Hey guys, need your opinion. I like my old K98 Mauser and I would like to have a WW2 style rifle for hunting. But I can't bear to "sport" it out. So I decided to buy a new modern commercial Mauser, perhaps a CZ, Ruger, etc. The other day, just when I was gonna fork out the cash for a new rifle I ran into a sweet German k98 already rebarreled .308 and is accurate as ****. Its is in great condition with next to new barrel (the only thing that doesn't match). The only thing it needs is to be is drilled and tapped. Weighing the pro cons, would you consider the old mauser or a modern mauser for hunting?

If you want a sporter that's, I guess you'd call, top of the line- hinged floorplate, 3 position safety that locks the firing pin, Mauser type extractor, drilled and tapped for scope mounts, etc. by the time you do that work on a 98 , you'll have enough invested to buy 2 or 3 or 4 Winchester Model 70 classics, which has all those features....
If you can do the work yourself, you'd save some money. But, if you think sporterizing is a money saver, I got a bridge to sell ya.

i completely agree re the cost of sporterizing a military rifle if you aren't capable of doing the smithing yourself, as compared to buying a modern sporting arm, especially a used modern rifle.

i am a big fan of pre-64 winchester model 70's too, i have 2 that are stock and 3 more made into custom rifles just using the m70 action.

HOWEVER one of the bad things winchester did when they brought out the model 70 was they dropped the 3rd safety lug from the M98 mauser design!!!!!

even my cheap new CZ 550 (cost $469) has a 3rd safety lug.

a friend of mine screwed up and loaded some .284 boattails into .270 cases.....when he went to the range and fired one, there was a VERY loud bang and wood splinters flew this way and that. the long mauser claw extarctor was bent sharply. but the bolt stayed closed, the action didn't rupture, the barrel didn't burst, even though he "swaged" a .284 down to .277 diameter.....god bless the 3rd saftey lug!

regards

lapsub

If you want a sporter that's, I guess you'd call, top of the line- hinged floorplate, 3 position safety that locks the firing pin, Mauser type extractor, drilled and tapped for scope mounts, etc. by the time you do that work on a 98 , you'll have enough invested to buy 2 or 3 or 4 Winchester Model 70 classics, which has all those features....
If you can do the work yourself, you'd save some money. But, if you think sporterizing is a money saver, I got a bridge to sell ya.

I was planning on just having a gunsmith drill and tap the K98 and it would be good to go. I dont want to really sporterize the K98 but just add a scope to it at keep the rest as is. I once owned a Spanish mauser that I bought already sporterized and had a scope mount drill/tapped and still used the old safety. That was what I was planning on duplicating. I see your point if I wanted to modify the K98 from one end to the other. But I just want some optics on it. The .308 caliber K98 I am looking at is already a sharp performer....i just hope to rely on optics over iron sights for hunting. I dont plan on modifying anything else on it, so will this stil be a good buy?

If you use the original safety, you will need to use very high scope mounts for clearance. That will allow you to use the bolt in the original configuration, possibly.
Drilling and tapping will probably run 40-50 $...somewhere around there, maybe less. If that's all you do, it won't cost much. That much sporterizing will still be cheaper than a new rifle- the trick is stopping there. Sporterizng can be addictive.
My experience has been, that, after a while, you decide to get a better trigger, and, what the heck, get a side safety while yer at it....
Then, you kinda wish the scope was lower,(now that ya got the low safety) so ya get the bolt bent down.
Hey a nice piece of wood would make a real purty sporter outta this.....
A little calculator time will prove the Model 70 cheaper...

If you use the original safety, you will need to use very high scope mounts for clearance. That will allow you to use the bolt in the original configuration, possibly.
Drilling and tapping will probably run 40-50 $...somewhere around there, maybe less. If that's all you do, it won't cost much. That much sporterizing will still be cheaper than a new rifle- the trick is stopping there. Sporterizng can be addictive.
My experience has been, that, after a while, you decide to get a better trigger, and, what the heck, get a side safety while yer at it....
Then, you kinda wish the scope was lower,(now that ya got the low safety) so ya get the bolt bent down.
Hey a nice piece of wood would make a real purty sporter outta this.....
A little calculator time will prove the Model 70 cheaper...

Sound advice. I doubt I'll Sport it out that much since I like to keep this K98 as close to its original design as posible.
I notice you guys push the Mod 70 alot. :)

You might want to check the manufacture date on the rifle and make sure it was not an end of the war rifle. A lot of end of war rifles were not heat treated very well and even in .308 they can be too soft, or too hard. That might be why it is for sale, it might have already developed a bolt set back and head space problem. I would not buy any conversion without checking headspace first with real headspace gauges and also a test fire. If the bolt has been set back in the reciever, even if the headspace has been corrected, when you fire it the bolt will set back into the recess and they are a devil to unlock. A good reference on which 98s are good is Bolt Action Rifles by David? Haas or Hass. He lists the dates to avoid. Mine is packed away or I would look it up for you. You also might inquire at Milsurpshooter. (http://pub113.ezboard.com/bparallaxscurioandrelicfirearmsforums)

Would you have to bend the bolt handle (or cut off the old one and weld on a new bolt handle) and change the safety to allow scope use? You'll probably want to change the trigger as well. Adding those expenses might place you close enough to something like the CZ 550 to make it worth going with the commercial rifle. I just picked up a CZ 550 American in .270 yesterday. A very impressive rifle. I was planning on picking up a Model 70, but I think I like this rifle even better, especially for the money.

"You might want to check the manufacture date on the rifle and make sure it was not an end of the war rifle."
Not a bad idea. One easy way to get a rough idea is , of course, look at the receiver to see if the year of manufacture is stamped on it- it often is.
If you can't find that, check and see how the trigger guard and floorplate are made (the follower, too). If they're made by stamping sheet metal, it's probably a mid/late WW11 make, when time and materials were getting scarce. If the trigger guard, floorplate, and follower are forged or machined (solid metal) you can bet the rifle was made before 1943.
BTW, K98's were converted to 308 by the Israelis at one time. They look like military rifles, they're just chambered and barreled 308.

Charles Daly is importing commercial mausers now, both rifles and barreled actions.

http://www.charlesdaly.com/HTML/products/firearms/rifles/rifles.asp

Why not use a mount that replaces the sight and a long eye relief scope and call it a scout rifle?