Mauser Rifle?

[Skofnung]

Ok. Here are a few questions for you Mauser owners.

An out of the box Yugo Mauser in good shape using surplus ammo, what kind of groups at 100yds can I expect if I am a fair to midland marksman? For instance, can it keep up with a box stock Marlin 336 or a Winchester 94 at 100?

Those of you that have one, would you trust it as a poor man's "catch all" type rifle? In the realm of surplus bolt actions, is there a "better" deal going right now other than Mosin Nagants or Enfields? I have never been able to warm up to the MN and I already have an Enfield.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[Atlas Shrug]

Hmm. Hard to say.

How about 4" - 5" or so with issue sights IF you have very good eyes. Put on a Mojo or other aperture sight and you may cut it in half.

That ought to be adequate for an iron sight surplus bolt gun. It is on par with the 336 and 94 once you get roughly equivalent sights (but only then, as the military sights are poor IMHO).

Once you get past 200yds, you'll leave the 336 and 94 behind. The 8mm Mauser is a good, stout round.

I love those old Mausers.

 

[dakotasin]

yeah, the sights are going to be the limiting factor... not just w/ the mauser, but the 336 and 94, too.

one thing to get used to is the trigger... the trigger on the milsurp mausers takes a while to get used to the feel (2-stage trigger)... you can correct this problem easily enough, though, w/ $40 and a call to somebody who carries 'timney' or 'bold' triggers.

 

[Crownvicman]

I guess it is a matter of what you are used to. I learned to shoot with a No. 4 Mk1 Enfield and I prefer two stage triggers. I shoot much better with my 1924 Yugo mauser than any other rifle, two stage trigger and all.

 

[Skofnung]

Actually, I have a Timney trigger for a Mauser already. I found it in a box of gun parts my late father had put back. It is one of the many reasons I am considering getting a Mauser.

About the Mojo sights; do they work well? I was under the impression that in order for an apeture (sp?) sight to work it needs to be close to the eye.

Thanks again.

 

[twoblink]

I put on a "rubber bootie" on my Mauser, and it cut my groupings down quite a bit... also, a piece of cloth, some toothpaste, and sit in front of the TV for about 2 hours and smooth that bolt as well as trigger out.. MAN, what a difference! The trigger and sights are going to largely determine your group sizes. Recoil reduction does that too...

 

[Okiecruffler]

Here's what mine will do at 100yrds with surplus turk ammo. Of course, that's with a 4X scout mounted scope. With the irons, I can do 4 inches on a good day.

http://www.hunt101.com/showphoto.php?photo=66408&sort=7&thecat=500&password=

 

[Ivanimal]

I have 2 Mausers and one is a tack driver, 2" at 100 yards all day. The second one is 4-5 inches even with handloads. I have done nothing to either rifle just luck of the draw.

The funny thing is that the best groups I have gotten have been from the cheapest surplus gun show ammo I could find. Doncha love this sport.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

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About the Mojo sights; do they work well? I was under the impression that in order for an apeture (sp?) sight to work it needs to be close to the eye.
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Not necessarily. Receiver sights are designed to be close to the eye, but there are many aperture sights that were designed to be mounted on the barrel -- the Springfield rifle sights (the '03, not the '03A3) incorporate an aperture along with notches. I have a M1905 Canadian Ross with a somewhat similar mid-sight aperture.

And Winchester used to offer the "cloverleaf" sight -- this was quite similar to the standard buckhorn, but with a large aperture where the notch would be.

All these sights work well, although lacking the sight radius of a receiver sight.

 

[Cosmoline]

Any pattern '98 Mauser is a good bet as an all-around rifle. It is, after all, *the* all-around rifle. Probably the most successful firearm design of all time.

That said, the best deals right now are on Swiss K-31's. These are rifles *worth* about $700, most of them being MOA tack drivers and in excellent shape. Obviously none have seen warfare or anything beyond training and sitting in a garrison. Plus, the design is excellent if a little odd and the Swiss had the $$$$ to do it right. The only drawback is the ammo, and that's getting easier to find. Besides when you're buying a grade-A rifle for $150, who cares if you have to spend some more on ammo? With mine I was able to get quarter size groups at 10 yards off my knee! ANd I'm by no means an excellent shot. The iron sights on them are a lot easier on the eye than a Mausers, as well.