New Mauser, Worth It?

[DM Shooting]

Shot probably 20 MO3s now most setting them up on the range for clients from 243-375 all have been accurate did what they should triggers where good like all good modern rifles.

They work would I buy one no I like old rifles but I'd very happily hunt with one.

 

[Hank2211]

My two cents.

First, I think far too much is made of accuracy. Heresy? I suggest not. Unless you are one of those who like to shoot things at 800 yards+ (and whether that's hunting is for another thread), I'd argue that almost any rifle today, from production to semi-custom to custom, will shoot more accurately than you can. That is, it will be the holder which brings the accuracy down, not the rifle.

And frankly, how accurate do you need a rifle to be? If you can hit a dinner plate with two shots at 300 yards, which I'd think (virtually) any modern rifle can, then you can kill any animal you set your sights on. Pun intended.

So don't pay more for claims of "accuracy." With apologies to Col. Whelen, all rifles are interesting these days.

My second cent. You don't need a Mauser action to get the performance you need (see above cent). But I have a Rigby Big Game .416 Rigby and two Kilimajaros (.375 H&H and .404 Jeffery) and a full-custom Martini .300 Win Mag. Why? Not because they shoot better than the Browning A-bolt which I just retired last year. But because they go beyond the utilitarian - they go beyond accuracy, into beautiful.

What makes a rifle beautiful? We could argue about that all day, but I'd suggest, among other things:

1. The overall look of the rifle. Some, particularly the English style, have clean lines and an overall look that bespeaks quality and ease of use. My Rigby .416 was a replacement for a CZ .416 and not only does it look a heck of a lot better, it mounts more intuitively, and hurts a lot less. Drive a Porsche and a Chrysler. One seems like an extension of you, while the other, well, not so much.

2. Wood. I am a big fan of great looking, highly figured, wood. And these stocks don't come cheap. You can get 10 Savages with wooden stocks for the price of one blank of exhibition grade Turkish walnut. Is it worth it? Up to you. It is to me.

3. Action. Yes, you pay more for a Mauser M98, but there's more than a hundred years of history there. If history means something to you, you might well pay extra for it. I do. I shoot a .416 Rigby, when I could shoot a .416 Remington Magnum for a fraction of the cost in ammo. But the Remington is not a Rigby.

4. The Rest. I don't go in for lots of engraving, but some do, and it takes time and skill. Neither come cheap. I like things like a leather covered recoil pads, ebony accents, etc. It adds up, but it makes for a beautiful firearm.

So it comes down to this, @TallGrassHunter, get a Mauser if it matters to you, and if you will enjoy it. If you can afford it, you won't regret it. When I bought my first car, many decades ago, I didn't get air conditioning, because it was for sissies and it cost too much. Every car since has had AC.

 

[Roan]

@Foxi Thanks for that!!!

Super nice of you!

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

Hi guys.
I prefer the old proven M98.
Witold

 

[Foxi]

Hi guys.
I prefer the old proven M98.
Witold

Witold you old partizan
you have absolute right.
A real Mauser came from Oberndorf,not Isny,but times are changing.

Roan: no problem,you are always welocme.
When you need more adresses ,tell me.
Regards to all
Foxi

 

[Velo Dog]

Hi TallGrassHunter,

Provided we do not include shooting elephant at ten paces, then the Model-98 Mauser is IMO the very best of the best ever conceived, in hunting rifles.
Not that the Model 98 would be wrong for the above work.
IMO, it'd be real fine for same but, a large bore double would just be my slight preference for that scenario.
Even with that, the price listed for Mauser's square bridge 98-Magnum today seems too high, since for about the same money, one can probably order a new Verney Carron double rifle with 26" ejector barrels.
And, you would be approaching the price of similarly described Heym double rifle.
I have examined but not fired one of the very expensive Mauser 98 Magnum rifles, Caliber 416 Rigby.
It was built recently (within the past 15 years or 20 years) but, it was not worth near the 10 or 12 thousand US dollars these are rumored to sell for at the moment (at least not worth that high of a price according to me - LOL).

