OK, so.....

I have a couple Mauser questions.

First I have 2 bayonets and I don't really need them.  Do people actually buy these things?  Anybody know of value?







also have I think a japanese one:


Also.  I have my first hunting rifle that was my step Dad's.  I had cleaned it about 6 months ago and noticed the bore wasn't looking overly hot.  Which wasn't all that concerning.  But then I put a group down with some good ammo and it didn't group well at all.  It was at the end of the day of a shooting session and I had just remembered the bore wasn't fouled at all, so that may be part of it.  And it was lighter 150 grain ballistic tip and it may like other loads (heavier) better.  I don't have any data on how it used to group.  I just know it always seemed to hit what I was aiming at as a kid.

BUT, my main question is if I wanted to rebarrel it, is that something a smith can do relatively simply?  Or do mauser actions need some kind of special knowledge?





And lastly.... It's chambered in .30-06 now.  If it ends up being good and not needing a rebarrel, does any of you have any good tips on what .30-06 ammo there is out there that is mild in recoil and doesn't break the bank?  I don't have much M2 ball left, and that might be the best option.  But I don't know if there are any others that you don't see on Midway..  I know Federal makes Garand safe ammo and that might be the way to go.  In the past I never had good luck with the remington managed recoil 125 grain soft points grouping well in my 03A3..  Could be different for this gun but I'm not even sure they're still making that.  And usually these loads are expensive.  I was just curious if there was such a thing as a "cheaper" light load.   I know some guys like to load lead rounds for old C&R's and load them light to be easy on the bores and actions.  I don't handload though...

I really like this gun and I plan on shooting it some more and figuring out more about it.  It was my Step Dad's and he passed away a few years ago and I ended up with it last year.  I shot my first deer with that gun.

I may take the scope off and see how it does with the irons. It's got these cool irons with a very thin blade, which usually helps me shoot better.  Only problem with leaving the scope off all the time is the safety has been modified that when it is engaged, it's sticking up on an angle to miss the scope.  Without a scope it's kind of just hanging out in the air and likely to be bumped off under field conditions.  At the range, probably no big deal.

Yes, people definitely collect bayonets.
The second one looks like a Danish Model 1867 Sword Bayonet, worth more than $200.

I'd give that barrel a good cleaning with multiple cycles of copper solvent and a foaming bore cleaner, and then re-crown it before giving up on it and going for a re-barrel. Re-crowning is cheap and easy to do yourself.
Apart from that, you can get started reloading .30-06 very cheaply, and make whatever ammo you need, including cast bullet plinkers with virtually no recoil. Everything can be stored in an ammo can, so space is not an issue.

First one is a German K98K bayonet, mid to late war.

Shame as someone took a grinder to the edge and also scratched up the blade.

Not very valuable to collector, but it still has some value.
.
.
Not sure on the second bayonet, but the third one is a Japanese Arisaka bayonet, pre to early war.

Does the s/n on the 98k bayonet (1st one) match the s/n on the scabbard? You'll have to push down the frog a bit to see....

The last one is a Jap Type 30, an earlier one....

They all have value....

Yeah, I was thinking about checking the crown....  I didn't really have a good look at it.  I am sensitive to toxic stuff and haven't cleaned with hoppes for a while.....  I've been using CLP for everything.  So I may have to figure something out.  But I understand the suggestion.  I think some of what I'm seeing is damage though.  But the thing is, my Dad's Garand looks like a sewer pipe in there, even after cleaning and it still shoots as good as the Garand I had.  Which had a nice, clean shiny bore....  So I'm not sure what to think of all that.  I'm hoping it was because it wasn't fouled and settled in.  And possibly the scope wasn't tight because I was futzing with it.  But I think it was tight......

If I get a chance this weekend, I'll take a picture of the safety.  I'll also check function.  I don't think there is anything wrong with it.  I think it was modified by the Custom Makers.  I'm pretty sure it's a genuine Mauser action.  I'll also take more pics of the markings, but I think I might have a few around here.....





I'm not sure I'll ever get set up to reload.  I wanted to, I even saved a crap ton of brass.  And I bought a dillon tumbler.  Years ago. Then crap happened with my health and it got put on a back burner.

Out of curiosity.....  The bolt face.  I'm guess 8mm mauser and .30-06 are compatible.....  ????  I would think there is a dimensional difference, but never really understand how this works.  Other than that they are similar sized.  I would think you could rebarrel for the .308 or any of those cartidges, eh?   What about the savage cartridge?  250 savage, 300 savage, 22-250???  I wish I could rebarrel it for .223/5.56...  

