Gun and Game Forum banner

Mauser Prices

16K views 21 replies 12 participants last post by  Zen900 
#1 ·
Please excuse my ignorance. I don't yet own one, but I have been looking. Some prices seem good, but the shape of the rifle isn't very good, or the opposite.

Every rifle I own gets shot. I don't want any wall hangers.

What is a good price?
 
#2 ·
150.00 to 300.00 should get you a nice one. I think you can get a Like NEW Mauser from Mitchells Mausers for about 300 - 400 that are absolutely like new and Beautiful, if you want the best. Some of the Mausers listed for 99.00
have dark and or pitted bores and well worn rifling, so beware of them if you can't physically inspect it before buying. Good Luck !
Rich
 
#5 ·
Spikestrip,
Take a .30 caliber boresnake with you and pull it through from the breech to the muzzle, See what kind of crud comes out on the boresnake brush,then shine the borelight from the breech and look at the lands and grooves, they should be very pronounced and look for pitting, damage,
frosting, look for shadows that may be bulges, dark bores are sometimes gunked up and need cleaning with solvent . Look at the bores on some new rifles as a comparison first. I use a white piece of paper to reflect bright light at the breech,while looking down the bore from the muzzle, so I dont have light shining in my eye from borelight , and I can see the bore better.
Rich
 
#6 · (Edited)
I'm not one to pay a great deal of attention to the condition of the bore on a rifle or pistol. I am Not buying something to shoot competition with, but for hunting and general bang, bang.
I do not believe it is necessary for a rifle to be able to put 5 rds in a quarter at 300 yds for it to be worth buying! I hunt antelope, deer & elk - plus the occasional cyote or stray dog. Almost all of my "kills" have been between 30 & 75 yds and most were also 1 shot. My 3 longest shots were a stray dog chasing the neighbors cattle at about 120 yds, running, on the 2nd or 3d shot - don't remember as that was over 50 yrs ago. An antelope my dad had knocked down and it got over the ridge on him - 3nd shot runing at about 150 yds. The 3rd was a cyote trotting straight away from me at about 100+ yds - 1 shot. All of my hunting has been with a WW 2 German semi-auto since 1959.
I do not think it necessary to be able to hit a pack of cigaretts at 100+ yds, I am happy to put several rds into the flat side of a GI 5 gal gas can at 100+ yds. As long as I can do that NO game animal - OR human - will get away from me!
And Yes, I can shoot as good as most with almost any type firearm - rifle, pistol, SMG or MG. I repeatedly qualified Expert with everything I ever shot in the Army.
I tell people that when it comes to bore condition, If I can see daylight thru the barrel, you don't want to stand still in front of me at 100 yds!
Sarge

Forgot to comment on Mauser prices. Someone suggested mitchells Mausers as a source of 98s - NOT a good idea! They have an F rating with the National Better Business Beureau for lousy customer service, if you get any at all. Their WW 2 98ks are complete reworks to include new stocks and renumbering to match. They also polish the bolt which was never done on the original rifles.
zen900 said that $250 - 300 was to much for a 98k. I don't know where he is from, but everywhere I've been and what I see on the boards that is the exact price range. Yes you can get lucky, but the odds are not in your favor!
Sarge
 
#7 · (Edited)
Classic Arms has K98s starting about $250.00. They also have other Mausers at prices from $69.00 for a Turkish Mauser, and have some Yugo Mausers also, but I can not recall the price of them. It's all in what you want.

They are good, honest, people to deal with. Customer servise is top line. I have bought 3 rifles from them (2 Mosin-Nagants and one Mauser) and didn't like one of them. It was swapped out the next day. I highly recomend them.

classicarms.us

Nick
 
#8 ·
zen900 said that $250 - 300 was to much for a 98k. I don't know where he is from, but everywhere I've been and what I see on the boards that is the exact price range. Yes you can get lucky, but the odds are not in your favor!
Sarge
I own two Mausers that I purchased in the last 18 months both under $250. Samco has remarked K98s for under $150 right now. Gun shows frequently have K98s in the 150 to 200 buck range. Then there are Yugo Mausers and many other K98s made in various countries that run under $100 up to $250. Gunshows have K98s $200 typically that are in good condition. Even some of the crappy looking K98s with cracked stocks and gouged stocks are very accurate with nice bores. Also, look in your local trader newspapers. K98s are very common under $250. It doesn't matter where I or you live does it?
 
