Mauser 98...extended barrel?

Speculant · November 13, 2009, 12:45 PM

I've seen pictures of other 98s, and the barrel is a ton shorter. Was this used for sniping or something?

Additional markings:

DOT - 1943

On the bolt lever: 6890 .Q

In front of the bolt mechanism (directly left of the DOT 1948 marking): 2464 Q

On the bottom of the rifle, the part next to the trigger: 2464

Slightly unreadable marking on the bottom of the butt of the gun - P7BU is what it looks like.

Also, where can I get ammo for this gun? Could ammo be purchased at a regular ammo store? Because my friend thinks that this would make a good hunting rifle.

**44 AMP** · November 13, 2009, 01:51 PM

The barrel looks long, probably because the stock has been shortened in front. The 98k was the standard German infantry rifle of WWII. The Germans called it a carbine, because of its "short" barrel. The barrel is just under 25 inches long! (measure from the muzzle to the bolt face) This was the short version of the WW I infantry rifle (Gewehr 98) which had a 29.1 inch barrel!

Caliber is 8mm Mauser (aka 8x57mm, and in German usage 7,92x57mm). Ammo is available from all the major makers, and is in the .30-06 class for power. Ammo made by Europeans is generally "hotter" than that loaded by US makers.

Clean up the rust, and use it!

Speculant · November 13, 2009, 03:24 PM

Thanks for the info! So a regular hunting store, like Gander Mtn, would probably carry ammo for it then.

Would a modern scope be able to be mounted on it for hunting?

EDIT: I just talked to a guy from Gander Mtn, and he recommended it should be looked at by a professional gunsmith. The reason is because it has swastika eagle symbols on it, and that means that it might have been sabotaged. Is this true? If it was used by his grandpa in WWII what are the chances of it being one of the possible sabotaged rifles?

Also, when I mentioned that "the power is comparable to a 30.06, right?" He laughed and said, "Well, that's one of the oldest arguments I've heard, but if you are hunting, it will get the job done."

Sounds kind of like the clip vs. magazine technical definition argument that people sometimes have.

Dfariswheel · November 13, 2009, 07:58 PM

You have a WWII German military issue Model 1898 rifle.
These were known as the Kar98 or the 98K.

This particular rifle was made at the captured Czech BRNO factory in Czechoslovakia. They used the WWII German code "DOT". It was made in 1943.
Caliber is the 7.92mm Mauser, also known as the 8mm Mauser.
The barrel is the standard 23 7/8" and the rear sight adjustments are in meters.

Your rifle is a "mis-match" in that the bolt serial number doesn't match the receiver serial number. This isn't unusual, since bolts were often removed from the rifles when captured and after the war different bolts installed before being imported into the USA.
To be safe, have a gunsmith check the head space to insure the bolt is properly fitted and safe to fire.
Your rifle has been "sporterized" by removing the handguards and bayonet lock, cutting off the long military stock, and filling the holes for the sling and bolt disassembly disk in the butt stock.

Many or most gun stores will have or can order ammo. There is still some military issue ammo being sold, or you can buy commercial hunting ammo.

Malamute · November 13, 2009, 08:42 PM

What the gun shop guy was chuckling at was the US commercial ammo. it;s loaded to about 32 winchester special level, or just above 30-30 power. The original military loads are much hotter, as are european commercial loads. Both are close to 30-06 power level, as are handloads that use the actions strength level, not US SAAMI pressure levels. The US low pressure loads are because of a limited number of very early model guns that may have been imported, and had different barrel bore sizes. The US companies decided that they would load ammo that was safe to shoot in those few old guns from about the late 1890's or so, even tho most were supposedly rebarreled with later standard barrels by their governments. Make sense now?

Speculant · November 13, 2009, 10:42 PM

Thanks to everyone for the replies! You people on here are very knowledgeable. It turns out one of my other friends has the same rifle, but in the same configuration as it was made in (with the strap and everything, it looks just like the Wikipedia photo).

Is there a "quote" button for individual posts in this forum? I can't seem to find one.

emcon5 · November 14, 2009, 01:53 AM

Quote:

DOT - 1943

As Dfariswheel said, the rifle was made at Waffen-Werke Brünn AG, in Brno Czechoslovakia.

Quote:

On the bolt lever: 6890 .Q

That is the serial number of the rifle the bolt came from, in other words, it is not the original bolt. Also as Dfariswheel said, you probably ought to check the headspace.

Quote:

In front of the bolt mechanism (directly left of the DOT 1948 marking): 2464 Q

The rifle S/N, when it was made, most metal parts were stamped with this number. For example:

Quote:

On the bottom of the rifle, the part next to the trigger: 2464

Matches the rifle.

It looks like the metal is more or less OK, and it doesn't appear to have been butchered too badly. It would be fairly easy to put back to original condition (stock, handguard, barrel bands and spring, bayonet lug). If it doesn't have an importer mark, (often on the barrel) it may be a G.I. bringback. Those have some value, even in that condition.

Quote:

EDIT: I just talked to a guy from Gander Mtn, and he recommended it should be looked at by a professional gunsmith. The reason is because it has swastika eagle symbols on it, and that means that it might have been sabotaged. Is this true? If it was used by his grandpa in WWII what are the chances of it being one of the possible sabotaged rifles?

Nonsense.

Quote:

Also, when I mentioned that "the power is comparable to a 30.06, right?" He laughed and said, "Well, that's one of the oldest arguments I've heard, but if you are hunting, it will get the job done."

Close enough:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8mm_mauser

emcon5 · November 16, 2009, 01:09 AM

Looking at this again, you have to admire the effort put into patching the sling and bolt takedown holes in the stock. That doesn't look that bad, considering.