Regarding the Mauser 03 and M12, and perhaps other "modern" versions from Mauser as well, I have absolutely no experience with any of them.
And so, all I will say about just one of them (Mauser Model 12) is that if you were quoted $6,000. for it, and if you're considering buying same, do consider spending just a little more for the Francotte Mauser (Model 98 Brevex Magnum) in .416 Rigby, currently listed on Griffin & Howe's web site.
THAT is a hunting rifle !
(I unfortunately cant afford an $8,000.+ Mauser but, it is a beauty).

I'm not sure where you live.
But if you live in a country where CZ rifles are commonly available, not long ago they were advertising their Model 550 Magnum in left hand.
As I recall, they wanted a bit more money for these than their right hander's version but still affordable, compared to some other brands of hunting rifles lately.

That being said, in my own experience and from what others have posted on AH, the CZ rifles sometimes need a bit of hand work to feed correctly.
I own several of them in various calibers - one of these needed work to feed reliably, the rest of mine always worked fine from the beginning.
As dangerous game rifles go, even with the added cost of Gunsmithing the action to feed correctly, I feel the CZ is an excellent buy.

While describing his own philosophy on hunting rifle accuracy, Hank2211 pretty much described mine as well.
However, since accuracy is very important to you, the CZ will not disappoint - usually they are superbly accurate, straight out of the factory carton.

I do not know if Winchester offers their Model 70 these days in left hand.
But, if they do, one of these might possibly be a great rifle for you.
Today's Model 70 is another great rifle for world wide hunting.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

 

[richteb]

I have a MO3 extreme in 3006 and 375. Used the 375 in Africa on plains game. Also use both here in Australia on Sambar. I am very happy with this outfit. Very accutate and 100 % reliable in feeding. Would not hesistate to recommend.

 

[sierraone]

My two cents.

First, I think far too much is made of accuracy. Heresy? I suggest not. Unless you are one of those who like to shoot things at 800 yards+ (and whether that's hunting is for another thread), I'd argue that almost any rifle today, from production to semi-custom to custom, will shoot more accurately than you can. That is, it will be the holder which brings the accuracy down, not the rifle.

And frankly, how accurate do you need a rifle to be? If you can hit a dinner plate with two shots at 300 yards, which I'd think (virtually) any modern rifle can, then you can kill any animal you set your sights on. Pun intended.

So don't pay more for claims of "accuracy." With apologies to Col. Whelen, all rifles are interesting these days.

My second cent. You don't need a Mauser action to get the performance you need (see above cent). But I have a Rigby Big Game .416 Rigby and two Kilimajaros (.375 H&H and .404 Jeffery) and a full-custom Martini .300 Win Mag. Why? Not because they shoot better than the Browning A-bolt which I just retired last year. But because they go beyond the utilitarian - they go beyond accuracy, into beautiful.

What makes a rifle beautiful? We could argue about that all day, but I'd suggest, among other things:

1. The overall look of the rifle. Some, particularly the English style, have clean lines and an overall look that bespeaks quality and ease of use. My Rigby .416 was a replacement for a CZ .416 and not only does it look a heck of a lot better, it mounts more intuitively, and hurts a lot less. Drive a Porsche and a Chrysler. One seems like an extension of you, while the other, well, not so much.

2. Wood. I am a big fan of great looking, highly figured, wood. And these stocks don't come cheap. You can get 10 Savages with wooden stocks for the price of one blank of exhibition grade Turkish walnut. Is it worth it? Up to you. It is to me.

3. Action. Yes, you pay more for a Mauser M98, but there's more than a hundred years of history there. If history means something to you, you might well pay extra for it. I do. I shoot a .416 Rigby, when I could shoot a .416 Remington Magnum for a fraction of the cost in ammo. But the Remington is not a Rigby.

4. The Rest. I don't go in for lots of engraving, but some do, and it takes time and skill. Neither come cheap. I like things like a leather covered recoil pads, ebony accents, etc. It adds up, but it makes for a beautiful firearm.

