July 19, 2009, 11:02 PM | #1 |
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Spanish Mauser .308
What do you think of this?
http://gatgunsc.ipower.com/gallery/m...g2_itemId=3864 I was just browsing around and saw something cheap in .308 I might be interested in. I was looking at old Mauser rifles at Gander Mountain then I saw this and I had no idea a Spanish version even existed. Maybe someone who knows can tell me if it would be worth the $200 or not. |
July 19, 2009, 11:40 PM | #2 |
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I, have some experience with these Spanish mausers. Do not buy one the receiver is too soft it can not stand the pressure. I owned one and I came close to being six-feet under. Put your money into a K98, VZ 24, M48, M96.
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July 20, 2009, 12:27 AM | #3 |
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That is not a good Mauser. Some of the Spanish 308's were meant to fire the 308 Cetme round, which operates at pressures suitable for use in small ring Mausers. I would pass on this one and wait for an Israeli Mauser to show up on the used gun rack sometime.
Jimro
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July 20, 2009, 12:28 AM | #4 |
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it's meant to shoot 7.62x51 not commercal .308 winchester! if you reload it's good, but if you can not find a good supply of surplus 7.62x51 id pass on it.
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July 20, 2009, 12:45 AM | #5 |
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bamafan4life,
7.62x51 and commercial 308 operate within the same pressures (except for the "Light Magnum" line). How else could a 147 grain pill have a muzzle velocity of 2700 fps for 7.62x51 and 150 gr soft point have a muzzle velocity of 2700 fps? The laws of physics will not be denied. When you look at match ammo, M118lr and M852 they are the same as Federal GMM 175 gr and 168 gr. The 308 Cetme round is dimensionally the same as the 7.62x51, but operates at much lower pressures. A 112 gr bullet at around 2500 fps. It is "obsolete" as Spain upgraded their current weapons to handle the Nato pressures. Jimro
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July 20, 2009, 08:23 AM | #6 |
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Good info! Thanks for the replies everyone. I'll wait 'till I find a better one.
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July 20, 2009, 08:28 AM | #7 |
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The reduced recoil loads in .308 would be okay to use in the Spanish Mauser, as they operate at lower pressures. Stay away from hot loads and regular commercial loadings of .308 Win.
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July 20, 2009, 08:43 AM | #8 |
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The debate as to what is safe to shoot in these rifles has raged for years. I own two of them in the orginal chambering of 7x57 which is a fine round. While I think that the safety issue with the NATO round is often overstated, I would opt for an original 7x57 chambered gun and pass on the .308.
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July 20, 2009, 09:24 AM | #9 |
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I have one in .308 and have shot it for years with handloads. I use loads that are actually less pressure than the original 7X57. I am in the process of setting it up for cast lead shoots, now. It's a great little rifle, if you respect its limits. For this rifle, handloads are the way to go.
LongRifle. Can you give some details on your mishap with this rifle?
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July 20, 2009, 09:25 AM | #10 |
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A college friend inherited one back several years ago. We fired it with surplus ammo that we could afford and the occasional box of factory ammo when we had leftover money not being spent on beer. Other than the elevation being off at 100 yards it worked fine. Used it for hog hunting because it was cheap so we didn't care if it got full of dirt and sand in the woods.
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July 20, 2009, 10:27 AM | #11 | |
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Quote:
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July 20, 2009, 06:33 PM | #12 |
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The small ring Mauser is a "strong" action, but it lacks the gas handling properties of the M98 action. You could shoot full power 308 loads in a small ring Mauser like a 1916 and be fine UNTIL two things happened.
First, lug setback in the soft receiver steel causes excess headspace to develop. Second, excess headspace coupled with brittle brass causes a case failure. I've seen new factory 30-06 cartridges break in half because of excess headspace. They didn't split at the neck, they broke in half almost two thirds towards the base of the cartridge. Luckily it was an m98 and I didn't lose and eye. When there is a case failure in a small ring Mauser some of that hot gas will be directed back into the shooters eyes and face. The small ring Mausers are plenty strong, the Swedes chambered their quality m96 actions in many potent rounds, the 8x57 among them. But even the m96 lacks the gas handling features of the m98. Jimro
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July 20, 2009, 07:20 PM | #13 |
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I have one
I have one. I bought it in mid-1980s and have fired hundreds of rounds of surplus, cheap, and hunting ammo (whatever was cheapest) through it.
