I've been thinking about a general purpose ammo burning/hunting/blasting/plinking rifle in .308.  I've seen these Spanish 1916 Mausers advertised and they look like a bargain.  I'm looking for any information and experience from you guys on these firearms.

Any problems with these?

Any cautions?

Any good experiences?

Thanx.

.308 is a much higher presure round than the 7mm Mauser.

This would put a lot od stress on the rifle.  You would most likely be OK with .308, but 7.62 Nato is something I would not try.

This is an 1893 action slightly modified.

I would pass, too dangerous.

This is a small ring mauser action these were rebarreled on, they were used with the spanish govt's version of a 7.62  designed for the CETME semi-auto rifle,which had a lighter load than your commerical .308,The CETME rifle had a adjustable gas system and it could handle any NATO 7.62 ammo just by making a adjustment to the gas system. They figured the light loadings would work in the bolt guns, and very probably knew this conversion was pushing it, even so, the lighter loading pushed the small ring action to the limit, add to the fact that these rifles are known to be "soft" that is, the steel in the receivers,bolts, was'nt heat treated very well, and were much softer than a german or swede made small ring action would have been,and could cause what's known as "receiver lug set back" this is where the lugs on the bolt literally slam into the receiver locking lugs, and actually dent the locking lugs on the receiver,at this point, the receiver is pretty much junk, and continued shooting only makes this condition more dangerous as it increases your headspace,The small ring action is a poor choice for a cartridge like a .308, The spanish mauser 1916 rifles are known for lousy heat treating processes. I'd pass..these are in my opinion dangerous conversions...if you want a mauser in this caliber, start with a good Model 98 action,(large ring) either a German(up to about 1943) or Czech(pre WWII) made actions, both are high quality, excellent grades of steel,excellent heat treating, and will handle a .308 easily.....

Bro, do a google search for "FR7" and "FR8".

The FR7 is the Spanish small-ring mauser convereted for the light 7.62 CETME load, dimensionally close to the 7.62 NATO and .308, but less powerfull.  This FR7 should be avoided, unless you have no use for your hands, face, etc.

The FR8 is the Spanish large-ring mauser converted for 7.62 CETME, but it can easily handle the NATO and .308 rounds.   I bought one of these several years ago and it is a great rifle, and is reasonable accurate.   Kicks like a mule with the steele butplate!  It's a great brush gun, and could easily take deer-sized game if you're a good stalker.

Go to Gunboards.com, Spanish rifles for more info.

I say buy it if it's a FR8 in good shape, have it checked and test fired by a gunsmith that you trust.  He can check the lugs, run a couple of dozen rounds thru it, and check the lugs again if you're concerned.  

If its a FR7, run away.

Regards, Pepper

Thanks, guys.

I'm on a budget and always looking for a bargain, but sometimes, like they say, you get what you pay for!

I agree with Pepper.  The FR-8 is an exellent rifle.  It has a nice feel to it, and the cleaning kit under the barrel looks like a gas system. They were made to be grenade launching rifles, so they are strong. It is also a Mauser 98 action.
They can be found for about $150.