Yes I do believe they match.  I can double check that.  But I was looking at them the other day and took note of that.  I can take a pic when I'm down there next.  Might be a few days though.  This weekend is crazy.  Mother in law coming in to town.  Good Friday service and easter.  I play bass there.  You get my drift.

CLP is not really that useful in getting an old milsurp bore clean. There are non-toxic foaming bore cleaners that will do a much better job. They take a while and I've found that multiple cycles are often necessary, but they do work.
Your rifle is one of the Golden State / Sante Fe sporterized milsurps. The heyday was the '50s and '60s. They are good, solid rifles.
The Mauser sporters were built on surplus military '98s or (later) Spanish Santa Barbara commercial actions. If there is no thumb notch in the left side receiver wall (just in front of the bridge), you most likely have a Santa Barbara that was originally made for the .30-06. These rifles were barreled with mid-grade barrels that realistically are good for 2-3 MOA. That was considered perfectly adequate, even good, back in the day: we're spoiled now. A nice Mauser-actioned sporter in .30-06 that will shoot into 2-3 MOA is a very good rifle.
As to the boltface diameter, it's the same across a surprisingly wide swath of cartridges, from .243 Win thru .250 Savage, 7x57, .308, 8x57, .30-06, .35 Whelen, even .45ACP! There are probably a couple dozen factory cartridges that share the same .473 diameter, to say nothing of wildcats.
Since you have a long action, however, rebarreling to a short action cartridge like the .308 will require extra work to ensure feed reliability. If you do end up needing to rebarrel (not likely), I'd keep the .30-06 chambering. It's the most versatile rifle cartridge ever developed.
Don't give up on reloading. Setting up to load for this rifle is simplicity itself: a LEE hand press kit to neck-size the brass, LEE dies, some powder scoops, powder, primers, and bullets, done. Fits in an ammo can, costs well under $150.

Do you have a brand name for the non toxic foam cleaner?

Thanks for the tips.  I'll get some more pics of the receiver soon.  It is a lovely gun.  It feels super nice.

If I could get it to shoot 2 MOA with some good ammo, I'd be pretty excited about that.  I wasn't expecting it to be a sub moa gun.....

But this is the group I got with it at 50 yards and I was like, dang, something is wrong.  (It dawned on me yesterday I need to check if it's tight in the stock.......)



Compare it to my 03A3 I shot at 50.  And the mauser had on a 4x.....  It would be nice to figure out what's up with it....

I use this stuff:
Wipe-Out
It's essentially odorless, so using it inside is no problem. Since it will damage varnish, I have to assume it has some solvents, but I have not had any skin or inhalation issue with it at all. It's a lot easier and far more pleasant than the old Ed's Red/Sweets 7.62/JB Bore paste routine.

Apart from the deep clean, re-crown, and snugging up action screws, pulling the scope to snug up the mount screws will give you an opportunity to shoot it with irons. Depending on how well the modification for scope bases was done, it is possible that your bases are mis-aligned, resulting in torque on your scope tube. The end result over decades can be scope failure that isn't necessarily obvious.

Yeah, good point about shooting it with irons...  I might have to do that.

@PigBat.  That's a genuine mauser action, correct????

A '98 Mauser made at the Mauser factory in Oberndorf is about as genuine as you can get, with a bonus of being a 1909 Argentine. Those are some of the best (some say the best) of the breed. It's definitely a keeper, and well worth putting some love into it to bring it back to its glory days.
Congratulations!

What does that mean exactly?  It makes it sound like they were made for Argentina....

Thank you for the info.  I'm digging that.

Yeah, 2 positions.  Down is safety off, and up is safety engaged.

I actually usually do pretty well with those targets.  Especially with scopes.



That was 77 grainers at 100 yards.  MOA.  


But if I do the mauser with the irons, I'll try something different.

Yes, this was originally an Argentine contract Model 1909 riflke. Some consider the Argentine 1909's some of the finest rifles built by Mauser...I did a thread a short while back on a 1909 Cavalry Carbine I picked up....easily the most beautiful piece of wood I have ever seen on a military gun. They are quality guns....

ETA Here is the link to my carbine thread...

https://www.ar15.com/forums/Armory/Argentine-Model-1909-Cavalry-Carbine-/14-487104/

EDIT! Actually I believe the receiver was a 1909 Peruvian contract based on the siderail roll mark, not Argentine....still some of Mausers finest military work...

http://www.gunscollecting.com/english/long-guns/peruvian-mauser-model-1909/