Mauser 98 Project Need Advice

PanzerIV

PanzerIV

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Hi all,
I have a spring project in mind, and would like to pick some brains if I could. I basically want to build a reproduction Mauser 98 Sniper set up. Have nice 98 (but not a highly collectable one, so a little bubba'ing wont be the end of the world here). My plan is to find some nice turret mounts (original or reproduction) and find a real nice reproduction scope to put on top to make it look like a replica sniper.
Now my questions to all you experts out there. Can anyone reccomend or give me any info on reproduction scopes and turret mounts? Where to buy or look, price to be expected, and things I should look for to know that I'm getting a good quality repro for a fair price. Any adivce on things I should be critical of when making a replica like this?
The end result I would like something that looks darn cool, and is a good high quality replica. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated that might be helpful in a project like this. Has anyone else gone down this road, and what was their experience and how did it all work out for them?
Will I be needing pictures or other details for my gun smith when I take the parts to him to get installed? Any photos or drawings would be helpful too, thanks.
Anyhow, hopefully there are some good brains to pick out there on this project, thanks in advance. Feel free to email me directly at c.d.manley@sasktel.net

PanzerIV
 
I recently did a Mauser sniper conversion with the long side rail mount (late war). There are a lot of repro scopes & mounts on e-bay but do your research and make sure you get something authentic (I actually jumped in feet first and got lucky, I don't recommend it though).

Or, if you're careful with what you buy, there are some authentic scopes on there too. Only bid on these if you know what you're buying... There are too many scam artists on there nowadays.

For my repro scope & mount I paid US$400 and I'm very happy with it (keeps it's zero which was my biggest worry). I'm not sure what the turret mounts run, I imagine that they would be a little more expensive.

Last but not least especially with turret mounts make sure you get a good gunsmith and make sure he knows exactly what you want. Pics certainly couldn't hurt.

The advice I was given when I embarked on my conversion was to keep it authentic, not bubba. If you do that you'll have the support of most guys here.

Here's a pic of my baby:

MauserSniper.jpg
 
Thanks Rommel, certainly appreciated. I've seen a ton of stuff on ebay, but wasnt sure if it was worth looking at or not. I'm not exactly sure how to tell the good ones from the bad ones, but I'll keep listening to you guys, and hopefully by the end of this thread, I will have learned much. I dont want my project to be a bubba, certainly want it to be as realistic as possible. Again, thanks much for the input and pictures, you certainly have a very nice 98. I do think I want to stick with turret mounts tho, that was more the look I am after. Anyhow, I'll go back to listening now, and hopefully get some more good input.
 
Redrommel - looks nice!!

I've got a yugo scrubbed mauser, looks identical to redrommels. What's the say on how bubba that would be if I were to side mount it? I've always been unsure on the value of putting a $400 mount and scope on a $375 gun, but whatever. How much value loss is there in doing this?
 
Hey Panzer,

I have finished a turret mount project and maybe I can offer some insight. Basically, you will have to decide how much you are willing to spend to make it as authentic as you can. This will be an original vs repro scope decision. Original scopes for high turrets (Ziess Zielvier, Ajack, Hensoldt Dialytian, etc) will be $400+ now with military contract scopes (marked cad, bmj, etc) starting a couple hundred more. You see them on Ebay quite regularily. Repro's, as mentioned, are readily available on Ebay.

As far as mounts, there are several sources for working turret mounts. Robert of K98.com offers a high quality repro. As well, Iron Elite and Accumounts do as well. Iron Elite will be a long wait but Accumounts has them in stock.
Another consideration with turret mounts is finding someone to mount the scope. The scope has to be disassembled and reassembled/soldiered into the mounts. With a pricey scope, unless you have the technical know-how, it could be an expensive mistake if the scope is pooched. A few CGNer's have gotten someone to mount their scope in high turret projects so maybe they will chime in and volunteer a good smith for the job.
Lastly, another option, is mock turret mounts. They look the same from a short distance but on closer inspection, the rings open up to allow mounting of the scope. I chose this way as I used a WW2 era Zielvier and I didn't want to damage the scope. Iron Elite offer these but again a long wait, so check out Accumounts here:
http://w w.accumounts.com/

Here is my mock turret sniper (built on a Yugo refurb):
highturret.jpg
 
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Redrommel - looks nice!!

I've got a yugo scrubbed mauser, looks identical to redrommels. What's the say on how bubba that would be if I were to side mount it? I've always been unsure on the value of putting a $400 mount and scope on a $375 gun, but whatever. How much value loss is there in doing this?
Click to expand...

The key with LSR mount is that they weren't used until 1943 (to the best of my knowledge... Someone may correct me on this). So as far as authentic goes you wouldn't want to mount it on a rifle dated earlier than that. Mine was a 1943 dot and the reason I chose to use it was because it had the eagles peened. For the side rail you have to make a little cut in the stock to the left of the bolt, I swapped the nice stock that was on this Mauser with one from my RC so that I was cutting into a stock that had already been messed with (they were both mismatch rifles so I didn't see the harm in swapping the wood).

As for value? If you're not starting with a collector piece IMHO it won't decrease or add to the value with the exception of the cost of the scope & mount. I didn't do my conversion with value in mind, it was just something I wanted as I'm an avid history nut. If you have a collectors piece the value would drop dramatically as soon as you did anything to modify it.
 
Here is my mock turret sniper (built on a Yugo refurb):
Click to expand...

Very nice! I'm hoping to one day replace my repro scope with a real one...

BTW, Your rear barrel band is on the wrong side, sling support should be on the left. ;)
 
I've got ab barreled action that is already tapped, which I'd hapily trade for your un-tapped barreled action.

Drop me a line to save your barreled action from becoming a bubba...
 
redrommel said:
Very nice! I'm hoping to one day replace my repro scope with a real one...

BTW, Your rear barrel band is on the wrong side, sling support should be on the left. ;)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know, I think it was a real late night when I reassembled it before this pic :D

Fixed it with a newer pic....

German Ebay is a great place to look for original scopes. There, obviously because of the geography, are a lot more available there. Of course, caveat emptor as always with overseas buying....
 
Guys,
Thankyou so much for the amazing input, you have all mulitplied the amount I knew on this subject about a 100 times. I just got home from a bit of a long day (I work shift work at a steel mill), so I havent gone over all the replies in detail. But just zipping thru, everything there will be of immense help in making a very ###y sniper replica. Give me a couple of days to digest all that data, follow up some of the links, and I'll come back with more questions guaranteed. All of the photos you guys sent in, those are some great looking guns........i hope my project turns out as nice. I'm a big history buff, with a huge soft spot for anything Third Reich (everyone loves the underdog....lol), and just recieved my PAL for the first time. I've always wanted a 98, and now that I have one, this is just about the coolest thing ever! Anyhow, if you all could keep tuned to this channel for a couple of days, I'll come back with some more questions as my quest becomes a bit more narrowed and refined. Again, many thanks.

PanzerIV
 
What? No extended k98sniper safety??? Available repros at Numrich. JITC
Click to expand...

Good call... I'll have to look into that.

Thanks Red, your LSR looks great as well. You shoot it much? Out of all my rifles, the repro high turret gets shot the most.
Click to expand...

With the exception of a .22lr Savage Mk2 BVTS that I shoot regularly my repro sniper definitely gets the most shooting (followed by my open sights Mauser :D ). It's just a joy to take to the range!
 
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