So it comes down to this, @TallGrassHunter, get a Mauser if it matters to you, and if you will enjoy it. If you can afford it, you won't regret it. When I bought my first car, many decades ago, I didn't get air conditioning, because it was for sissies and it cost too much. Every car since has had AC.

That's exactly what I was going to say!!!!

 

[sierraone]

Hi TallGrassHunter,

Provided we do not include shooting elephant at ten paces, then the Model-98 Mauser is IMO the very best of the best ever conceived, in hunting rifles.
Not that the Model 98 would be wrong for the above work.
IMO, it'd be real fine for same but, a large bore double would just be my slight preference for that scenario.
Even with that, the price listed for Mauser's square bridge 98-Magnum today seems too high, since for about the same money, one can probably order a new Verney Carron double rifle with 26" ejector barrels.
And, you would be approaching the price of similarly described Heym double rifle.
I have examined but not fired one of the very expensive Mauser 98 Magnum rifles, Caliber 416 Rigby.
It was built recently (within the past 15 years or 20 years) but, it was not worth near the 10 or 12 thousand US dollars these are rumored to sell for at the moment (at least not worth that high of a price according to me - LOL).

Regarding the Mauser 03 and M12, and perhaps other "modern" versions from Mauser as well, I have absolutely no experience with any of them.
And so, all I will say about just one of them (Mauser Model 12) is that if you were quoted $6,000. for it, and if you're considering buying same, do consider spending just a little more for the Francotte Mauser (Model 98 Brevex Magnum) in .416 Rigby, currently listed on Griffin & Howe's web site.
THAT is a hunting rifle !
(I unfortunately cant afford an $8,000.+ Mauser but, it is a beauty).

I'm not sure where you live.
But if you live in a country where CZ rifles are commonly available, not long ago they were advertising their Model 550 Magnum in left hand.
As I recall, they wanted a bit more money for these than their right hander's version but still affordable, compared to some other brands of hunting rifles lately.

That being said, in my own experience and from what others have posted on AH, the CZ rifles sometimes need a bit of hand work to feed correctly.
I own several of them in various calibers - one of these needed work to feed reliably, the rest of mine always worked fine from the beginning.
As dangerous game rifles go, even with the added cost of Gunsmithing the action to feed correctly, I feel the CZ is an excellent buy.

While describing his own philosophy on hunting rifle accuracy, Hank2211 pretty much described mine as well.
However, since accuracy is very important to you, the CZ will not disappoint - usually they are superbly accurate, straight out of the factory carton.

I do not know if Winchester offers their Model 70 these days in left hand.
But, if they do, one of these might possibly be a great rifle for you.
Today's Model 70 is another great rifle for world wide hunting.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

I have to make a small correction to either you or TallGrassHunter. The model 12 is around $1400 for the plastic version and $2000 for the traditional wood stock version. I believe it's the 03 that's around $6000, but have seen them on line for $4500 or so. The traditional version of the M12 is a modern Mauser for deer hunting IMO. Neither the 12 nor the 03 have any resemblance to the 98!

 

[Velo Dog]

I have to make a small correction to either you or TallGrassHunter. The model 12 is around $1400 for the plastic version and $2000 for the traditional wood stock version. I believe it's the 03 that's around $6000, but have seen them on line for $4500 or so. The traditional version of the M12 is a modern Mauser for deer hunting IMO. Neither the 12 nor the 03 have any resemblance to the 98!

Thanks David,

That error is mine.
I meant to spotlight the Mauser M-03 price of $6,000.us, not the M-12.

Cheers,
Paul.

 

[TallGrassHunter]

TGH,
you hit my point,which one I go pregnant since a few weeks.
This MO3 left hand system in 375 H+H,would be my next baby.
Perfect for travelings.Only a violin case @the airports.
Not necesarry,but the damned " must have" passion.....of a hunter
Foxi
View attachment 170804

Congratulations Ms. Foxi. There is a lucky baby on the way to have you for a Mom.

