In praise of the K98

[Vonz90]

My what a wonderful rifle in whatever caliber one may like. Mine is in the original 7.9x57 IS and is freaking sweat. It is a spry 77 years old now since it left the factory at Oberndorf but it still shoots like new.

It has been mine since 2001. I originally bought it as a plinker from my friend Paul (who was thinning his very extensive Mauser collaction a bit) but after some light refurbishment (lots of cleaning, touching up the bluing and repair and refinishing the stock) I realized that it was more capable than that. I put a Leopold scout scope (I did not want to permanently change the metal bits) on it and found that I was actually outshooting my Savage 110. So since 2006 it became my main hunting rifle and drops deer and a couple hogs that I've seen DRT. Shooting it just seems natural and the rounds end up where I want them, I cannot really explain it.

About 4 years ago I upgraded to a 2x7x32 Burris scout scope for the longer shot and it just keeps plugging along. A great trigger, great balance and it fits me very well (did add a recoil pad to increase length of pull a tad). If there is a down side, it is a bit heavy if I am walking a lot with it, but the weight seems to help make shooting it more smooth.

I do not have a point to all this, I just felt like posting something about my Mauser because I like it.

[Gunnuts]

I miss posts like this.

[Weetabix]

+1

[MiddleAgedKen]

Does anyone make a decent K98 action in LH? I'm thinking about a bolt rifle but I'm tired of making do (plus I'm left-eye dominant).

[AndytheAxe]

I got a russian capture years ago, was a lot of fun but not too accurate (could hit a dude size target at 100 but not 200), sold it to a friend who collected them. Don't really miss it but glad I had it for a bit. I do miss my yugo 48, had better balance and fit me better but traded it in towards something else back in the day before the k98.

[HTRN]

Does anyone make a decent K98 action in LH? I'm thinking about a bolt rifle but I'm tired of making do (plus I'm left-eye dominant).

Yes they do, but the action manufacturers cater to the safari crowd - Mayfair engineering charges approximately 4000 dollars for a 98 std action left hand. Not the whole rifle, just the action.

[Vonz90]

I got a russian capture years ago, was a lot of fun but not too accurate (could hit a dude size target at 100 but not 200), sold it to a friend who collected them. Don't really miss it but glad I had it for a bit. I do miss my yugo 48, had better balance and fit me better but traded it in towards something else back in the day before the k98.

Post 1943 is kind of a crap shoot and of course the treatment varies considerably even for the ones made well. My friend collected them and had a dealers licence to facilitate that, so he would buy them by the crate and keep what he wanted and sell the rest. I asked him to keep an eye out for one with a nice bore and this one was it.

The Yugos are not bad, but I have never heard anyone say theirs was a tack driver.

The Czech ones can be very good, but they all have the straight bolt

[randy]

I have a Spanish FR-8 that is a nice little carbine. Takes standard K98 stripper clips. I need to get it out to the range again (once I score some more .308)

[MiddleAgedKen]

Yes they do, but the action manufacturers cater to the safari crowd - Mayfair engineering charges approximately 4000 dollars for a 98 std action left hand. Not the whole rifle, just the action.

Yikes. (But thanks for the information.) Well, guess I could pivot back to Schmidt-Rubin, and look high and low for the conversion kit (or just be really boring and get a Savage Axis or something).

[Vonz90]

Yes they do, but the action manufacturers cater to the safari crowd - Mayfair engineering charges approximately 4000 dollars for a 98 std action left hand. Not the whole rifle, just the action.

Yikes. (But thanks for the information.) Well, guess I could pivot back to Schmidt-Rubin, and look high and low for the conversion kit (or just be really boring and get a Savage Axis or something).

Zastava seems to make them going for about $1k + or -.