Mauser M03 or M12

Harmoosh

Member
I have an open slot on my certificate for a 6.5 x 55 but I cant make up my mind what to get. I had come up with a list of requirements and nice to have features. Which has narrowed the list of what is available.


Requirement:
Manual cocking system
Adjustable comb height
Short barrel (20" preferably)


Nice to have:
Switch Barrel
Return to zero scope mounts


At the shooting show I got to look at the Sauer 404, Blaser R8, Merkel RX Helix and the Mauser M03. All of these rifles pretty much tick all the boxes, however to get the configuration I wanted would cost £3k+ which is a lot of money. I know the R8 has a lot of fans but I wasn't keen on the straight pull actions on either the Blaser or the Merkel.


Of all of these rifles the Mauser M03 really did it for me. The synthetic stock felt great. The manual cocking was simple and felt much easier to engage than the others. I was chatting to the rep (can't remember his name but he was very helpful) on the stand and went through all this with him and he asked whether I had considered the M12. I had looked at it but as it used a traditional safety I had discounted it. He then informed me that Mauser have just produced an update to the M12 in the way of a manual cocking device similar to the M03. I had a look at the M12 MAX with the thumb-hole stock and it was very nice. It also weighs in at about half the cost of the M03.


So my quandary now is, do I save up and get an M03, or go for an M12 accepting that it isn't a switch barrel, and with the money I save buy better glass for it?


Does anybody have experience of either (or even better, both) rifles? Which would you go for and why?
 
the m12's have a very good reputaion from what i know and a mid priced rifle with top end glass is always going to be better in my mind than a top end rifle with substandard glass
 
M03 every time. The M12, which I've handled, is a nice rifle too and coming out of the Mauser stable there'll be absolutely nothing wrong with it, but the design features and build of the M03 pips the M12 at the post in my opinion. I've had an M03 for years in 6.5 × 55. I opted for a high grade walnut stock, nice bit of engraving and blued finish. It's a very traditional specification, which I like as I'm a traditionalist at heart. It’s a beautiful rifle, has a superb finish and just oozes quality. The M03 is also supremely accurate out of the box. You'll be amazed. Trust me.
As you know you can now buy the M03 with threaded barrels of various configurations, with adjustable polymer stocks and with other specification variants so you’ll probably be able to put a tick in whichever combination of features you have in mind. When I acquired mine the offering was still fairly limited with open sights and no option of a moderator. However, the rifle was offered in 3 levels of finish with the deluxe version being a real jaw-dropper. I spent a little more than I probably should have and bought something with a very tasty finish. However, I’ve never regretted it for an instant for as they say, a thing of beauty is a joy forever. Even when there’s been no opportunity of a shot during any particular outing, there’s a certain satisfaction to be had just by having a beautiful rifle by one of the foremost makers slung on your shoulder.
There is one thing I will admit to though: Whilst the switch barrel feature did attract me initially, and whilst I’ve taken the barrel off on quite a few occasions for various reasons, I’ve never used the facility as intended. But my problem there is that I chose a 6.5 × 55 and I’ve simply never felt the need for anything else. However, I don’t view the switch barrel design as a waste of money because I'll always have the option to switch calibres in a rifle I really like and you just never know…
 
Just a small question, slightly off topic, but than again not realy.
I watched a small video about the production of the M12 . Is it possible that the barrel isn't screwed in the action ? Had the impression that it was pressed in a proces with heating and cooling down. Changing barrels might not be easy, if this is the case.
 
If I was in your situation, I'm pretty sure I would buy the M12 on the grounds of practicality and value for money. Then a year later, I'd buy an M03 for some contrived reason (but really it would be because, deep-down, it's what I really wanted in the first place). I should know; I've done similar with other makes....twice!
 
Just a small question, slightly off topic, but than again not realy.
I watched a small video about the production of the M12 . Is it possible that the barrel isn't screwed in the action ? Had the impression that it was pressed in a proces with heating and cooling down. Changing barrels might not be easy, if this is the case.

Correct, the action isn't threaded.
 
Thank you for the replies. I think deep down I do want the M03 more than the M12. And if in the future I want an additional caliber I can just get another barrel for it.

I had best start saving more!
 
