Mauser 8mm or Arisaka 7.7mm

Sell them and take the $250 you make and go buy a Stevens 200 in the caliber of your choosing.


DONE!

You'll be time, effort and appx $700 ahead of where you'd be attempting to turn either of these into a passible LR hunting rifle

Eta I've owned all three of the rifles mentioned so far, so take it from me.
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the arisaka is actually based off of the mauser action, so they both are equally strong. as for which one is more versatile, that goes to the 8mm mauser. the 7.7mm is based off the 303 and it is not quite at powerful as the 8mm, which is not far behind the 30-06. and there is a good selection of bullets for the 8mm, which the 7.7 cant claim. also, sporterizing the mauser would be a better choice because there are tons of aftermarket accessories for it.

You can get a scope mount that replaces the rear sight on the M48. They make them in both scout style or regular. I haven't seen any in person but they are supposed to not damage the wood and be completely reversible.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/No-gunsmith-scout-regular-mount-4-Yugo-M48-M24-Mauser-/370528559546?_trksid=p3284.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D21%26pmod%3D310337553392%26ps%3D54

http://www.buymilsurp.com/scope-mount-k98-scout-p-7599.html

Sell 'em and buy a purpose-made, or get a LER mount for the M48. It's not worth the effort to "customize" them and you'll end up with ugly results on either unless you burn money like there's no tomorrow.

If you enjoy standing in the bathroom flushing $100 bills down the toilet, you're going to love the pleasure you get by converting those old guns into hunting rifles.

I have to agree with the above posters, although apparently the OP doesn't want to hear it....

Back in the day when military surplus rifles were a dime a dozen, it made economic sense to sporterize. Today, however, guns in original condition sell for more than a similar, modernized version. There are exceptions to this, just google Griffin & Howe, but the reason some folks call the vast majority of those rifles "Bubba'd" is because some buffoon, perhaps named Bubba, was thinkin' he done good in his tool shed.

Since so many Bubbas are out there, and they're not regarded highly, it makes sense on a financial level not to alter your rifle to your personal tastes...not only does it cost money on the outset, but you loose value overall as well, not to mention a whole lot of time and effort.

Just hunt with them the way they are. I do that with mine. I have installed a scout scope on some of them. If a couple ounces of weight makes the gun heavy for you, you might think about some conditioning exercises before going out and hunting. I have seen too many fairly rare military rifles with the stock cut off just to save 2 ounces of weight and usually ruining the accuracy of the rifle.....as said above, just go buy a bubba scoped hunting rifle. How long of a shot do you usually make while hunting anyway? chris3

Save the Arisaka as is. Ammo is too scarce for hunting,not so for 8x57mm. The Yugo has no historical significance and is just another rifle so it is the best prospect for a project rifle. Buy the "Build a Mauser Custom Rifle" from AGI for instruction and do a lot of the work yourself. D&T for a scope mount and welding on a new bolt handle is best left to a professional but cutting and crowning the barrel,replacing the trigger,bolt shroud and safety and bedding into a sporter stock can easily be done at home. Boyd's sells a great wood laminate in either thumbhole sporter or Prairie Hunter or classic sporter for under a hundred dollars. Brownell's sells a number of gun finishes for do-it-yourself if you don't want to have it hot salts blued. Building your own rifle comes with a sense of accomplishment not available at WalMart.

I have had both and I much prefer the mauser. But in truth, both are about the same power level and what one cartridge can do, the other can as well.

You can easily enough get the M48 drilled and tapped, and install Weaver bases. Then use high mount rings and your safety will probably clear just fine. If not , just grind the wing safety down a little until it clears. Mount any scope you want and now you have a hunting rifle for not much outlay. Leave the stock military. 8mm ammo is much more readily available and cheaper than 7.7 jap.

I have a K98K Mauser I tricked out like this and have taken several deer with it. I have many other much more expensive rifles but every now and again I just carry the old Mauser in the woods with me just for nostalgia.

I would do the Mauser based on ammo availability...it is much easier to find cheap 8mm than 7.7 is ever going to be.

I really like my sporterized 98 Mauser, not that bad to drill and tap for Weaver mounts.

The 7.7 ammo is tough to find, but if you're willing to pay $50 a box Norma makes some excellent stuff.

There's a lot more 8x57JS and but keep in mind that the US made stuff is downloaded for obscure reasons. I believe you can find some non-corrosive SP from European makers for a semi-reasonable price.

I'd suggest forget the scope and just get some good 8x57JS soft point. Sight in your irons with a brass hammer and drift pin, find your zero and there you are. Ready to go. No reason for a scope at all unless your eyes are bad.

No reason for a scope at all unless your eyes are bad.

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Guilty as charged.

