Mauser Question and New Rifle Reccomendation

easy2day · Jul 7, 2016

Hello all,

To start, I don't have much experience with bolt action and hunting rifles so I have some what might seem like amateur questions. I've only worked with semi's before and during my time in the military. Last November I purchased a Mauser K98 and fired it on two separate occasions both during cold weather (32 and under) and less than 10 rounds each time. A few days ago I fired 30 rounds of surplus russian ammo through it about 90 degrees outside and I noticed the rifle seemed to sweat. The wood between the rear sight and the front clamp was especially "wet", I figure its caused from a hot barrel. I was just wondering what exactly it is, and if it's something I need to care for in future use.

Also, I'm looking for a new bolt action rifle for big game and to start shooting at longer ranges. I have a Remington 710, that's probably about 12 years old now, in 30-06 and I've been looking to upgrade. It seems like everyone I served with that were moose and deer hunters talked on and on about the rem 700 and just hated on my 710 I got when I was a young teen. Honestly never had a problem dropping a deer with it, but now I'm looking for something to shoot at greater distances and more than 2 - 3 times a year. I really enjoy the '06 over my dad's .308 so I'm partial to staying with the '06. Any recommendations?

bolus · Jul 7, 2016

assuming it was a surplus rifle that was cosmoline melting out of the wood when it got hot. Its a brown waxy substance used for rust prevention after the war when they went into storage. It should have kind of an oily kerosene like smell.

easy2day · Jul 7, 2016

bolus said:
assuming it was a surplus rifle that was cosmoline melting out of the wood when it got hot. Its a brown waxy substance used for rust prevention after the war when they went into storage. It should have kind of an oily kerosene like smell.

It is surplus, thanks for the info.

MountainBear · Jul 7, 2016

If it annoys you, you can pull the action out of the stock and set the stock out in the sun. It will leach out of the stock in the heat. It soaked in over decades, so it takes time to leach out. I have several rifles that still do it. I simply wipe it off and keep going.
As for the new rifle, I would invest in a Rem 700 in whichever caliber you wanted. It is a great starting point, with plenty of aftermarket accessories and it's easy to work on. Start fairly basic and spend money on ammo, reloading supplies, and range time. Get good with basic equipment and as you improve your equipment it will just become that much easier...

Medic! · Jul 8, 2016

That's one thing I don't like about the longer surplus rifles.
It's harder to fit the stocks in the dish washer compared to the little 30 carbine.

As to a new rifle?
I have hunted the last 25 years with one gun. A Ruger in 300 win mag.

I don't really like fighting belted magnums into the magazine. PITA!
But you can find 300 win mag in any little town store that carries ammo.

No_Regerts · Jul 8, 2016

There are a lot of good options out there for a 30-06. Remington 700s are OK and they are the Chevy small block v8 of rifles. You can pick up a real basic one cheap and in a couple years, have a semi custom rifle.

In a 30-06, you have a jack of all trades. A sporter weight rifle between 6.5 and 7.5 pounds with a 22 to 24 inch barrel will cover just about any non-specialized hunting. Just find the brand that suits your preferred aesthetic tastes. Ive had good luck with with winchester M70s, Ruger 77s, Remington 700s, Tikka T3s, various Savages, etc. I have a hard time throwing down $1200 on a factory rifle, so I prefer to bargain hunt and build as I go.

PaulB47 · Jul 8, 2016

Kinda depends on your priorities. If accuracy is your thing, Savage has about the best rep of the factory guns. Also easy (sorta) to change barrels. A bit on the ugly side though. I never was crazy about Rem but can't argue with their trigger, which is always very good apparently. I like the classic Mauser-type bolt of the Winchesters. I understand the Tikkas are also very accurate, and operate the bolt smoothly. If I was just starting out I might go down the Tikka road, but I never have owned one.

Ura-Ki · Jul 8, 2016

+1 for TIKKA One of the best kept secrets out there! For the Coin, damn near unbeatable for value, accuracy, quality, and usefulness! Not THE best, but better then many! I have a T-3 in 6.5X55 Swede and wouldn't trade it for any thing! Next up is going to be a 7 mm Mag!

Just curious, Why not use that old Mauser as is? Plenty of power, and reliable as they get!

easy2day · Jul 9, 2016

Ura-Ki said:
+1 for TIKKA One of the best kept secrets out there! For the Coin, damn near unbeatable for value, accuracy, quality, and usefulness! Not THE best, but better then many! I have a T-3 in 6.5X55 Swede and wouldn't trade it for any thing! Next up is going to be a 7 mm Mag!

