Refinishing 8mm Mauser

tliebs · May 7, 2007, 11:07 AM

Hello All,

I just purchased (2) K98 Mausers yesterday. Both are in pretty decent shape, but I would like to sporterize one and refinish the other to get ugly out of the finish.

I am sure there are many here who have done this type of work so I am looking for guidance and links that might go over the process in depth. I do not have a great deal of gunsmithing experience. Nor do I have a great deal of equipment to work with. However, I do follow directions well and I am also willing to pay for work to be done that I would not be comfortable doing myself.

Also, if anyone can recommend a reliable gunsmith to do trigger work as well as refinishing barrels, that too would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks to all in advance for the replies!

essexcounty · May 10, 2007, 05:04 PM

You start choping and chaneling. Either one might have significant value. I know only too well the siren's call to improve it for sporting use. Back in the '60'sand '70's I did more than a few, but now it doesn't make sense from an economic standpoint. I have a nice 1917 Enfield in a wildcat, heavy barrel and all the bells and whistles. Also a 98K sported that someone spent tons on. I bought both used and let someone else take the hit. Folks now are into replacing issue stocks if the metel hasn't been twicked with. This is America and thank God you still can do whatever you want to you're own property..........Essex

MDman · May 10, 2007, 05:29 PM

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu33.htm

http://surplusrifle.com/mauser98gew/index.uive

ive found those two cites to be usefull.

and if you have more specific question, just ask.

Tom2 · May 11, 2007, 03:13 PM

Refinishing may cost alot as you would have to make a large investment in gear to do a gunsmith type job. You can always do cold blue touchup work and the like. Some have even gone and stripped and redone the whole gun with cold blue, I have never tried that. And it is not always a super durable finish. One of the spray on poly. finishes might be a way to go, I have not done that either. You can figure out ways to reduce your gunsmithing costs though. If you can disassemble and prep the gun and parts for finishing, that will save the smith alot of time, and you, money. That probably means detail stripping and either stripping down to bare metal and polishing it yourself, or accepting a dull bead blasted finish on the gun. The smith can bead blast a gun down to bare metal alot easier than stripping and polishing=saved money. Then you get a matte blue or perhaps black parkerised finish in the end. You can buy and fit your own sporter stock to the Mauser after it is finished. I might let the gunsmith drill for scope mounts, if wanted, unless you are a machinist or skilled. Rebarreling and chambering is not cheaply done at home either. DIY sporterising is not the most economical way to get a new nice gun nowadays, usually, but there are books from Brownells and the like that can get you started if you are that ambitious. Good luck! Edit-you can get aftermarket adjustable triggers for Mausers and install them yourself, as a trigger job on the original military trigger is of doubtful usefulness, but a little polishing can smooth it up a bit.

May 7, 2007, 11:07 AM	#1
tliebs Junior Member Join Date: September 23, 2006 Location: PA Posts: 13	Refinishing 8mm Mauser Hello All, I just purchased (2) K98 Mausers yesterday. Both are in pretty decent shape, but I would like to sporterize one and refinish the other to get ugly out of the finish. I am sure there are many here who have done this type of work so I am looking for guidance and links that might go over the process in depth. I do not have a great deal of gunsmithing experience. Nor do I have a great deal of equipment to work with. However, I do follow directions well and I am also willing to pay for work to be done that I would not be comfortable doing myself. Also, if anyone can recommend a reliable gunsmith to do trigger work as well as refinishing barrels, that too would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to all in advance for the replies!

May 10, 2007, 05:04 PM	#2
essexcounty Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2005 Posts: 646	Find out what you have before...... You start choping and chaneling. Either one might have significant value. I know only too well the siren's call to improve it for sporting use. Back in the '60'sand '70's I did more than a few, but now it doesn't make sense from an economic standpoint. I have a nice 1917 Enfield in a wildcat, heavy barrel and all the bells and whistles. Also a 98K sported that someone spent tons on. I bought both used and let someone else take the hit. Folks now are into replacing issue stocks if the metel hasn't been twicked with. This is America and thank God you still can do whatever you want to you're own property..........Essex

May 10, 2007, 05:29 PM	#3
MDman Senior Member Join Date: March 19, 2007 Location: maryland Posts: 535	http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu33.htm http://surplusrifle.com/mauser98gew/index.uive ive found those two cites to be usefull. and if you have more specific question, just ask.

May 11, 2007, 03:13 PM	#4
Tom2 Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 5,676	Refinishing may cost alot as you would have to make a large investment in gear to do a gunsmith type job. You can always do cold blue touchup work and the like. Some have even gone and stripped and redone the whole gun with cold blue, I have never tried that. And it is not always a super durable finish. One of the spray on poly. finishes might be a way to go, I have not done that either. You can figure out ways to reduce your gunsmithing costs though. If you can disassemble and prep the gun and parts for finishing, that will save the smith alot of time, and you, money. That probably means detail stripping and either stripping down to bare metal and polishing it yourself, or accepting a dull bead blasted finish on the gun. The smith can bead blast a gun down to bare metal alot easier than stripping and polishing=saved money. Then you get a matte blue or perhaps black parkerised finish in the end. You can buy and fit your own sporter stock to the Mauser after it is finished. I might let the gunsmith drill for scope mounts, if wanted, unless you are a machinist or skilled. Rebarreling and chambering is not cheaply done at home either. DIY sporterising is not the most economical way to get a new nice gun nowadays, usually, but there are books from Brownells and the like that can get you started if you are that ambitious. Good luck! Edit-you can get aftermarket adjustable triggers for Mausers and install them yourself, as a trigger job on the original military trigger is of doubtful usefulness, but a little polishing can smooth it up a bit.