Hey guys!,
So I have been away with work for the last while and today was the first day I have been able to get on up to the range, and as such I figured I would do another write up on a milsurp (this time not a Mosin!
)
Today I brought with me my 1943 made AR code German K98k Mauser rifle. This rifle is some sort of capture/refurb, due to some discrepencies in the markings however I have no idea who it was captured by chances are it is a Russian capture however as there are a few parts with plum markings. I have often wondered if this rifle has shot at any of my other rifles I have heard you can't place them in the same safe beside a Mosin/M1/No4 as they fight when your asleep
This particular rifle was made in Berlin, in the Borsigwalde factory and was at some point issued to the Wermacht and I assume used in some form during the war. The rifles bore is in great shape, and has a nice shine to it. All of the original markings are still intact with nothing peened out, but the external finish has seen a fair bit of abuse, as is evident by the light pitting. The rifle is however in great mechanical shape, shoots great and overall is one of my favourite rifles to fire.
Todays weather was nice, fairly hot and sunny at about 30ish degrees but with a nice breeze moving right to left. For the shoot today I was using two different types of ammo to compare the differences between surplus and reloaded ammo. I was looking for differences in recoil, accuracy, point of impact and overall "feel".
The surplus I brought with me was 1943 dated (appropriate for this rifle!) Turkish 8mm FMJ surplus. This ammo shot surprisingly well for ammo of this vintage, and fed great on the stripper clips it came pre loaded on.
Surplus - note the pre loaded stripper clip.
My reloaded ammo I was firing consisted of 195gr .323 bullets with 41gr of Reloader 15 powder, in Remington 7x fired brass with Winchester primers. This combination I have found to be excellent in my rifle.
Reloads
All ammunition fired without a hitch and cycled/fed beautifully. I did notice however towards the end of the shoot the surplus ammo tended to "stick" when extracting, probably an issue just becoming dirty (I fired quite a bit of ammo today).
The rifle itself shot great, the trigger on these rifles is really something to brag about. The two stage trigger was very crisp, and take up was light enough to be accurate, but heavy enough to be safe for a combat rifle. The only trigger I can compare it to milsurp wise would be a No4. The trigger was VERY consistant, and to be honest, impresses me every time I fire this rifle.
The sights are another point to make note of. The German K98k sights are very fine, and are definitely made for accurate shooting. In combat I can see this sight becoming lost, and fairly difficult to use under low light conditions - but I wasnt there so I cannot say for sure. The sight picture however is excellent, and for target shooting can't be beat.
Sight picture
The rifles recoil was very manageable, and with the reloads fairly mild. The surplus rounds kicked a bit harder, but the heavy stock really eats up the kick. I didnt use any sort of recoil pad, and can't see one being necessary for someone of my size. The action was generally smooth and feeding was excellent - German engineering at its finest!
The action - smooth feeding!
Accuracy - Well, what can I say about the K98s accuracy that hasnt already been said! This rifle performed VERY well with both types of ammo, but the reloads showed their accuracy advantage at the 100m mark, and the surplus started to open up considerably. One thing I noticed was the point of impact difference. The surplus ammo hit high and to the right, whereas my reloads hit centre and left. No idea why, but this was consistant at all ranges so not a big deal for todays test. Note: as with all of my range reports targets were shot at using a front rest consisting of a sandbag on a metal rest thing.
The targets were the standard black circles, with a Fig 11 at the 100m mark
At 50m the surplus grouped surprisingly well, to be honest I was amazed. I have shot various types of surplus, but have never had this good of results. I have read lots of bad things about the Turkish ammo, I dunno maybe I lucked out with a good batch. Here is my best 3 shot group from 50m. The average was about a half inch to an inch wider, VERY consistant for 1943 dated ammo!
The reloads really shone accuracy wise. The pictures speak for themselves in terms of quality difference - a kick in the pants to start reloading if you dont already! Again a 50m target. - Hey non corrosive!
At the 100m mark the surplus opened up considerably, and began to have a vertical shot dispersion for some reason, granted some of it was me but perhaps it was an ammo issue or a rifle issue *cough* or a shooter issue The relaods were much more consistant, the one flier is me - guarenteed!
surplus
reloads
This rifle has far exceeded my expectations in terms of accuracy. The surplus has given me very usable results, with the reloads literally amazing me. I think with a bit more work on my end this rifle could be capable of some distance shooting! (vintage match in Borden)
Shots of the rifle
Anyone thinking about picking up a Mauser style rifle will not be dissapointed I can say that with certainty. And since most are milsurps, the history aspect is well covered, especially with the wartime German pieces. Overall it is a real pleasure to shoot and own such a piece of history, and a darned accurate rifle!
Any and all comments/questions appreciated!