All these folks telling you to sell your Mauser instead of sporterizing it are people who do not own safari grade Mausers. The Mauser 98 is the greatest bolt action ever designed by the hand of man. Period. You owe it to yourself to customize one into a rifle that fills one of the
"dream rifle" holes in your head.

Q. When you see custom rifles come up for auction and get ludicrous sums of money, what actions do those rifles have in common?

A. The 98 Mauser. End of story.

Do it dude.

No the trait they share is exquisite craftsmanship costing thousands of dollars worth of someones time.

A bubbafied m48 is just as much an abomination and as worthless as a hacked up Mosin, k31, SMLE ect ect.

You want a good approximation of a commercial Mauser sporting arm for a fraction of the hand crafted price then just go buy a RUGER


And for the record I've owned a nice Mauser or two.


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You want a good approximation of a commercial Mauser sporting arm for a fraction of the hand crafted price then just go buy a RUGER

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Why do the haters come out at the very mention of upgrading your own property to better suit your needs. An M48 has absolutely NO HISTORY to be preserved! It is a run of the mill military rifle that never saw battle. It is not holy. It is not magic. It is a gun,a simple tool. If it serves me better without the all that stock wood or useless metal,then what is that to anybody else? There is no value inherent in any gun other than what it can be used for. The only thing that makes a gun a "collector item" is the circumstances surrounding it and some-one's desire to have it.

Geez. The Arisaka has a stronger action but who cares? Neither rifle is worth the trouble, but for the cost of ammo and all, mess with the yugo mauser. They are well made and usually pretty accurate, if not beaten up. You'd be better off doing in a Mosin than an Arisaka. Or even an enfield.

jimmyraythomason said:

Why do the haters come out at the very mention of upgrading your own property to better suit your needs. An M48 has absolutely NO HISTORY to be preserved! It is a run of the mill military rifle that never saw battle. It is not holy. It is not magic. It is a gun,a simple tool. If it serves me better without the all that stock wood or useless metal,then what is that to anybody else? There is no value inherent in any gun other than what it can be used for. The only thing that makes a gun a "collector item" is the circumstances surrounding it and some-one's desire to have it.

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And a person can buy all the parts to build a television from scratch. But who here would try to convince someone it's not much more cost effective and easier to buy a ready made tv that will outperform your homemade jobber in every way?


Its not 1955 any more, sporting rifles don't cost a months pay and there's not a cheap gunsmith in every town to build you one from the Mauser you mail ordered for $12 out of the sears catalog.

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A bubbafied m48 is just as much an abomination and as worthless as a hacked up Mosin, k31, SMLE ect ect.

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but I like my abomination....



and if it puts a smile on my face and food on the table it sure isn't worthless!

Did I tell him to "bubba" the Mauser?, NO. RW Dale needs to learn how to read. Get yourself an education son, before it's too late. Reading skills will be absolutely vital in the world of ours, going forward. Never mind, I know that you missed the point. Better go out and check the tire pressure on your house.......

Jonny V said:

Did I tell him to "bubba" the Mauser?, NO. RW Dale needs to learn how to read. Get yourself an education son, before it's too late. Reading skills will be absolutely vital in the world of ours, going forward. Never mind, I know that you missed the point. Better go out and check the tire pressure on your house.......

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Since the op is talking about plastic stocks and weaver mounts I'm gonna guess he's not angling for the "old world" Safari rifle look that you seem to think is hiding inside every post war commie bloc relic.

Perhaps you need to work on your retention so you can remember what the thread is about by the time you read halfway through page one K


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i own and shoot as issued mausers and arisaka,s, they are very good shooters with the right hand loads, i prefer the jap-99 with the peep sights as i shoot better with them. however before i would cut one up i would look for one already done. i see them at gun shows in very good condition for a good price from time to time. i got a 33/40 made into a nice 8mm sporter for 300.00 dollars some time ago,i gave it to my brother and he still uses it. and it was already D&T,bent bolt with new stock and reblued. today the work alone would have cost hundred,s of dollars. eastbank.

If you're going to scope them it's just not a matter of buying mounts and rings. You're going to need a new safety installed as well. The stock military safety doesn't allow for the use of a low mounted scope. Then you're going to need to have the bolt handle turned down to clear the scope. By the way, you haven't mentioned the condition of the bore or whether you've checked the headspace. If the headspace is excessive you're going to need to have the barrel set back by a competent gunsmith. A scope isn't going to help much if the gun can't keep three shots on a pie plate at 100 yards.

Installing a new safety and turning down the bolt is going to cost you $100 (on a good day). A cheap plastic stock is another $100. Drilling and tapping for mounts $40. Low end mounts and rings $40. A cheap scope $100.

Now, what do you have for your nearly $400 investment? A ten to eleven pound chopped up military rifle with a less than sterling two stage trigger pull.

As a side note, most of those high grade 98's built by the fine British gun makers were built around commercial 98 actions, not off the shelf military surplus.