Mauser Sniper rifles.....advice needed, please...

[targetman]

Managed to sneek into my wife's office and use the company system to log on to FBUK:

I am contemplating getting a Mauser Sniper but I am confused, there appear to be a great variety, Long Side mounts, Short Side mounts, High Turret, Low Turret and a bewidering number of different scopes. And quite a difference in price between various models.

Can somebody clarify for me what is the prefered combination and what, if any, should be avoided.

Many thanks

TM

[saddler]

I can suggest some further reading, if that will help?

One of the problems you'll run into nowadays, is that all the mounts/bases/rings for the various sniper versions of the K98 are available as new parts on the web.
The Zf scopes are also being reproduced.

...if you are looking for a genuine WW2 example, you'll need a lot of luck and a lot of research on your side.

[bnz41]

With luck you will need alot of money for an original.

PM sent.

[ovenpaa]

I would not consider an 'original' regardless of price as the Mauser sniper is one of the most 'faked' period sniper rifles on the market and the numbers are growing on a daily basis so proving originality is almost impossible and very subjective. I read an article many years ago that suggested more Kar98 snipers were produced in 1946-47 than the previous two years. pandering to the needs of the servicemen hunting down souvenirs and a duffel cut is certainly not evidence of providence, nor a written authorisation from an officer allowing the rifle to be shipped out of Germany.

Every single item is available as a fake/reproduction, safeties, stamps, mounts every last part. Worst still is the trend to build them to order, fine for the first customer but how long until the rifle changes hand and develops a history?

[waterford103]

I have an Israeli sniper ,it's an FN '98 converted to 7.62 and fitted with a long sidrail mount.The mount and it's Schmidt+ Bender 'scope dismount easily and return easily ,it holds zero well.Non of these snipers were intended for the long range shots that modern snipers typically use but rather for battlefield ranges of up to 300 metres on human sized targets with issue ammunition or at best ammunition a little better or selected for better consistency.With carefully loaded 7.62 cartridges it will group approx 1" @ 100yds ,2.5" @200 yds ,4" @300yds.I believe that Nazi Germany Had better scopes than we did an the best were Ajack From the A Jackenroll factory .The rifles weren't selected for accuracy ,just taken off the line and fitted for scopes ,they used whatever brackets and scopes that were available at that location.Later in the war I understand special ammunition was made with " non flash" powder ,maybe a reduced load ?
If your looking for a good one just base your choice on condition alone ,all the different mounts were good ,my opinion is that the long side rail was better as it give a lower sight line and detaches quickly and leaves no obstruction to the iron sights for normal use .

[dromia]

I steered well clear of collecting Nazi era firearms a long time ago, anything with a swastika on it attracts money for some reason therefore the fabricators of genuine nazi rifles have been on the go for a long time and have got very good at it. Therefore I doubt if anyone can tell the difference tween a good forgery and the real thing nowadays. I suspect that with the fall of Germany and the condition of its armed forces its supple and logistics at the time I doubt if many "genuine" snipers survived any way, hence the robust forgery market. Even throwing a lot of money at a "genuine" example will not mean it is one.

Making a copy usually means drilling a perfectly good K98 and "genuine" nazi marked ones of those are getting harder to find.

[bnz41]

Ovenpaa I agree 100% every model of WW2 sniper rifles are now being faked the most common is the Mosin PU sniper then the Mauser even the No4T and the 1903A4 Springfield with most of the parts coming out of the US/Europe.

[targetman]

Thanks chaps....your comments are appreciated.

I accept the warnings about fakery.....I have a No4T "lookalike" and a "repro" Mosin Nagant and really do not expect to get an original Mauser sniper, at least not at the price I am willing to pay.

I have seen the host of repro parts on flea bay and have thought I might go down that route but decided that an already completed outfit would be the way.

The long side rail mount giving a lower sight line sounds good....just the sort of information I was after.

I have thought about the Israeli 7.62 KAR98 as a sniper...easy ammunition supply or handloads...I had one many years ago when they were about £50 a time....but have not seen one with scope fitted....however, it does not really fit in period with the other "snipers" I have.

TM

[waterford103]

The thing about the Israeli one I have is that it has no nazi markings at all but was one supplied by FN post war but with a 1938 date stamp on the reciever .It makes no attempt to be a K98 nazi era sniper but is one born out of the ww2 conflict ,as it's 7.62 with Israeli marked and proofed barrel it is "legit" albeit not desirable as a "genuine" Nazi sniper and being 7.62 from the onset scoped up with an appropriate era S+B it is genuine in it's own right .As was said earlier ,any k98 sniper must be viewed with 98% caution ,I have only ever seen one which is genuine and that's in the school of infantry museum.Buy one or make one don't pay "genuine" money ,pay the sum of the parts needed to produce one.Good k98 0n Gunstar £300 , LSR mount £175 good Ajack 4 x 90 'scope £400 ,extended safety £25 ,someone to put it all together £100.There's your k98 sniper !

[ovenpaa]

I have handled three original Mauser Snipers of known origin, one a G98 first world war issue with offset 'scope and two K98's which I actually shot in Denmark a few years ago. One of the K98's was an outstanding shooter at 300m on electronics and both were in superb condition, they were in the hands of two Germans and had been passed down through the family after being hidden away come the last few days of the war. The shooter was still in superb condition and the other looked more used. Noticeable was the absolute minimum of stamps and marks on both of them.

I felt quite privileged to have been able to shoot them.