Can I hunt with a vintage German Mauser k98

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ssbn506

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I am new to firearms and have a few questions. I want to start deer hunting and am going to go with my father in law this year. I am trying to decide what rifle I would like. After looking at a lot of new rifles I have decide they may not be for me. The one I really liked was the r15 but can’t hunt with that. :(
My second choice is a ww2 rifle. I am a big history buff and hunting with a mauser k98 is very appealing to me. But I have a few questions.

1:Would this be a practical hunting rifle for deer?

2: Can I put a scope in it? I would love a period one but my limited research show they cost a fortune. Would this be correct?

3: How will 8mm mauser ammo compare to 30-06 or .308 in range and stopping power. Will it cost me a fortune to shoot this ammo?

4: Do any of you do what I am thinking?

The only requirement I would have is it be a German mauser with the vintage furniture.
 
The mauser is perfectly fine for hunting. Might want to take a peek to ensure it is not big $ to collectors before getting it muddy, but other then that, get a couple of boxes, take it to the range so you know where it will shoot, and you are good to go.
 
Dont scope it unless you buy one that has already been a bubba'd receiver. Never permanently alter or destroy history. Buy a cheap Stevens rifle if you can't live without a scoped rifle but don't drill and tap any milsurp.
 
Lovely, classic rifles.

My main beef with military Mausers is that their front sight blades are quite fine. For military, target and hunting use, in my opinion, a nice fat front sight blade would be much better.

SAAMI pressure specs for 8mm Mauser are very low, so commercially-loaded (in North America) 8mm Mauser ammo tends to be pretty anemic. But European ammo is loaded to CIP standards, which is full pressure. So (e.g.) Norma, Lapua etc 8mm Mauser hunting ammo ought to be fully the equal of .30-06 hunting ammo. (A competent handloader can also do this).
 
yes you can hunt with Mausers, they are good guns.
Many Milsurps may not live up to the accuracy you expect from a modern hunting rifle unless you put a lot of work into it. Most are sufficiently accurate to hunt within reason.

I wouldn't recommend an 8mm Mauser myself but of of course it's perfectly adequate to kill deer. There are Mausers out there in 308 or 30-06. After WWII a lot of Mausers were rebarreled to 30-06 or 308 in Norway, Spain, Israel, Belgium, Brazill... at various times. I have a K98k Oberndorf 1944 later denazified and rebarreled in Israel to 7.62 NATO that I like to shoot.

Another option I prefer is the 7mm Mauser in, for example, a Brazil m1908. Nice cartridge and as far as I know the only cartridge Mauser himself had designed.

You can scope them by taping them, which is generally considered a shame in most nice milsurps, (don't do it!) or preferably get a mount for the rear sight of the Mauser. This is one example: ht tp://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=22431/Product/MAUSER_SCOPE_MOUNT
The scope needs to have a bit more eye relief than most regular scopes do, but there are some scopes out there that fit the bill. On my Israeli K98k the distance is about 7.5".

Hope this helps
 
Maybe it is just what I have a hankering for this week but...

What about a Lee Enfield? You could find one already scoped, and not destroy a piece of history. A no 4 (or other), in original condition (or in a sporter configuration with original sights) has great sights, though, so a scope should be far from necessary. Ammo will be easier to come by, i.e. at any Canadian Tire. And it is every bit as much a piece of history, both military and a part of the Canadian backwoods.

RG

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The 98k has been my preferred hunting rifle for many years. As has been mentioned 8X57JS is the european 30-06 and will take down anything.
Just don't use american "lawyer loads" and use full power European stuff (196gr S&B, norma) or handloads.
I use irons and I have never had a problem getting within 200m of a game animal. More challenging = more fun:D
 
What about a 6.5x55 swede? They are pretty easy to find sporterized. I bought my 1942 husquevarna with williams peep sight not to badly bubba'ed for 30 bucks years ago.I would not hesitate to go after anything in Ontario with a decent 140 grain
 
Recce21 said:
Dont scope it unless you buy one that has already been a bubba'd receiver. Never permanently alter or destroy history. Buy a cheap Stevens rifle if you can't live without a scoped rifle but don't drill and tap any milsurp.
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What right do you have to tell people what to do with their property. It's his firearm, if he wishes to scope it, it can be done.
 
you will not be disappointed with a mauser 8 mm. mine shoots fine with open sights. it has been sporterized so any collector value is gone but it has been part of my family for more than sixty years as it was brought home as a war trophy by my fathers brother .it has taken a few deer in northern ontario . this is a gun that i would fight any legal battle to keep as my uncle put his life on the line so that i might have the freedom to posses it .
 
Your true NavyCuba, but foced to tell ,please do'nt destroy your M98. In military form it's have a great value, when you will have drill it for a scope the collector value will be out.
Judes
 
Thanks for all the advice this is gold. I don't have a 98 yet and may not even be able to find one. I was not aware you couldn't mount a scope without damaging it. That is not something i want to do. I assumed they used scopes in ww2 and the rifles would have a stock way to mount it.

I was looking for one like this. http://www.marstar.ca/WWII-K98.htm

Would this be the standard price for a k98 or is this well less then they are worth.

Be honest with me am I asking classic car collectors if it is a good idea to take a 1953 Chevrolet Corvette to the destruction derby?

This is all so new to me and I will do what I want but value the opinion of people who have been in this game a lot longer than I have.
 
The full power 8mm is probably more powerful than a 308 and almost the same as a 30-06.

No animal could tell the difference.

You do not show what part of Canada you are in. The terrain you hunt makes a difference. In Ontario we typically see deer at 50 yards or less, so the mauser sights (once it is zeroed) would be just fine.

In Alberta, where longer ranges are used, a scope would be better.

if i had a new in the grease K98, I would not take it hunting. But the one I have is well used, so one or two more "uses" would not matter a bit.

Just remember, a mauser must be loaded from the magazine. Don't try to fire a shot by just sticking the shell in the chamber. You can do that in a Lee Enfield, but not a Mauser.
 
ssbn506 said:
Thanks for all the advice this is gold. I don't have a 98 yet and may not even be able to find one. I was not aware you couldn't mount a scope without damaging it. That is not something i want to do. I assumed they used scopes in ww2 and the rifles would have a stock way to mount it.

I was looking for one like this. http://www.marstar.ca/WWII-K98.htm

Would this be the standard price for a k98 or is this well less then they are worth.

Be honest with me am I asking classic car collectors if it is a good idea to take a 1953 Chevrolet Corvette to the destruction derby?

This is all so new to me and I will do what I want but value the opinion of people who have been in this game a lot longer than I have.
Click to expand...
I'm not aware of any dealer that has newly imported stock of German 98ks but Marstar has minty Yugo M-48s, and P&S has Czech (8mm), Chilean (.308) and Norwegian Mausers (.30-06) ranging from $400-800.
 
Ganderite said:
...
Just remember, a mauser must be loaded from the magazine. Don't try to fire a shot by just sticking the shell in the chamber. You can do that in a Lee Enfield, but not a Mauser.
Click to expand...

What is is the reason the Mauser must be fed from the magazine and not directly into the chamber?
 
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