Just curious, Why not use that old Mauser as is? Plenty of power, and reliable as they get!

I will be taking the Mauser out this year for hunting season as none of my shot possibilities range over 200 yards from my stand and I won't need a scope. I love shooting it but I don't want to put a scope on it and risk scratching up the receiver with clamps or drilling into it.

And since I'm trying to get into shooting at more than 500+ yards, I want a scope, not exactly easy to acquire a target with the K98 iron sights at those distances.

bolus · Jul 9, 2016

easy2day said:
I will be taking the Mauser out this year for hunting season as none of my shot possibilities range over 200 yards from my stand and I won't need a scope. I love shooting it but I don't want to put a scope on it and risk scratching up the receiver with clamps or drilling into it.

And since I'm trying to get into shooting at more than 500+ yards, I want a scope, not exactly easy to acquire a target with the K98 iron sights at those distances.

S&K makes a scope mount for a long eye relief scout scope that fits where the rear iron sight is. So you dont have to make any permanent modifications to the rifle.

http://www.scopemounts.com/index.html?main.html

bsa1917hunter · Jul 10, 2016

easy2day said:
I will be taking the Mauser out this year for hunting season as none of my shot possibilities range over 200 yards from my stand and I won't need a scope. I love shooting it but I don't want to put a scope on it and risk scratching up the receiver with clamps or drilling into it.

And since I'm trying to get into shooting at more than 500+ yards, I want a scope, not exactly easy to acquire a target with the K98 iron sights at those distances.

Ok, looks like you got the cosmoline question handled. Now on to the new rifle question. Here's how I'd roll if looking for a 500 yard + rifle and the reasons why:

Skip the Remington 700, at least the new Remington 700 suggestions. Sadly they just don't make them like they used to. Recalls on the triggers and the j-lock is a joke. The Tikka suggestions are great, they handle great and are fantastic shooters. Well known for their accuracy. Savage rifles are also well known for their accuracy. My buddy just bought a trophy hunter in 22-250 and the damn thing shoots with the best of them. Here's some groups from the other day when I was developing loads for the rifle:

These are 5 shot groups from a fairly lightweight rifle. I also have a couple buddies from work that bought the same package rifles in 30-06 and they are shooting MOA groups. Like another poster said though, they are ugly. This is the only reason I'm not a huge Savage fan. I will, however, never bad mouth one simply because I've had my azz handed to me a couple times in centerfire competitions, by the lowly ol savage and even the infamous Stevens 200. These rifles are notoriously known to be excellent shooters!
However, with this being said, I am a CRF kind of guy and just prefer the mauser style action. I grew up using them and just became more accustomed to their intricacies. I like the old Winchester model 70. It's an excellent platform and being a lucky bastid, I've never had a poor shooting model 70. I've had many 30-06 model 70's that were exceptional shooters, but you may want to also consider other cartridges that have proven themselves in the field. One that's top on my list is the 7mm rem mag because it recoils almost identical to the great ol 06, but you actually get better ballistics and higher ballistic coefficients. Which means you can reach out there a tad further and with a little less fuss (less dope for wind and drop). Here's an example, a few years ago I put in for a tag that involves long range shooting. Just no way to sneak in closer, so I used my 7mm rem mag and dropped a nice muley buck at 648 yards (angle comp on, actually was near 700 yds.). Here's a pic of the area. Some of you here may know where it's at:

(Winchester model 70 stainless classic 7mm rem mag)

When shooting at that distance, I need to know my rifle shoots adequately, so I practice out to 850 yards. If it doesn't make the cut, I don't use the rifle. Another rifle worth mentioning is the FN PBR XP (souped up Winchester model 70). The one I had was chambered in 300 WSM and was an excellent shooter. A little on the heavy side, but still packable/huntable. I shot this rifle in the same canyon to take a good muley buck at 600 yards. Keep in mind, these are 1 shot kills:

Here's a 10 shot group from the FN PBR XP 300WSM:

The next rifle worth mentioning is the Winchester Extreme Weather:

This rifle was upgraded with a Mcmillan hunters compact edge stock and was nice and lightweight, but still very accurate. It eventually got sent down the road in favor of a slightly more accurate and older model 70 featherweight.