good condition mauser

[colt]

i dont know why but, i feel the need to buy an old surplus rifle. it has to be a bolt action, have it chambered in a round powerful enough to go past the 600 yard line, the ammo has to be dirt cheap and it has to be accurate(2moa). the rifle also has to be inexpensive too. i feel like the german 98K mouser is the best bet, but enlighten me. this rifle will be mostly used for practice and mabey some diffrent kinds of hunting. oh and i dont mind refinishing the stock

[cracked butt]

Swedish 96, Persian 98/29

[Olaf]

There are a variety of Mausers that may meet your requirements. K98k, Vz24, Yugo 24/47, M48, M48a, Swede M96, Persian 98/29, etc. etc. The condition of the individual rifle....and the loads used in it, will have more to do with overall accuracy and function that the specific model of rifle. Certainly, the German K98k and the Czech Vz24 were the best made of the lot....as regards smoothness and tight tolerances. However, even the Yugo Mausers can be quite good and very accurate. So, my advice to you is to decide which type you want, then pursue the goal of finding the best example you can. Stocks can be replaced, repaired or refinished, so this is not the first consideration. Whatever you choose, be sure that the action and barrel are in VG to Excellent condition (especially the barrel). Once you have the rifle, pay close attention to the fit of the action in the stock. This will have a large effect on overall accuracy. Even the most excellent- condition rifle will not shoot well, if the action is not bedded firmly in the stock.

If you mind the details, you'll not find it too difficult to get a rifle that meets your requirements.... and will be a joy to use.

[john laird]

turkish mausers are good and they reach out a good range

[Schmeisser]

I've taken half a day off today to sight in the scout scope I fitted to my 98k and to test the best loads of the load ladder. In spite of the slightly rough bore it is a good shooter, but I always suspected that even this standard rifle would shoot better with the right ammo and a scope. To my utmost surprise I ended up at < 1 MOA, which made my day.

Why am I saying this?
Firstly: Even an ugly RC can reveal its beauty if you restore its stock properly and possibly reblue the metal parts.
Secondly: It can be a good shooter despite its rough bore if you clean it thoroughly and develop a good handload. If the gun as such looks good but the bore doesn't, it may well be worth rebarrelling.
Thirdly: If your eyesight is no longer the best, a scout scope is a phantastic option. You can always refit the rear sight leaf if you want to go back to the original.

Thus look for a good member of the 98 family, of German manufacture or not, you can't go wrong with a Mauser. They're all made to the same standards and, given comparable bores, a Volkssturm stick of 1945 shoots no worse than a pre-war rifle.

[kentucky_smith]

get a number or letter code K98 Russian Capture from interordnance. Mine is in excellent shape.

[Webleymkv]

A Mauser would definately fill your niche. So would an M91/30 Mosin Nagant or better yet an M39 Finnish Mosin. If you could stand to shell out a little more for ammo then a Lee Enfield would be a good choice. Finally, for pure shooting pleasure you may consider the superb K31 Schmidt-Rubin straight pull.