Thank you for the replies. I think deep down I do want the M03 more than the M12. And if in the future I want an additional caliber I can just get another barrel for it.

I had best start saving more!

Before you finally decide look at the S&L rifles website they start at 1300 pounds or so.
 
I like my M12 in 6.5x55. Not had ti long but it seems to do the job nicely.

Friend had the M03 and chopped it in for something lighter after a year and a visit to the hills.

I have to say that i have never put hand on the M03 but suspect that if you go M12 you will always feel you should have gone higher. Similar to a lot of folk do with Tikka / Sako

Dan
 
Thanks Uncas. I did look at them but I dont think they have a manual cocking option. Only a traditional safety catch.

Why on earth would one want that option? just get an old hammer gun....
I think that is a Euro fad that some rifle companies want to brainwash us with...over engineered Euro trash in my opinion.
edi
 
I've got an M03 extreme with Swaro rail mount it's not going any where any time soon

the manual cocking lever just works and is ultimately more safer than a trigger safety , once your use to it you don't even notice putting it on or off
 
I'm pretty sure you won't regret buying an M03, but I don't think you'd regret buying an M12 S either, especially if that frees up cash for better glass.

I've shot M12s more than M03s but don't believe the M12 gives anything away in terms of accuracy, and in a medium calibre like the 6.5x55 I think the weight and handling are just right.

If I was looking for a rifle chambered for a heavier cartridge I'd be inclined to take the M03 route as it has a more substantial build (IIRC the M03 weighs around 3/4 lb more than the M12). Put a big scope on an M03 and you feel the difference even more.

If prestige matters to you, however, then it's simple: M03 all the way.
 
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Why on earth would one want that option? just get an old hammer gun.... I think that is a Euro fad that some rifle companies want to brainwash us with...over engineered Euro trash in my opinion.edi

You do understand that you can genuinely safely carry a rifle with a round in the chamber if it has manual cocking but not if it has a traditional safety catch, don't you?

Most of the time, I grant you, it doesn't disrupt a stalk to have to work the bolt between setting up on the quarry and taking the shot, but only having to activate the cocking device -almost as easy as slipping a traditional safety - is quieter and eliminates the chance of an inopportune mis-feed (typically caused by trying to work the bolt quietly).

I've done do almost all of my woodland stalking with manual cocking rifles and combination guns for some time now, and much prefer them to my conventional bolt-action rifles for this purpose. They are ideal for driven shoots too, when you may have to go from standby to shoot at the crunch of a leaf. Out on the hill, where you typically have longer ranges, more time, and more wind to carry the noise away, they offer little or no advantage, however.

(As for using a hammer gun, the slow lock time and heavy trigger pulls associated with those mechanisms is no match for the crispness and speed of a modern bolt-action system.)
 
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Like Mr. Gain said, watch the weight. Anything heavier than 3 kg to 3.1 kg is to much. Avoid 3.4 to 3.5 kg rifles.
 
I have owned an M03 in 6.5x55 for a couple of years now and added a 7x64 barrel a year or so ago and I am sublimely happy with it. Its accuracy is superb and utterly repeatable. People do seem obsessed by its weight but, frankly, I have never found it an issue (and I have just turned 50).

Today I have just bought a M12 Impact GRS. I did consider the MO3 GRS but did not want to drop another 3.5K for the privilege so I went to Rupert Blackwall's to check out the M12 GRS or order a match 308 barrel for the MO3. When I examined the M12 Impact I was sold; the action is made to delightfully close tolerances and is as slick as could be hoped for and the trigger is a delight. I do not consider the M12 to be a lesser rifle than the MO3; it is a Mauser for those who do not need the switch barrel option.

That, I think is your choice. If you want a switch barrel to add calibres in due course then the MO3 is the logical choice but if you will be sticking with one calibre then the M12 will save you money and will still be a superb rifle.
 
M03 for breakdown. The "weight" is needed for the calibre range. You have a travelling option with multiple calibres.

M12 for single calibre choice/speciality.

Stan

P.S. 6.5x55 & 9.3x62 in MO3. .243 in Blaser K95 for the indulgence.
 
Ive had an M03 extreme in 6.5x55 for about five years and while it is a little heavy I don't intend to change it. I am particularly attached to the manual cocking, wouldn't be with out this feature in a rifle.
 
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