James K · November 16, 2009, 08:00 PM

Anyone who sneers at the power of the 8mm Mauser has not been on either end of the 196 grain heavy ball service load at 2700 fps. Firing a full magazine while wearing a light shirt will make him a believer.

Jim

tater134 · November 16, 2009, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Anyone who sneers at the power of the 8mm Mauser has not been on either end of the 196 grain heavy ball service load at 2700 fps. Firing a full magazine while wearing a light shirt will make him a believer.

Jim

+1 on that.

fisherman66 · November 16, 2009, 08:42 PM

I've got sum Turk ammo that'll knock yer socks off (especially with the steel buttplate).

November 13, 2009, 12:45 PM	#1
Speculant Junior Member Join Date: November 13, 2009 Posts: 3	Mauser 98...extended barrel? I've seen pictures of other 98s, and the barrel is a ton shorter. Was this used for sniping or something? Additional markings: DOT - 1943 On the bolt lever: 6890 .Q In front of the bolt mechanism (directly left of the DOT 1948 marking): 2464 Q On the bottom of the rifle, the part next to the trigger: 2464 Slightly unreadable marking on the bottom of the butt of the gun - P7BU is what it looks like. Also, where can I get ammo for this gun? Could ammo be purchased at a regular ammo store? Because my friend thinks that this would make a good hunting rifle.

November 13, 2009, 01:51 PM	#2
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,794	It appears to be a standard Mauser 98k The barrel looks long, probably because the stock has been shortened in front. The 98k was the standard German infantry rifle of WWII. The Germans called it a carbine, because of its "short" barrel. The barrel is just under 25 inches long! (measure from the muzzle to the bolt face) This was the short version of the WW I infantry rifle (Gewehr 98) which had a 29.1 inch barrel! Caliber is 8mm Mauser (aka 8x57mm, and in German usage 7,92x57mm). Ammo is available from all the major makers, and is in the .30-06 class for power. Ammo made by Europeans is generally "hotter" than that loaded by US makers. Clean up the rust, and use it! __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

November 13, 2009, 03:24 PM	#3
Speculant Junior Member Join Date: November 13, 2009 Posts: 3	Thanks for the info! So a regular hunting store, like Gander Mtn, would probably carry ammo for it then. Would a modern scope be able to be mounted on it for hunting? EDIT: I just talked to a guy from Gander Mtn, and he recommended it should be looked at by a professional gunsmith. The reason is because it has swastika eagle symbols on it, and that means that it might have been sabotaged. Is this true? If it was used by his grandpa in WWII what are the chances of it being one of the possible sabotaged rifles? Also, when I mentioned that "the power is comparable to a 30.06, right?" He laughed and said, "Well, that's one of the oldest arguments I've heard, but if you are hunting, it will get the job done." Sounds kind of like the clip vs. magazine technical definition argument that people sometimes have. Last edited by Speculant; November 13, 2009 at 03:45 PM.

November 13, 2009, 08:42 PM	#5
Malamute Senior Member Join Date: June 6, 2004 Location: Rocky Mts Posts: 859	What the gun shop guy was chuckling at was the US commercial ammo. it;s loaded to about 32 winchester special level, or just above 30-30 power. The original military loads are much hotter, as are european commercial loads. Both are close to 30-06 power level, as are handloads that use the actions strength level, not US SAAMI pressure levels. The US low pressure loads are because of a limited number of very early model guns that may have been imported, and had different barrel bore sizes. The US companies decided that they would load ammo that was safe to shoot in those few old guns from about the late 1890's or so, even tho most were supposedly rebarreled with later standard barrels by their governments. Make sense now? __________________ "Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt-

November 16, 2009, 08:42 PM	#11
fisherman66 Senior Member Join Date: August 22, 2005 Location: The Woodlands TX Posts: 4,679	I've got sum Turk ammo that'll knock yer socks off (especially with the steel buttplate). __________________ la plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu'il n'existe pas!

November 13, 2009, 07:58 PM	#4
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	You have a WWII German military issue Model 1898 rifle. These were known as the Kar98 or the 98K. This particular rifle was made at the captured Czech BRNO factory in Czechoslovakia. They used the WWII German code "DOT". It was made in 1943. Caliber is the 7.92mm Mauser, also known as the 8mm Mauser. The barrel is the standard 23 7/8" and the rear sight adjustments are in meters. Your rifle is a "mis-match" in that the bolt serial number doesn't match the receiver serial number. This isn't unusual, since bolts were often removed from the rifles when captured and after the war different bolts installed before being imported into the USA. To be safe, have a gunsmith check the head space to insure the bolt is properly fitted and safe to fire. Your rifle has been "sporterized" by removing the handguards and bayonet lock, cutting off the long military stock, and filling the holes for the sling and bolt disassembly disk in the butt stock. Many or most gun stores will have or can order ammo. There is still some military issue ammo being sold, or you can buy commercial hunting ammo.

November 13, 2009, 10:42 PM	#6
Speculant Junior Member Join Date: November 13, 2009 Posts: 3	Thanks to everyone for the replies! You people on here are very knowledgeable. It turns out one of my other friends has the same rifle, but in the same configuration as it was made in (with the strap and everything, it looks just like the Wikipedia photo). Is there a "quote" button for individual posts in this forum? I can't seem to find one.

November 16, 2009, 01:09 AM	#8
emcon5 Senior Member Join Date: July 10, 1999 Location: High Desert NV Posts: 2,850	Looking at this again, you have to admire the effort put into patching the sling and bolt takedown holes in the stock. That doesn't look that bad, considering.

November 16, 2009, 08:00 PM	#9
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	Anyone who sneers at the power of the 8mm Mauser has not been on either end of the 196 grain heavy ball service load at 2700 fps. Firing a full magazine while wearing a light shirt will make him a believer. Jim

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