 

[Tom Leoni]

I agree with Hank. Nowadays, the diminishing marginal returns you get on a rifle past the $2,000 mark are infinitesimal--you are just buying status, cool, bragging rights and emotional attachment to a brand. It's similar to buying a Leica M10 camera--it's not any better than a $2,000 system, but it's unique, beautiful and if you're a Leica fan, that red dot gives you a sense of pride of ownership that another camera may not. That makes the $6,500 more than worth it to some. Truth is, you take a Savage to Africa, you're just as well off from a practical standpoint--but you miss out on the "wow, whatchagotthere?!" factor.

Does my H&H falling block shoot any better than my Ruger No. 1? No. Do I get a high every time I take it out of the case? Heck yeah.

Now, personally I've never been a fan of modular systems. Never even liked the classic British takedowns. I like for my bolt rifle to consist of two main parts--the barreled action and the stock. No particular reason--as others have pointed out, a well-made modular rifle will hold its own against any other. But there's a certain gimmicky je ne sais quoi that makes me pass on them. Again, purely subjective--I can't think of any reason why anyone who wants one should look elsewhere.

My recommendation? Don't exclude, prioritize. Buy the one that calls to you the loudest now, then save for the other in the future. I'm lucky in that regard because my wife thinks that walnut and steel spontaneously reproduce in the gun-room.

 

[fiocchi]

Just like Rigby for example, mauser doesn't actually exist as such anymore.
Rigby's are basically all outsourcing with a bit of in house finishing, mausers are basically a product of its parent company and the m98's are made by prechtl, only magnum m98's are made in isny i believe.

12k for a new m98, it's a lot of dosh and I can tell you that until they're actually made by Mauser in a Mauser factory, I'll not be buying one.

£45k+ for a London best Rigby made by Mayfair engineering,,hmm not so sure either

 

[Tom Leoni]

Just like Rigby for example, mauser doesn't actually exist as such anymore.
Rigby's are basically all outsourcing with a bit of in house finishing, mausers are basically a product of its parent company and the m98's are made by prechtl, only magnum m98's are made in isny i believe.

12k for a new m98, it's a lot of dosh and I can tell you that until they're actually made by Mauser in a Mauser factory, I'll not be buying one.

£45k+ for a London best Rigby made by Mayfair engineering,,hmm not so sure either

("Dosh" - good one!)

There's that, absolutely true...

I've heard that even Purdey outsources--I think I remember it's from Perugini-Visini of Italy. Surely the end of an era for a lot of the glorious old companies.

 

[seprim]

I have an M03 in .243, and a CZ550 in 375H&H Magnum.
The M03 is a very accurate rifle, take down and return to zero, packs to a small case and you can expect to pay about £2800 for a rifle and barrel (depending on the grade of wood), and an additional barrel, between £900 and £1600 depending on spec.
I must say the engineering on the M03 is excellent and I find mine easy to point and shoot.
regards
Andrew

 

[ChrisG]

The M98's are very nice.... Not $12,000 nice, but nice nonetheless. For that price, you could have a custom made rifle on a granite mountain action or a CZ550 completely worked over by AHR and enough left over to buy 4 or 5 really nice scopes. In my opinion, there is no way it is worth that much. With engraving maybe... but I looked at one in a shop in connecticut. The wood is nice, but it is spray on "oil" finished. The action was smooth and the trigger broke like glass. All of that can be had by a reputable American company for a fraction of the price. Heck, 12 grand would buy you a great used Heym double!

 

[Vinootz]

My two cents.

First, I think far too much is made of accuracy. Heresy? I suggest not. Unless you are one of those who like to shoot things at 800 yards+ (and whether that's hunting is for another thread), I'd argue that almost any rifle today, from production to semi-custom to custom, will shoot more accurately than you can. That is, it will be the holder which brings the accuracy down, not the rifle.

And frankly, how accurate do you need a rifle to be? If you can hit a dinner plate with two shots at 300 yards, which I'd think (virtually) any modern rifle can, then you can kill any animal you set your sights on. Pun intended.

