$35.00 Mauser

[Wullie]

Was at a gun show a few years back, '03 or '04 if I remember right. Was Sunday afternoon and gettin close to closing time. I spotted a rack full of straight bolt '98's in milsurp livery. He wanted $100 a piece for 'em. None of the bolt numbers matched anything else in the rack or the guns they were in.

On the back of the rack was one more. It was buried in cosmoline and was a mess to look at. I picked it up and scraped number the bolt with my thumbnail and it matched the gun. I asked how much for that one. He allowed as how they were so hard to make to make presentable and he was tired of cleaning 'em up, he'd take $50 for it. I told him I'd go $35 and he said I owned it.

It is a 7MM Brazilian M98. It cleaned up nice. I've seen better bores, but my experience has shown that most Mausers will shoot with dark bores about as good as those with bright bores. The lands are still sharp and it may clean up if I ever remember to drag it out and put a few rounds down range with it.

I like the 7X57MM round. Used to have a couple of the little Spanish rolling blocks in 7MM, but like a dummy, I let 'em get away. Got a Ruger M77 in that caliber. It was my dad's and he killed a lot of deer with it and I've killed a few myself with it. I used to carry a sporterized Mod94 Swede in 6.5X55 and it is a LOT of fun to shoot too.













Only number on that thing doesn't match is the little piece of the cleaning rod. If I recall correctly, it took the rods of 3 guns to make one cleaning rod.

Oh well.

Information

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[Gibbs505]

Nice score, deserves to be shot!

[Patrick Chadwick]

COngratulations! What a bargain!

At $35 I would buy as many as I could get! Even 100 is only a wall-hanger price for a all-matching rifle. My Brazilian had been painted all over with what looked like flooring varnish, and was going to be de-activated until I rescued it. The 100 was well-spent on an-all matching rifle numbered 9xx (no extra letter!).

Not only is the 7x57a pleasant round to shoot, the Brazilian stock is a bit fatter than, say, a Carl Gustaf, and is more comfortable to hold. If you can get the VFG cleaning felts and the cleaning paste (looks like blue toothpaste) or the equivalent where you live, then I would recommend clean, clean, clean (until the felt or patch comes out fairly clean), fire, clean, clean clean, fire etc. After about 50 rounds it will look better and shoot better.

Patrick

[Wullie]

Thanks for the tip Patrick,

I'll see if I can find some of that stuff.

Salud!
W

[JBS]

Try some JB bore paste followed by some Flitz paste.

[Bill Hollinger]

Great find! Thanks for sharing with us.

[Buntlineguy]

Got you beat. Mine was $15. That was a long time ago- I think 1970. Woolworth's had racks of them- 15 for a 7mm, 20 for an 8mm. Mine looked like crap, but after a good cleaning and some good ammo, it shoots a 2" group at 100 yards. You are in for a lot of fun. You may want to get a slip-on recoil pad. Mine kicks like a mule.

[Pelago]

damn i would pay that much and buy em all

this is what i have done with some old mausers