Thanks for reading
So I have been away with work for the last while and today was the first day I have been able to get on up to the range, and as such I figured I would do another write up on a milsurp (this time not a Mosin!
) Today I brought with me my 1943 made AR code German K98k Mauser rifle. This rifle is some sort of capture/refurb, due to some discrepencies in the markings however I have no idea who it was captured by
chances are it is a Russian capture however as there are a few parts with plum markings. I have often wondered if this rifle has shot at any of my other rifles I have heard you can't place them in the same safe beside a Mosin/M1/No4 as they fight when your asleep This particular rifle was made in Berlin, in the Borsigwalde factory and was at some point issued to the Wermacht and I assume used in some form during the war. The rifles bore is in great shape, and has a nice shine to it. All of the original markings are still intact with nothing peened out, but the external finish has seen a fair bit of abuse, as is evident by the light pitting. The rifle is however in great mechanical shape, shoots great and overall is one of my favourite rifles to fire.
Todays weather was nice, fairly hot and sunny at about 30ish degrees but with a nice breeze moving right to left. For the shoot today I was using two different types of ammo to compare the differences between surplus and reloaded ammo. I was looking for differences in recoil, accuracy, point of impact and overall "feel".
The surplus I brought with me was 1943 dated (appropriate for this rifle!) Turkish 8mm FMJ surplus. This ammo shot surprisingly well for ammo of this vintage, and fed great on the stripper clips it came pre loaded on.
Surplus - note the pre loaded stripper clip.
My reloaded ammo I was firing consisted of 195gr .323 bullets with 41gr of Reloader 15 powder, in Remington 7x fired brass with Winchester primers. This combination I have found to be excellent in my rifle.
Reloads
All ammunition fired without a hitch and cycled/fed beautifully. I did notice however towards the end of the shoot the surplus ammo tended to "stick" when extracting, probably an issue just becoming dirty (I fired quite a bit of ammo today).
The rifle itself shot great, the trigger on these rifles is really something to brag about. The two stage trigger was very crisp, and take up was light enough to be accurate, but heavy enough to be safe for a combat rifle. The only trigger I can compare it to milsurp wise would be a No4. The trigger was VERY consistant, and to be honest, impresses me every time I fire this rifle.
The sights are another point to make note of. The German K98k sights are very fine, and are definitely made for accurate shooting. In combat I can see this sight becoming lost, and fairly difficult to use under low light conditions - but I wasnt there so I cannot say for sure. The sight picture however is excellent, and for target shooting can't be beat.
Sight picture
The rifles recoil was very manageable, and with the reloads fairly mild. The surplus rounds kicked a bit harder, but the heavy stock really eats up the kick. I didnt use any sort of recoil pad, and can't see one being necessary for someone of my size. The action was generally smooth and feeding was excellent - German engineering at its finest!
The action - smooth feeding!
Accuracy - Well, what can I say about the K98s accuracy that hasnt already been said! This rifle performed VERY well with both types of ammo, but the reloads showed their accuracy advantage at the 100m mark, and the surplus started to open up considerably. One thing I noticed was the point of impact difference. The surplus ammo hit high and to the right, whereas my reloads hit centre and left. No idea why, but this was consistant at all ranges so not a big deal for todays test. Note: as with all of my range reports targets were shot at using a front rest consisting of a sandbag on a metal rest thing.
The targets were the standard black circles, with a Fig 11 at the 100m mark
At 50m the surplus grouped surprisingly well, to be honest I was amazed. I have shot various types of surplus, but have never had this good of results. I have read lots of bad things about the Turkish ammo, I dunno maybe I lucked out with a good batch. Here is my best 3 shot group from 50m. The average was about a half inch to an inch wider, VERY consistant for 1943 dated ammo!
The reloads really shone accuracy wise. The pictures speak for themselves in terms of quality difference - a kick in the pants to start reloading if you dont already! Again a 50m target. - Hey non corrosive!
At the 100m mark the surplus opened up considerably, and began to have a vertical shot dispersion for some reason, granted some of it was me
but perhaps it was an ammo issue or a rifle issue *cough* or a shooter issue The relaods were much more consistant, the one flier is me - guarenteed!surplus
reloads
This rifle has far exceeded my expectations in terms of accuracy. The surplus has given me very usable results, with the reloads literally amazing me. I think with a bit more work on my end this rifle could be capable of some distance shooting! (vintage match in Borden
)Shots of the rifle
Anyone thinking about picking up a Mauser style rifle will not be dissapointed I can say that with certainty. And since most are milsurps, the history aspect is well covered, especially with the wartime German pieces. Overall it is a real pleasure to shoot and own such a piece of history, and a darned accurate rifle!
Any and all comments/questions appreciated!
Thanks for reading
