Having some fun with the 1908 model Brazilian Mauser

[jon_norstog]

I've had this rifle about 30 years. It is nowhere near pristine but has a good barrel, most of its bluing and matching numbers. Compared to what is out there on the market today it is a cream puff. My brother and I took it out shooting in the National Forest south of Sandpoint (ID) last Sunday, instead of going to church.

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It has the original front sight, so you have to aim low to get on the paper. I might try to find a taller blade for it. It should be quite accurate. The Gewehr 98 that is its stablemate surely is, once the barrel gets hot, shot after shot practically crowd together
around the POA

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Both rifles are shooters, and good ones.
jn

[JimF]

Long barreled Mausers are a lot of fun . . . .

Here’s a group I shot with the pictured Amberg Gew ‘98 . . . . .

Knowing all my milsurps shoot “a mile high”, I place a white sheet of paper well above my aiming bull.

As I’m only a “group shooter”, I’m only interested in the tightest group possible . . . .NOT the “Point of Aim”.

Notice my group centers about 18” above the P.O.A.

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[JohnMOhio]

Put another blue target where you have the white paper. That should do it for those wanted results on a target.

[jon_norstog]

Long barreled Mausers are a lot of fun . . . .

Here’s a group I shot with the pictured Amberg Gew ‘98 . . . . .

Knowing all my milsurps shoot “a mile high”, I place a white sheet of paper well above my aiming bull.

As I’m only a “group shooter”, I’m only interested in the tightest group possible . . . .NOT the “Point of Aim”.

Notice my group centers about 18” above the P.O.A.

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That vertical stringing is kinda typical of rifles with long barrels, long stocks and barrel bands. Once the barrel gets up to operating temp, the groups tighten up. IMHO

jn

[JimF]

Put another blue target where you have the white paper. That should do it for those wanted results on a target.

Yes, John . . . .I used to do that . . . .

But I quickly realized a white sheet of paper was only necessary . . . . .

(Remembering, I’m only interested in “groups” . . . .NOT scoring rings)

Plus, the bullet holes are MUCH easier to see on white paper than holes in the blue bull . . . .or, worse yet, in a black bull!

[JohnMOhio]

I didn't realize that using the white paper would let you see the holes better. i don't recall the distance you were shooting at. I agree, the front sight has a lot to do with shooting high but.....is the stock fitting also be part of the problem. Barrel heats up and presses against the stock. Much like shimming one of our US Military rifles. Can't remember which one, the 03's or the Garand.

[JimF]

John . . . .
My targets were at 100 yds.
I don’t think stock fitting is a “problem” here, ‘cause ALL these Mausers shoot high . . . .designed that way!
As far as “shimming” goes . . . .Both the ‘03 and Garand are given barrel pressure, BUT . . . .
With bolt action (‘03) the tip pressure is UP.
With the Garand, the tip pressure (at the lower band) is DOWN.

[bruce]

Those WWI era rifles were zeroed at 400 meters. The M-1903 was zeroed at 540 yds. This practice was common to the era when it was expected that infantry would be engaging men marching or mounted calvary. Rifles were sighted to allow the maximum danger space so that hitting distant targets would be simplified. In the post WWI era many rifles were modified to apply lessons learned in the trenches, one of which was to zero rifles based on actual experience in combat. So, the M-98 became the K-98 w/ a 200 M zero. And, the Marines zeroed their 1903's at (IIRC) 200 yds. Of course the M-1 had a fully adjustable rear sight which greatly simplified things.

With a bit of fiddling, a front sight can be cut/filed out of a piece of key stock, aluminum, copper, etc. that will allow one to zero a rifle for more effective use at more moderate ranges. Cut the blade high and then file it down till POI = POA at the range you want to shoot. This method has worked well for me when shooting K-98's, etc. HTH. Sincerely. bruce.

[JohnMOhio]

Jim, thanks for refreshing my memory on the shimming. Now the task is not to forget it again. Thinking what you had written I can not understand why anyone would design a fire arm to deliberately shoot high. It can't be due to recoil is my first and only thought for that design. Depending on the distance, you would have to aim at a persons hip line to hit them in the upper chest. If you aimed at the chest in all likelihood the bullet could go over his head pending the size of the person.

[JimF]

Jim, thanks for refreshing my memory on the shimming. Now the task is not to forget it again. Thinking what you had written I can not understand why anyone would design a fire arm to deliberately shoot high. It can't be due to recoil is my first and only thought for that design. Depending on the distance, you would have to aim at a persons hip line to hit them in the upper chest. If you aimed at the chest in all likelihood the bullet could go over his head pending the size of the person.

Ahhh, John . . . . .

You?ve hit the nail on the head! . . . .

When one actually thinks about it, battlefield conditions dictate that human targets are very obscure.

Remembering you have iron sights, sighting an enemy at distance means only seeing his torso, as his head, arms, and legs become damn near invisible at anything over 100 yards.

So . . .
Place what you CAN see atop your front sight, and you stand a good chance of hitting him SOMEWHERE between the crotch and the neck!

[Art]

Vertical stringing on military Mausers, IMHO, has a lot to do with the v notch rear and pyramid front sight. It's very easy for that pointy front sight to creep up and down in the V. My Yugo short rifle is quite accurate but has the same problem If I speed up between shots or my eyes start to get tired. Really taking my time between shots helps a lot. Later Mausers have more reasonable sight settings, the low setting on my Yugo is 200 meters calibrated for 196 gr. heavy ball and it does seem to be close to dead on at that distance with that heavy ball and about 3"-3 1/2" high at 100 yards.

Why Mauser stuck with this sorry sight set up for the whole production of the line is a mystery to me. The Swedes used a more practical sight set up which is one of the reasons, again IMHO their rifles have a reputation as possibly the most accurate Mausers. The aperture sight on the Japanese Model 99 helps a lot with that too.

I wouldn't mess with the front sight, you aren't going to hunt with the rifle. It could be considered a light form of "bubba-izing." I'd just keep doing what you're doing, but it isn't my rifle.

[jon_norstog]

I did a lift on the Gewehr 98 front sight, just welded a tab to it and filed it correct. The '08 is too nice for that kind of treatment.

jn