Original stock from ~1954
I own a 1944 Mauser 98 that has been in our family since 1954. It had been sporter-ized and rebarreled as a 24” 270Win in the early 50’s sometime and was gifted to my wife’s great grandfather around 1954.
This M98 has internal magazine restrictions at 3.22” which didn’t end up working out well with the modern projectiles I have been trying to use in it which often have jam at 3.3-3.5” depending on the projectile. Additionally, this barrel seemed to be pretty picky, easily the most picky rifle that I own.
After successfully harvesting a cow elk in 2024 with the 270Win barrel, I decided it deserved a new barrel in a cartridge that wouldn’t have any COAL restrictions. After much deliberation, I settled on an 18” 308Win with 1:10” twist. I don’t own and have never even shot a 308Win, so it just seemed fitting to use somewhat of an “old school” cartridge in this old Mauser M98 action.
I ended up getting a stainless prefit from McGowen which ended up headspacing perfectly without any machining required. I wasn’t sure what to expect given the mass production that this model had experienced through time. I am assuming I just got lucky.
After assembly and break in, I was surprised how much recoil and muzzle jump this rifle had, especially considering it weighed 11.5# fully loaded. It behaved similarly with the 270Win, but I expected as much from a more exciting cartridge. The first 100 rounds down that barrel (in the original stock seen above) were pretty unpleasant to shoot. That gun jumped so much I felt like I was starting to develop a flinch. I haven’t shot it recently, but the only other gun I have that jumps this much is my 300PRC. After struggling to figure out how to control this thing, I eventually convinced myself that the butt of the stock was too far below the centerline of the bore which was increasing how much the rifle jumped. I really wanted to use the original stock, but I decided it was time to build one that would suit my personal preferences.
I will continue my progress in the following posts, but it seems I may have to compress some of the images.
I own a 1944 Mauser 98 that has been in our family since 1954. It had been sporter-ized and rebarreled as a 24” 270Win in the early 50’s sometime and was gifted to my wife’s great grandfather around 1954.
This M98 has internal magazine restrictions at 3.22” which didn’t end up working out well with the modern projectiles I have been trying to use in it which often have jam at 3.3-3.5” depending on the projectile. Additionally, this barrel seemed to be pretty picky, easily the most picky rifle that I own.
After successfully harvesting a cow elk in 2024 with the 270Win barrel, I decided it deserved a new barrel in a cartridge that wouldn’t have any COAL restrictions. After much deliberation, I settled on an 18” 308Win with 1:10” twist. I don’t own and have never even shot a 308Win, so it just seemed fitting to use somewhat of an “old school” cartridge in this old Mauser M98 action.
I ended up getting a stainless prefit from McGowen which ended up headspacing perfectly without any machining required. I wasn’t sure what to expect given the mass production that this model had experienced through time. I am assuming I just got lucky.
After assembly and break in, I was surprised how much recoil and muzzle jump this rifle had, especially considering it weighed 11.5# fully loaded. It behaved similarly with the 270Win, but I expected as much from a more exciting cartridge. The first 100 rounds down that barrel (in the original stock seen above) were pretty unpleasant to shoot. That gun jumped so much I felt like I was starting to develop a flinch. I haven’t shot it recently, but the only other gun I have that jumps this much is my 300PRC. After struggling to figure out how to control this thing, I eventually convinced myself that the butt of the stock was too far below the centerline of the bore which was increasing how much the rifle jumped. I really wanted to use the original stock, but I decided it was time to build one that would suit my personal preferences.
I will continue my progress in the following posts, but it seems I may have to compress some of the images.