#9 ·
I very seldom see a K98k for sale at under $250, unless it is raggedy as !!!!.
IF you are referrinbg to ANY Mod 98 TYPE rifle, then you may be right?
I do NOT pay any attention to Non WW 2 German K98k rifles as I have No interest in them.
What does "remarked" mean from Samco? I haven't seen that flyer. But then again that is dealer price and the retail price will be around $100+ over that. Comparing dealer & retail prices is like comparing apples & oranges for the non FFL holders.
Sarge
 
#10 · (Edited)
Both my K98s have cracked stocks which is a good way to get a K98 in my opinion. I didnt want pay $300 for a nice Mauser because I rarely shoot them. They are just curios to me. I got one for $155 at a gunshow January 06. Look for imperfections. This cuts the price.

PS: yes I'm talking about K98s not persians or Yugos.
 
#12 ·
I got my K98 from Inter Ordnance for $250, and I love it. It also came with a unique Bayonet from WW1, I did my research and the bayonet was a M1898/05 sawback made for combat engineers. Great gun too. found out it was actually worth about triple of the buying price too when I got it appraised in St.Louis
 
#13 ·
I bought my M48 from Mitchell's, I could order it and have it sent to my local gun shop. I have nothing but good things to say about Mitchell's rifles. I was the third member of my family to buy one, that is how good they are. just over $300.00, including shipping, and you have a "brand new" half centruy old rifle plus the extras they include. And the wood stock is made out of seems to be teak. Oh yeah, it shoots wonderfully too.
 
#15 ·
Mitchell Mausers largest problem is that they sell as K-98/make one believe they are of historical importance. They are actually M-48, Yugoslav production. If you want a German from Yugoslavia get the M24-47. Most K-98's currently available are Russian re-works. It says German and yes it was manufactured there but has been reworked in Russia. They took them, stripped them and washed the parts in large solvent vats. They then reached in and put parts together. You will not finding all matching there. However, on that note if you want a good Mauser and not too much money, go with an M-48. It is in K-98 pattern, just lacks any historical value. They are typically $150-$170. That is the problem with Mitchell, same thing, much more money, and not actually German. Another good choice if you can find them are Swedes, Turks, or Persian. Persian and Swedes are generally very nice condition. Few wars that they went through, Persian especially. Swedes are German manufacture. Persian are Czech BRNO (BRNO are the probably the best manufactured after German but getting hard to find.) The Turks are typically good shooters but not the prettiest and shouldn't cost more then a $100. You can also find Israeli K-98's chambered for .308. Go to Century Arms.
 
#20 · (Edited)


These are a couple of Mausers I picked up from Mitchell's last year. One is a "Collector Grade" the other is a "Premium Grade". Both came with flawless accessories. The only difference in the accessories is the Bayonet on the Premium Grade rifle is blued, which as I understand is period correct, where the Bayonet on the Collector Grade is white. Im not sure they have many, if any of these left because now they are advertising the K-98 for $399.00. I'm thinking of getting one of those as well. I know if you mention Mitchell's to hard core Mauser collectors it's worse than kicking their dog. I wasn't intrested in "history", I simply wanted a nice, clean rifle. Mitchell's provides this as you can see. Both rifles shoot very well, and all serial numbers match. Bolt, floorplate, stock, etc. Remember, Mausers are like everything else, your only going to get what you pay for. Bill T.
 
#21 ·
Yes, you get what you pay for - especially from mitchels! You pay for a s--ng and thats pretty much what you get in most cases!
The M48 & variants are mostly all original as mfg/issued - except many were never issued, but put into storage -and if you want a new condition shooter without any history, this may be the way to go.
IF, on the other hand you want a WW 2 German K98k, mitchels is definately NOT the place to go. Their rifles are RCs or Yugo reworks that have been renumbered, reblued and new made incorrekt type wood stocks put on them. Their prices are mostly way out of line and they have a lousy reputation for customer service. The National Better Business Beureau gives them an F rating.
Sarge
 
#22 ·
No matter where you get your Mauser or where it was made you will learn something when you shoot it. It's extremely accurate and bristling with overkill with a bullet that is too big and it makes a God awful loud noise. I believe the theory behind the Mauser was that it was supposed to be such a terrifying weapon to face that most soldiers would turn around and run as soon as they heard it. You never forget shooting a Mauser. Even at a crowded shooting range every shooter looks over at you when you fire off a Mauser. It's a scarey gun.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top