I used to hold the record for the longest distance iron sights shots at our (My hunting club) shooting range with this rifle. 578 yards. Okay, I was shooting at a 55 gallon drum, but... I paid $69 for it. |
July 20, 2009, 07:38 PM | #14 |
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Here is a good article on Spanish Mausers. The only one that I would shoot modern 308 through is the FR8 http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting...tion/index.asp
Jimro
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July 20, 2009, 08:50 PM | #15 |
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i have a nato converted chilean mauser thats in 7.62x51 aside from the magazine being a bit longer than the rounds i've never had a problem with it. it's solid as a rock and i've shot commercial grade and surplus ammo. the surplus is cheaper and i dont recommend using commercial grade. milsurp ammo from nato countrys are usually all loaded at slightly lower pressures to accomodate the differences in firearms which may end up using the ammo, the metals used in their construction, and quality of manufacture. for example if a frenchman had to salvage ammo from an american m60 machine gun to use in his 20yr old fn fal he wont have to worry about his gun exploding(it's just an example i know very little about m60's or fals)
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July 21, 2009, 12:40 AM | #16 |
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Trigger,
American M855 is not used by British troops who can only use SS109 simply because of that "pressure blow up" thing. The M4/M16 can fire SS109, but with increased rates of failure to cycle. The 308 Cetme is the same story, designed as a low pressure round. Jimro
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July 21, 2009, 12:50 AM | #17 | |
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Quote:
And trigger, I think you meant some French-speaking Belgian trooper, since France never issued the FAL. I've never even seen it mentioned for whatever French specops groups that have existed. Certainly the Legion didn't / don't use it. Bart Noir Who agrees that the chief designer of the FAL had a very French name. But half of Belgium speaks French. Just ask H. Poirot!
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July 21, 2009, 01:14 AM | #18 |
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I would say that IF you can, hold out for a FR8, they're converted from 'large ring' Mausers and will stand up to firing 7.62 NATO much better, as far as I've heard.
Find a straight handled FR8 and you'll have a nice shooter. Hard to argue with a bolt action carbine that has a flash suppressor and a bayonet mount Don't mistake a FR8 for a FR7 with the turned down bolt. |
July 25, 2009, 01:07 PM | #19 |
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I own an FR8 and I have to say it is one of the most accurate military 308's I have ever fired. The gun looks like new, has a synthetic stock and the bolt has been bent down. Open sights mine easily groups 5 shot 1 1/2 inch groups, and I love the rotating peep. I have read the FR7 is a weaker design and to be careful not to shoot high pressure loads. I bought mine about 3 years ago for $100.00 the gunshop manager didn't even know what it was. I thought it might be an FR7 at first due to the bent bolt, but verified it is an FR8
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July 25, 2009, 01:38 PM | #20 |
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I can't recommend a mauser action rifle in .308. I had 2 FR-8's in the past and one israeli K98 converted to .308, all of them had issues with feeding because the mauser 98 was made for long cartridges - the 8x57mm. The .308's are too short too work everytime putting the legendary mauser 98 action reliability to shame.
Never heard about problems with the .30-06 mausers.- the 06 is even a tad longer than the 8x57 and works pretty good. While the Fr-8 is a nice little and very accurate bolt action carbine I had several cases where the the .308 cartridge did not slip into the extractor claw, I couldnt lock the bolt and I thought '' What the hell?''. Of course you cant chamber a round with a 98 action if it didnt engage ''controlled feed''. So I had to punch the round out of the chamber with a cleaning rod. So far, so bad. Then a round entered the chamber so steep that it got stuck at the barrel wall. (Yes, all three of them had the additional feeding ramp) Nothing helped, pushing the rounds as back as possible in the magazine didnt help aswell as putting them a little bit foward. That was enough, sold my 2 FR-8's and the israeli K98. I dont like jamming firearms. I am perfectly happy with my original K98k's in 8x57, never ever had a jam in years of shooting them and the 8x57 whacks the target much harder than any .308. |
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.308 , gat guns il , mauser , spanish mauser |
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