Straight Pull Mauser 96

I had one in .243....steer clear. Mine's was very, very fussy with ammo. I thought it was just mine until i started chatting with 2 other owners (in different calibres)
 
Yes I had one until a short time before Christmas and I sold it to make room for the P-H 1200C in 25-06. if it was not for that i would not have sold it. Mine proved accurate and reliable and has accounted for a number of deer and foxes over the years:-

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It's a very quick action, mine was in 6.5x55, the scope mounts are std one that fit the Rem 700 profile (Those are Hilvers in the Photo). Trigger is good and as I said if it was not for needing the space for a threaded rifle I wouls still have it. The bolt head has 16 lugs, yes it's a double Stoner type. The only drawback I found was having to take the bolt handle off to remove the bolt for cleaning (One 4mm allen key required) and don't ................................ don't let the bolt uncock as it's a right PITA to re-cock it.
 
Thanks lads. I do hate it when I get 2 different points of view on a rifle though, it fills my head with lots of should I shouldn't I type feelings. What I want to hear is they're very good buy one! BUY IT NOW:eek:

Scotsgun, did you get it to shoot ok when you handloaded for it or was it just fussy with factory stuff?

Brit, for some reason that action looks out of place on a wooden stocked rifle. Dare I say the Synthetic look suits it better.(Running for cover)

I'm thinking of getting a cheapish .243 for crow/fox bashing on my new permission that just happens to be next to a massive FC plot in Yorkshire;)

Cheers
Mick
 
Mick, they didn't make them with plastic stocks at the time mine was made. Those dratted things came later. I brought this one to shoot the doubles on the Running Deer and it did it very well and another club member had one in .243.

Now I would say buy one now but as I tell everyone who is looking for a rifle try it first and make sure it feels right. To my mind nothing worse than a rifle that feels wrong and you will never shoot it well if it does not feel right. Now to rub it in a bit more I happen to know of a shop that has two new ones in stock. on ein .243 and one in .308 both with mounts but as I say NEW.:evil:
 
Mick,

I've got to be honest and state now that owning that rifle left a sour taste in my mouth....by the time i got rid of it, i was just happy to see the end of it. However Brithunter has also experienced ownership of this rifle and was pleased...perhaps he was the lucky one or perhaps mine was a version different from his.

Anyway, i'll describe my experiences and you decide:

I bought mine for about £400 new from a dealer in Kent named Chris..now the guy was honest and stated that it was being sold cheap because the suppliers were awash with them. Mauser had imported them thinking that they'd benefit from the good press received of the Blaser but it just never happened. People just weren't buying them. Now i owned a Schmidt Rubin K11 at the time and loved that rifle and also owned a very accurate Mauser 22 prone rifle so i bought one in .243
There was a choice of calibres, but not stock - it was synthetic or synthetic. So armed with a new set of rings, rifle and a couple of boxes of sako .243 rounds i went home happy.

OK, home and i fitted a modest Leupold 3-9x40 scope and a harris bipod.

1st Problem - flexible forend on stock. The stock put pressure on the barrel just through the weight of the rifle sitting on the bipod and being mounted on the shoulder. I couldn't get a replacement stock anywhere so i was forced to mill out additional stock and apply glass fibre. Thankfully i had access to an overhead mill so it only took a couple of days work but annoyed me that such a respected rifle manufacturer hadn't considered it being used with a bipod.

2nd Problem - over to the 100yd range at Bisley to zero. Now i didn't expect the rounds to hit the bull, but i did expect them to be on the same part of the target! I quickly went through those initial 60 sako rounds, went up to the dealer and bought an additional 40rds of federal and 40 rds of Norma. Now i checked everything - the scope, the rings, the stock, all the screws. I even tried my scope on a mate's rifle to confirm that i didn't have a duff scope, but the best i achieved that day was just under 4 inches with the Norma bullets! I drove back to Essex with calls of 'should have bought a remmy' ringing in my ears.

I spent the next few months seeking out owners through various shooting forums and picking their brains. Now eventually i found a very knowledgable old gunsmith in the Straight Pull Rifle Forum who had bought the rifle, was dismayed at it's lack of accuracy and had practically stripped his down to individual parts. Essentially the bullets were travelling so far before engaging the lands that to achieve consistentcy you had to opt for the heavier bullets and reloading them over long. I did email Mauser directly but never did get a responce.

From memory i eventually settled on 105gr Sierra Gameking and 39grs of Vhit 160 but could only guarantee 1.5 - 2" inches at 100yds. As i shot primarily muntys at the time and often over 100yds in open fields, the rifle just wasn't accurate enough to ensure minimum suffering to the beasts. It had to go

I enjoy being different and having something different from the mass produced crowd, but i immediately replaced it with a savage 110. I just couldn't face going through the mill again.

You pay your money and take your chances, but i in good conscience I would not recommend that rifle to another, based on my own experience and that of others i know have had similar experiences.
 
Oh dear you did get a lemon :( mine as you saw in the photos had a wood stock and althoguh it didn't liek the 100 grain bullets (6.5x55 remember) particulay well they would group about 1"- 1 1/2" the Speer 120's and the 140's shot well notmally shooting to MOA or less. Now I have shot Fox, Muntjac and Roe with it No it can't be I have just had an awful thoguth about your deep throat :oops: I mean the rifle :doh: as this design uses a double row of Eigth bolt lugs and the barrel is clamped in place in the action as the action takes no stress I wonder if the barrel was fully seated home of was in fact only locking on one set of lugs?

The other feller at the BSRC who had one of these and that was a wood stocked .243 had no problems with accuracy. Also I noticed that one of John Robsons clients had a Mauser 96 Slide Bolt in the photos posted a while back not long before my trip to johns in fact and that chap does not seem to ahve accuracy problems either.
Oh I paid around £275 for mine NIB :p if i remember correctly. Will have to look out the reciept and check..
 
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