks, I needed something to cheer me up this morning.

[JimmyZip]

I know your looking for a Mauser, but if you want a great Mauser type action, in a really wonderful rifle, I would suggest a 1903 Springfield. I see them regularly, and the sporter version with Lyman sights that my BIL inherited from my Grandfather is so accurate. I'm sure you can find them around.

[SlowShooter]

if you want a great Mauser type action, in a really wonderful rifle, I would suggest a 1903 Springfield.

+1 yeah...

I'd suggest 03-A3 (better sights). Or the British Mauser variant, the p14 and by extension the US m1917.

In my experience m1917's are a bit cheaper than Springfield 03-A3 just because of name recognition, but is still a great rifle don't overlook it.

Plus, with the m1917 or Springfield rifles you can shoot 30-06 instead of trying to scrounge-up 8mm ammo. The good cheap 8mm surplus ammo all dried-up back in 2011 or so. Whereas 30-06 ammo and components are still available everywhere.

Edited January 18, 2013 by SlowShooter