The Mauser Model 1898--Building Custom Rifles

Michael Davis--South Alabama
"So many actions, so little time(money)"

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This is a website dedicated to building simple sporting rifles from surplus military 98 actions. There is also content here that will be of use to the military surplus collector. Enjoy it and send comments or suggestions..

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Are you working on a project that you would like to feature? SEND ME SOME PHOTOS. I need some more photos to be emailed. Mike.

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I am working on a VZ24 bull barrel-was intending to build a quick twist, 1 in 9 barrel to shoot heavy bullet of 69 to 77 grains. Upon finishing the barrel and test firing, it was flipping the bullets every which a way. Only blunt 60's and smaller would stabilize. After running a tight patched cleaning rod through the bore and watching the revolutions, I discovered that the barrel was a mis-marked 1 in 14 twist. What to do now??? here Viewer's mausers displayed here and elsewhere--email the photos and descriptions to me.

1942-"I want these Carabiners clean. I want them spotless! I want them so clean, that somebody will still be using them sixty years from today."

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The Mauser Model 98 action is a rugged, goof-proof, and time tested design of more than one-hundred years useage. It is still suitable and much used in the building of custom hunting and show rifles. There are newer copies being made which are available, and other than the controlled feed ability, they hold no special "talent" or worth over a new action from makers like Remington or Winchester. The real thrust of this short narrative is that the simple common man, like myself, can still find surplus military 98 Mausers at reasonable prices and build it into a fairly inexpensive custom gun. And an old gun like a 1909 Argentine with it's DWM German markings just has a certain charisma about them.

Military surplus guns were not available for a long time due to import restrictions, but are now being imported in good quantites. You can thank Senator Bob Dole for tacking an importation clause onto a legislative bill several years ago. A good quality action may be available from a local gunshow, but the ususal source are the import companies such as Samco Global Arms, Century Arms, and Southern Ohio Guns. Publications such as the Gun List, and the Shotgun News, are good places to see what is available. Or, one could write the distributor, directly for a catalog.

These guns/actions must be ordered through a licensed Federal Firearms Dealer. You may find a dealer who stocks rifles that you can look through, and this is the best way to go about it because you will be able to look through the guns in order to make your selection. The other alternative, is that you find a dealer who will order a particular gun for you after you have found it in an article. He will usually add a markup percentage and shipping to it's actual cost. But ordering in groups of one allows you no way to inspect what will be shipped to you, unless you live near the distributor and could actually look through his stock.

Another option is for yourself to become a holder of a Curio and Relic License.

Now this brings you to the delimma. You want to find a good, clean looking action, hopefully with very little surface rust or pitting, which has a well fitting bolt. This selection process is covered very well in other publications, so I want even attempt it here. You should not tear down a museum quality military rifle bearing all matching numbers and beautiful wood. You can only justify dismantling a complete gun only if there is some flaw which renders it useless as a collector. You should get help in this matter from a knowledgeable person who lives near you. Some of the distributors will sell, as actions, guns that have already been dismantled. But on the other hand, the rifle that you use may be usable in its present form--I know people who have Mausers set up in it's full military trim and use a long eye relief pistol scope in a mount designed to fit the rear sight channel. Then there are those, finding the original barrel suitable, that have done a scope drill and tap and a bolt handle job that are hunting with a stocked rifle that is still 8mm or 7mm mauser cal. This depends on you choices and the overall condition of the firearm.

In the remainder of this website, I will show what I and others have done to assemble fairly inexpensive but useable Mauser sporters. All of the links will open in a new window--close that window to return here.

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