8 mm Mauser never shot

[greenhorn]

I have a oppurtunity to get a mauser 8MM. What is your opinion of this gun. I would Deer hunt with it. If you ever shot or owned one let me know

[VinVega]

IMHO, just a little big for deer. Recoil is almost scary. Definitely will kill it, but you're gonna have a big exit wound to deal with. Be careful where you point it.

[Larry Carter]

Vin,I believe he's speaking of a 8mm mauser not that 8mm Remington mag.Used to own a commercial pre war 8mm,typical German hunting rifle. Thin stock,very light with double set triggers. Beautiful rifle but had damaged bore from corrosive primers. Anyway I've owned a few others in 8mm,military and sporterized.The American factory loads are loaded weaker than european ammo due to the numbers of marginally safe old rifles that were imported years ago. Performance wise it is similar to the 30/06 with a higher ammo cost.
If the rifle you are looking at is full military and you're thinking of building it into a sporter I'd say forget it. Total costs [bolt conversion,trigger sights,stock--not even mentioning replacing the stepped barrell]will far exceed the cost of a good factory sporter in whatever caliber you like. Upside--the 98 action is a great base for a full blown custom rifle that would be cool to own.

[greenhorn]

It's still in the box, never fired. It has the bayonet, 150 rds, bandoliers, and others. It is $200. I'd just want to set it up to hunt with it. Do you still think it wouldn't be worth it? What changes would I have to make to make it a hunting rifle, and how much?
Thanks, Mike

[ksp965]

Buy the gun and think of it as a collector's piece.

[Larry Carter]

I agree. If you want to make into a sporter with near equal features to a factory gun add $ 300 ot $400 to the purchase price. I've had good experiences with the Savage rifles but am sure others are fine too.

[aceoky]

Larry is correct: the 8mm Mauser is the "father" of the 30/06 so the performance is pretty close with a slightly larger bullet(8mm-7.62mm) I would think it would be an awesome rifle to own, and if you are good with iron sights keep it as is: they have been used to take just about everything that walks/runs on this planet at one time or another. Then again with it never been fired; it might just be a good investment: who knows what it'll be worth in the future?

It depends on what you need; if you want one scoped again Larry is correct: it wouldn't be worth it, if you can afford to buy it and hold onto it; a collector might make you an offer" you just can't refuse"! (and I hope one does)[:D]

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I'd rather be lucky than good any day!!

Reloaders Haul Brass!

[Bobble]

It depends on a few different things. From your description, the fact that it's unfired (or in very good condition, anyway) is a plus, but check the bore anyway...some of those "new in box" Mausers are just cleaned up pretty and resold. Second, be sure it's a true '98 type Mauser and not one of the "Turkish" types...the Turks are worth considerably less, are hit-and-miss on quality, and do not always follow standard Mauser dimensions. That means after-market stocks, barrels, etc. are a problem if you decide to go that route in the future.

As far as the 8x57JS round is concerned, I agree with everyone who says it's an excellent deer round and on par with the .30-06. It's loaded lighter than its capability in factory ammo because of fear of some weak actions, and because of the existence of a few 8x57J (no S) barrels, which were .311 instead of the standard .313 bore...they're afraid of making those smaller bores go "boom" by mistake.[:0] In a good-quality, strong Mauser action with handloads, you can meet or exceed .30-06 performance with no problem, and a bigger bullet to boot. [8D] Even if you don't handload, though, the factory 8mm stuff is much aplenty for deer.

Whew, sorry for the run-on mouth.[:I]

[AlaskaMauserFan]

hey, not to sound condescending, or come off like a know-it-all, but the bore size you're talking about is actually .323", with the older size being .318", this was changed over in the military rifles around 1905.

Personally, I would recommend buyin the rifle, and using it "as is", go from there. Take care of it, and you're sure to keep it's resale value, btw, how sure are you that it's REALLY never been fired? Just becuase someone says so, ain't necessarily so...

Even with the drastically underloaded Remington ammo, the 8x57 is an excellent deer load...and with either the European stuff, or responsible handloads, you're looking at one of the finest big-game cartridges in the world, period. Ballistically, it's pretty much nip-and-tuck with the venerable 30-06.

BTW, I use my Mauser 98k in 8x57 for everything. It Simply Works, as long as I do my part! Hope this helps, good luck to you in the field!

[Tim Morris]

Well I will say this.... I am no pro, but I bought the Turk 98 and bought a new Ram line wood tech stock, a 15.00 bolt conversion kit, and a junkie scope mount that I sent back. I tapped the gun for leopold scope mounts, the result was a fine looking and performing 8mm Timmauser. I have 75.00 in the original gun, 130.00 in the stock and conversion kit, 20.00 in the mounts, and 50.00 in the scope. I moly-resined the gun barrel and all of the other components. The fun was in building it myself. I want another one to do it again. I would not buy it for 200.00 but I would for 100.00 or so. The ballistics are excellent. I have a 7mm mag. and I didnt even touch it this year. The recoil is like a sharp 20 gauge. Good luck.

"Shoot em' in the face!"