Playing around the margins.

[ShadeTree]

My old Mauser 30-06 has been steadily trucking along during limited testing since bedding it, but I've had it out of the stock 3 times since, just taking care of some minor things.......did anything I do help? Maybe a little, maybe not, but it's not getting worse for sure.

Tested it this evening after doing a little more fuss work. Doesn't look like it, but there's 3 bullets in the top 2 holes. The hole on the right measures .360.

4 shot group is 3/4 so staying respectable.





Put one of those M1 Garand cotton web slings on it to carry it hunting this yr. Never had one. Good width, easily and quickly adjustable, carries nice. Might not be the last one I get.

 

[DrMike]

Excellent work with a great cartridge. Obviously, you have a fine rifle to work with as well. That load appears to be ready to carry afield.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

I'd be happy to take your rifle afield. Nice work. Dan.

 

[noslerpartition]

Yeah, that should do the job!
Any idea how old it is?

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[JD338]

ST,
That is some excellent shooting. Your rifle and load is tuned and ready to hunt. Nicely done.

JD338

 

[ShadeTree]

Yeah, that should do the job!
Any idea how old it is?

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Not for sure, action is WWII towards the end would be my guess, but just a guess. Action is a somewhat course and rough which is typical of the time when they were pounding them out during the war. Not sure when the 06 barrel would've been put on.

I just run used unsorted Remington brass that is sized initially and made sure it chambers in this rifle. I don't weigh brass or turn necks, just load what's in front of me.

Be interesting just for fun to feed it top components to see what the ole gal would do. Lapua brass and match bullets for example. Maybe no better, I don't know, but it sure acts like it's fond of producing some tight clusters.

 

[noslerpartition]

Not proud of our history, but the M98 is a milestone.
120 years after invention it is still not old and inspired newer developments.
Only reason I do not have one is I am a lefty...

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[ShadeTree]

Not proud of our history, but the M98 is a milestone.
120 years after invention it is still not old and inspired newer developments.
Only reason I do not have one is I am a lefty...

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I'm a fan and remain somewhat in awe of the foresight and engineering of the M98. You opened up a can of worms with that statement, so I apologize in advance for my following long write up. Lol.

There's nothing quite like them. They got everything right the first time. Everybody copied them, but cut corners on involved machining processes that went the extra mile on the Mauser. Including the 1st copy, the 03 Springfield, and our much loved Pre-64 M70's. Also including by the way numerous cuts in the later produced commercial Mausers.

I've had them completely apart and studied closely what I was looking at. The Mauser extractor has a sloped cut on the bottom short piece that rides in the bolt groove. The groove in the bolt has that same matching angled cut for the extractor piece to ride in. What it does is the tighter the case is on extraction, the tighter the extractor is drawn onto the case because of the cut. There's only 1 direction for it to go under increasing pull pressure, and that's sucked in tighter onto the case and bolt, not away from it.

Everybody else just went with a much easier to produce straight squared off machined bottom tab on the extractor and straight groove in the bolt. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out which one is abundantly better on a stuck case.

Only the Mauser has a machined winged flange on the 1 piece firing pin, and a machined match to that flange inside the bolt. That firing pin cannot reach the primer until the bolt is turned down fully locked in battery so it lines up with that winged flange. Broken firing pin, broken trigger or sear, broken safety, doesn't matter. Mechanically impossible for a round to go off from a primer strike until that bolt is locked down and secured by 2 large front bolt lugs and a massive 3rd safety lug that also by the way blocks gasses from coming back under the bolt.

Machined out inner C web inside the receiver that enshrouds the case head. Pull the bolt on a Springfield, Pre-64 M70, or commercial Mauser and shine down in there and tell me what you see.

And of course a firing pin blocking safety, and fixed blade ejector that is still copied on top rifles.

Not as sleek, slick, or sexy as modern actions, but somebody would have to come up with a knowledgeable argument to convince me there's ever been anything before, or since, that's ever been produced from an engineering and safety standpoint as good or better in a bolt action receiver. They set a bar from the start that nobody has been completely willing to match, ever since.

 

[PJGunner]

Well, if offered the choice of a J.C. Higgins M50 or pre 64 M70 for free, whoever was doing the give a way keep keep the Winchester. Both rifles in their time frame sold for close to the same price. With minor modifications, a shiny finish and a fancier piece of of wood for the stock and you'd have a Browning lowest price model for their safari grade rifles. That J.C. Higgins was that good. Based on an FN Mauser actions, 2" chrome lined bore by High Standard and a generic classic style stock by I don't know who, but would guess Bishop of Fajen.

I have several in 30-06 and one that was rebarreled and restocked into a custom 7x57 Mauser. With good ammo those M50s/M51s a fancier version of the 50 were are very accurate. The ones I have are MOA or less most of the time. By most of the time is based on how well I'm shooting and not the rifle.

The only other thing I can add is all my serious hunting rifles are based on Mauser actions.

Paul B.

 

[ShadeTree]

Well, if offered the choice of a J.C. Higgins M50 or pre 64 M70 for free, whoever was doing the give a way keep keep the Winchester. Both rifles in their time frame sold for close to the same price. With minor modifications, a shiny finish and a fancier piece of of wood for the stock and you'd have a Browning lowest price model for their safari grade rifles. That J.C. Higgins was that good. Based on an FN Mauser actions, 2" chrome lined bore by High Standard and a generic classic style stock by I don't know who, but would guess Bishop of Fajen.

I have several in 30-06 and one that was rebarreled and restocked into a custom 7x57 Mauser. With good ammo those M50s/M51s a fancier version of the 50 were are very accurate. The ones I have are MOA or less most of the time. By most of the time is based on how well I'm shooting and not the rifle.

The only other thing I can add is all my serious hunting rifles are based on Mauser actions.

Paul B.

Paul don't give away all the secrets, if everybody knows it, they wont be such a good bargain anymore. Ha. Trust me, a rifle I search out on a regular basis locally. I've run across some, just not the right one to bring home.

In a Mauser, the definition of slick. They're not based on an FN, they are an FN. Like you said, same as a Browning of the day which was also an FN action. I've heard they also were the actions for the early Sako's.

 

[SJB358]

Very cool rifle! Talk about a great shooter.

Hard to beat them M98’s for sheer ruggedness.