So don't pay more for claims of "accuracy." With apologies to Col. Whelen, all rifles are interesting these days.

My second cent. You don't need a Mauser action to get the performance you need (see above cent). But I have a Rigby Big Game .416 Rigby and two Kilimajaros (.375 H&H and .404 Jeffery) and a full-custom Martini .300 Win Mag. Why? Not because they shoot better than the Browning A-bolt which I just retired last year. But because they go beyond the utilitarian - they go beyond accuracy, into beautiful.

What makes a rifle beautiful? We could argue about that all day, but I'd suggest, among other things:

1. The overall look of the rifle. Some, particularly the English style, have clean lines and an overall look that bespeaks quality and ease of use. My Rigby .416 was a replacement for a CZ .416 and not only does it look a heck of a lot better, it mounts more intuitively, and hurts a lot less. Drive a Porsche and a Chrysler. One seems like an extension of you, while the other, well, not so much.

2. Wood. I am a big fan of great looking, highly figured, wood. And these stocks don't come cheap. You can get 10 Savages with wooden stocks for the price of one blank of exhibition grade Turkish walnut. Is it worth it? Up to you. It is to me.

3. Action. Yes, you pay more for a Mauser M98, but there's more than a hundred years of history there. If history means something to you, you might well pay extra for it. I do. I shoot a .416 Rigby, when I could shoot a .416 Remington Magnum for a fraction of the cost in ammo. But the Remington is not a Rigby.

4. The Rest. I don't go in for lots of engraving, but some do, and it takes time and skill. Neither come cheap. I like things like a leather covered recoil pads, ebony accents, etc. It adds up, but it makes for a beautiful firearm.

So it comes down to this, @TallGrassHunter, get a Mauser if it matters to you, and if you will enjoy it. If you can afford it, you won't regret it. When I bought my first car, many decades ago, I didn't get air conditioning, because it was for sissies and it cost too much. Every car since has had AC.

I could not have said it better !

 

[WAB]

("Dosh" - good one!)

There's that, absolutely true...

I've heard that even Purdey outsources--I think I remember it's from Perugini-Visini of Italy. Surely the end of an era for a lot of the glorious old companies.

I doubt that you could find many guns manufactured completely in-house from any period of English gun making history. The cottage industry has been a mainstay of English gun making since it’s inception. A good friend of mine is an H&H trained engraver. His work is to the level that he sits on the assessment panel of the worshipful company of gunmakers. For many years now all of his work has been done from his home studio. If you have a Rigby with engraving it is likely his. If you have an H&H with engraving there is a good chance it is his. A friend up the road from him does gold inlay for the trade. Another fellow he works with does metal finishing from home, and on and on. That’s just how the trade works.

 

[Red Leg]

I doubt that you could find many guns manufactured completely in-house from any period of English gun making history. The cottage industry has been a mainstay of English gun making since it’s inception. A good friend of mine is an H&H trained engraver. His work is to the level that he sits on the assessment panel of the worshipful company of gunmakers. For many years now all of his work has been done from his home studio. If you have a Rigby with engraving it is likely his. If you have an H&H with engraving there is a good chance it is his. A friend up the road from him does gold inlay for the trade. Another fellow he works with does metal finishing from home, and on and on. That’s just how the trade works.

Exactly. Pretty sure a model 98 action was never made in the UK. The Birmingham makers did use the P14 action on a few designs (though nearly all of those were American built), there was the Certus abomination by C&H, and of course the Lee Enfield was the basis of the many Lee Speed sporters - none of which had actions actually built in house. So yes, things among the English gunmaking houses are pretty much as they always were with respect to bolt action rifles.

 

[mark-hunter]

@Red Leg
Out of couriosity, do you think that this stands for all of British gun makers?
Holland & holland, Purdey, Westley Richards etc... and others who produce maser 98 type rifles?

If so, then I wonder who supplies 98 actions to them, today? (and especially magnum actions?)