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Shooting & Reloading - Mausers, Big Bores and others >> Mannlicher Discussion forum & Archive
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Plains99
.300 member


Reged: 10/11/04
Posts: 225
Loc: Dodge City, Kansas, USA
Mannlicher 98/44
      #80547 - 14/06/07 12:40 AM

I recently picked up a really nice Mannlicher 98/44 sporter at what I thought was a bargain price... mainly because the guy really didn't know what it was and listed it as a Mauser 98. The rifle is chambered in 8X57 Mauser with military open sights. If I wanted to convert it to become a dangerous game rifle... say in .375 Ruger or perhaps .458 Win Mag, does anyone have any idea if this action is strong enough to do that? I'll keep it as it is if it can't take the pressures.

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9.3x57
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Reged: 22/04/07
Posts: 5521
Loc: United States
Re: Mannlicher 98/44 [Re: Plains99]
      #80655 - 15/06/07 02:35 AM

OK:

I'll bite.

Drunks and small children invariably testify that I have a pretty fair knowledge of shootin' irons in general and Mausers in specific, and the arms knowledgeable seem to give me a sort-of nod from time-to-time, but I have no idea what you are referring to here.

Do you mean the Hungarian Mannlicher 98/40 AKA 35/40 or a German 98 built in 1944, or something else entirely?

I apologise in advance for my ignorance here.

--------------------
What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

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Plains99
.300 member


Reged: 10/11/04
Posts: 225
Loc: Dodge City, Kansas, USA
Re: Mannlicher 98/44 [Re: 9.3x57]
      #80908 - 19/06/07 01:38 AM

I apologize for not explaining more thoroughly because I didn't know exactly what it was until I had it in my hands and did some research. It is an 8X57JS caliber rifle with a Mannlicher action marked 98/44. It has the distinct M stamping and the Nazi Eagles. They were made for the Nazi's by the Austrians (I believe, but it could have been Hungary) in WWII and most of them were sent to the Eastern front, where they were used against the Russians. Most of them were never seen again. This one has a serial number 57 and I imagine it was sent to Germany for some reason so it didn't get confiscated by the Russians when they clobbered the Nazis. For a military action, it is very nice with a decent trigger and a really homely and ill balanced sporterized stock conversion. I don't think the rifle has seen much shooting at all. I would post a photo if I knew how. Basically it is a 1940's Mannlicher action so I guess my question is, can it stand what the 98 Mauser can stand and is it viable for a conversion?

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9.3x57
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Reged: 22/04/07
Posts: 5521
Loc: United States
Re: Mannlicher 98/44 [Re: Plains99]
      #80959 - 19/06/07 10:33 PM

I'm sorry, but your description is still not complete as what you describe could be one of a couple rifles and in the absence of some pix or a better description it is difficult to tell what you have. Does the magazine extend below the stock? Does the rifle have a two-piece stock? Does the rifle have a straight-pull action?

One thing you should realize is that conversions of even easy-to-convert milsurp guns {like M98-action Mausers} typically cost more when it is said and done than the cost of a new gun in the calibers you describe. You seem to have the notion that the gun is highly valuable. In a cobbled-on sporterized condition you describe a milsurp rifle has little value compared to an original-condition rifle.

Sometime post some pic's if you can. In the meantime my vote is to leave it alone and buy a factory gun chambered in the calibers of your interest.

--------------------
What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

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xausa
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Reged: 07/03/07
Posts: 2037
Loc: Tennessee, USA
Re: Mannlicher 98/44 [Re: 9.3x57]
      #80970 - 20/06/07 03:16 AM

I couldn't agree more with 9ThreeXFifty7. In the era between WW I and II, there was a huge upsurge in interest in converting war trophy Mausers and DCM Springfields to elegant sporters, for the most part in the absence of any competition from really well designed commercial bolt action sporters. The same was less true immediately following WW II, but the huge influx of war trophies and the hundreds of thousands of military bolt actions being cleaned out of arsenals around the world and being brokered through big corporations like Firearms International and sold to the general public at unbelievably low prices stimulated the interest in "sporterized" military rifles again.

By then, the military rifles had stiff competition in really well made and stocked commercial sporters, such as the Model 70 Winchester and the Model 725 Remington. Even the post '64 Model 70's and the 721-722 Remington series had features which the military rifles could not duplicate for the same price. Add to that the fact that many military rifles were produced under wartime conditions and were of questionable quality.

"Sporterizing" a miltary rifle makes sense nowadays only if you are qualified to do most of the work yourself and value your time at 0. Worn out rifles with perfectly good actions can still be had for a reasonable price, including pre-64 Model 70's and commercial Mausers, like the FN and the Mark X. Post '64 Model 70's and 721-722-700 Remingtons are also a good buy, if you don't mind the push feed and questionable extraction. In particular, the Remington policy of using sweated on bolt handles is not one I approve of in a rifle for DG.

In my day, I converted a number of military rifles, primarily Springfields and Enfields, and had I the chance to do it over, I would not have used a one of them. I enjoy the elegance of the old Springfield sporters, including my beloved Wundhammer and Neidner Springfields, but they would not be my first choice to take to the field. Neither is equipped with a scope, and my eyes simply are nor trustworthy enough without one.

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Plains99
.300 member


Reged: 10/11/04
Posts: 225
Loc: Dodge City, Kansas, USA
Re: Mannlicher 98/44 [Re: xausa]
      #81053 - 21/06/07 02:37 AM

Yeah, I just bought a Savage .375 H&H for much less money than it would take to convert the Mannlicher... and it is more a curiosity than a serious big game rifle. I'll leave it as an 8mm and use it for deer hunting and the target range. It was the Mannlicher action that had me intrigued. Even slapping on a barrel w sights, restocking and tuning the feed would be cost prohibitive.

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