Good general purpose rifle...Mauser?

Mauser are great rifles. You might try and find one in .308. It might make getting ammo a bit easier, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with the 8mm. It would make a good GP rifle and has for a 100 years or so.

If you want something on the semi-auto side, I picked up a (used) Entreprise FAL for under $700, so that might fit into your price range a bit better, and you'll be able to carry a bit more ammo in the mag, but I think a K98 would also be a great rifle for the task. As long as you're not using a museum grade rifle, anything that happens to it is just adding character. And they are fun guns to shoot

The reasonably priced Mausers available that could be good shooters are the VZ-24 Czech Mausers and the 24/47 Yugo Mausers. Both have little historical value and provide a good platform for plinking or hunting.
The VZ-24 is a standard full size action and can be found in 8mm and 7mm Mauser calibers.
The 24/47 is an intermediate length action, and is often in rearsenaled condition, in 8mm Mauser.
Both versions can be bought for around $200 each in good condition.

Here's a link to J & G Sales, who shows the 24/47 available.

http://www.jgsales.com/

You might consider an inexpensive Mosin rifle for a backup.



NCsmitty

Mausers are good. My preference is the 96, or Swedish Mauser in 6.5x55, Easier on the shoulder, and will still reach out with plenty of punch.

If you want something inherently more accurate try a Swiss K-31, precision like the proverbial Swiss watch. It's a straight pull bolt action, meaning you simply pull the bolt handle straight back then straight forward, no rotating action to the handle. The only downside is that ammo is a little harder to find, but surplus Swiss GP-11 ammo is virtually match quality. I was lucky and got my Swiss rifles about 6 years ago when they were going for $70-80 each, now you are lucky to find one for 275.

Sure, a military Mauser will do fine in the utility rifle role. My only suggestion: Take off the rear sight, put on a Williams FP-98 peep sight. With this setup you can still load with stripper clips if you like and the sight is not in the way of the bolt.

The M98 action is the best overall action every built. But it was too expensive and faded from sporting rifles in the 50's.

The FN Deluxe was made up to the 60's and it is about 95% Mauser 98 action. But it was too expensive, cost more without a scope than a M70, and over time, FN cheapened the action by dropping M98 features. The last versions were called Browning Supremes which lasted until the 70's.

This is a FN Deluxe


You will find that "sporterizing" a military rifle costs money, once you muck it up, you won't get your original purchase price out of the thing, and you will loose all the gunsmithing costs. Keep it all original and in a couple of years you will sell it for more.

I have seen no gunsmithing mounts that allow the installation of scopes. You can get a nice M96 Swede, M98 Mauser, put a scope on the rear sight base and use it as is. Keep the parts and put everything together when you sell it.

Mausers, IMO are the greatest rifles ever built. There is nothing you cant do with a good old mauser that you can do with a modern rifle. Try to find one in decent shape, matching numbers on the receiver and bolt and good rifling. I own a 1917 Swedish in 6.5 X 55 and a 1915 German 98 in 8mm and they are both superb rifles. Oh and ammo is generally a little bit cheaper. Love Mausers

I love Mauser 98's, and the derivatives, (VZ24s and the like), my favorite rifle of late is a butcherized Mauser that I picked up for $75, put in a Boyds stock and added a Lyman reciever sight and an old ramped front sight. The barrel was already cut out of square so I cut it down to 20". It is handy, reliable, and surprizingly accurate.