Just bought three kinds of 98K Mausers

[Linstrum]

I just ordered three 98K Mauser rifles from Samco Global Saturday morning. Two rifles, actually, the third is a barreled action that I have all the parts for to turn back into a complete rifle. What I ordered are a Yugoslavian 98/48, Yugoslavian 24/52c, and the barreled action is a Yugoslavian 24/47. I ordered them all in Samco’s “Special Select Condition”. From past experience I have found Samco’s grading to be pretty generous in favor of the buyer. Of course I’ll actually find out as soon as I see them, though, they’ll be here sometime after the first week in December.

The only one of these rifles that I have had any actual experience with is the 24/47, I just bought one earlier this summer. Before purchasing the others I read the general descriptions of them, so for example I know that the 98/48 is of World War Two German manufacture with the Nazi markings removed and replaced by the Yugoslavian coat of arms. It was not mentioned if the 98/48 is the poor workmanship late German type or the earlier high quality Oberndorf and DWM manufacture. If anyone has a Yugoslavian 98/48, I would like to know what the quality of manufacture is like. The same goes for the Yugoslavian 24/52c, which is described as a “short” 98K. Since the 24/47 is also described as a “short” 98K, but is in reality an intermediate length action, I’d like to know if the 24/52c is just a later version of the of the 1924 Belgium FN 98K rebuilds like the 24/47 is, or a short action like the small ring Mausers.

The Yugo 24/47 I bought this summer had an untimely death that has me totally bent out of shape. It was an unissued rifle with a pristine bore and was also my first 98K. It was exactly what I wanted. I ran a box of Austrian Hirtenburger Boxer primed military surplus ammo through it to get the brass for reloading and when I was done I thoroughly washed the rifle with boiling water and then washed and scrubbed the bore out with boiling water. I finished by warming it to dry it out completely and then oiled it up with Rem Oil gun oil. Two weeks later I took the rifle out of the cabinet and the bore was totally dark and boogered up like an old sewer pipe, and just as rough with deep pits. I don’t know what happened, and I am the one who usually has all the answers for things like this that don’t make sense. My best guess is that the Hirtenburger ammo uses a type of corrosive primer compound mixture that has phosphorus trisulfide as the sensitizer instead of antimony trisulfide that is normally used in corrosive chlorate mixtures. The phosphorus trisulfide produces phosphoric acid as one of the combustion products, which is known for being extremely tenacious and difficult to remove from steel, even when scrubbed and washed with boiling water. Hirtenburger ammo is supposed to be non-corrosive, too.

I hope one of the 98Ks I am getting will be as nice as the one that was ruined. I am thinking about re-chambering the ruined 24/47 barrel in 8mm-06.

[StarMetal]

Linstrum,

Not that this was your problem but I've read that Rem Oil is junk.

Joe

[Linstrum]

Hey, Joe, I haven't heard from you for awhile. Yeah, the Rem Oil is just straight refined petroleum with about the same lubricating value as Vasoline when it comes to high pressure point-contact because it lacks the high pressure additives put in the better quality lubes. The chemical package they have in it works pretty good for displacing moisture but has poor protection against acids. I have used it in my junker 91/59 Mosin-Nagant that I use corrosive ammo in and it hasn't rusted yet. I'm pretty sure it is the Hirtenburger ammo priming that caused the trouble.

[brimic]

FOr the yugo refurbed k98s, I've seen a mix of manufacture dates and stock styles, and mismatched of those also.

For your pitted bore, have you tried shooting it since? A lot of rifles that appear to have crapped out bores shoot much better than you would think.

I don't use RemOil anymore either. I don't use BreakFree neither. Both have failed me in the past even on rifles where corrosive ammo was never shot. I've never had a gun rust on me when it was wipeddown/swabbed out with Birchwood Casey Sheath after a cleaning.

[felix]

Who sells stocks for these guns? ... felix

[Toney]

Boyds gunstocks

[PatMarlin]

You guys should try Ballistol.

http://www.ballistol.com/

This stuff is one amazing product, and seriously protects against corrosion of all kinds.

This one oil is all you need for firearms, even for BP "Moose Milk", and cleaner.

It disolves lead and hard powder residue like butter. Supposed to work on copper fouling too, but haven't tried it for that yet.

[Toney]

I like the rem oil to clean the copper solvent out of the barrel before using a powder solvent. I always start with the windex to. Can't be to carefull cause i like to hear that surplus stuff go off.

Made my first bootlit kill this rifle season!!!

[Linstrum]

Hey there guys, thanks for the feedback on the oil and stuff.


Toney, what boolit and rifle did you use to get your first kill this rifle season? Now you know what it feels like when you get success with a boolit that you made and loaded with your own hands! Where did you hit it and if you could find it what did your boolit look like?

[Toney]

Small doe. Hit it with a sportized jap t99, using a lee 184 grain .314" round nose, poured with lead from some pluse p-38 special hbsw. At almost 1800 fts. Using 30g powder pulled from 8mm rom,& reformed 06 brass.

Hit her right behind shoulder straight thur, she run about 200 yds. Took over 1 1/2 hrs to find her on the river bottom.

Here"s the thread I started at the reloaders guide

http://reloaders.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=97

[waksupi]

Toney, it sounds like you need to go to a flat point design. I've never had anything go near that far with cast bullets, with a similar hit.

[sundog]

Brimic, "I don't use BreakFree neither." ME, TOO. When I was in the Army and this stuff first came out as the be-all, end-all, to cleaning small arms, I used it religiously. Drip bottles, spray bottles, gallon refill bottles.... Always had a small drip bottle in the ruck and even used it on the stuff at home. Well, it's not the greatest stuff in the world, it works, but that's all, it works. It ain't worth the price they're askin' for it, if you're payin' for it! Lots of better stuff available for cheaper. I remember one time when I was in a rifle company all the weapons had been cleaned (and very well for several days in a row) and the inspector came through and ran a patch through some of them and the patches were lightly dirty with green. The stuff never got down to the metal. Won't ever forget the inspection report, "Some rifle were dirty." And damn sure won't ever forget the reply, "Some rifles were cleaned."

I am quite satisfied with Hoppes Bench Rest when shooting the condum stuff and Ed's Red (home brew of course) for other cleaning needs. Hoppes #9, too, will always be used, because Grandpa used it, and it smells good! Aroma therapy, doncha know.

I guess none of this has anything to do with 8mm Mausers, but then again, it just might. sundog

btw, I know one K98 that looks purdy sharp....

[sundog]

Waksupi, a 'beagled' RCBS 32-170-FN makes a purdy fair 8mm flat nose boolit what shoots good. Run it through a .325 sizer and there ya go. I've shoot a wad of them a 50 yards, and they shoot purdy good. A little testing could get a longer range load with no problem. sundog

p.s. looking forward to the 8mm custom mould (another thread).

[StarMetal]

sundog,

What's your point about breakfree? What do you suppose the green on the patch was? Breakfree isn't a jacketed bullet alloy solvent, it's just a basic lubricate, cleaner (as in dirt or carbon), and rust preventive. I believe the origin of it was a result of keeping M16's from jamming up due to crud in Vietnam, which itself was in result to the M16 never being issued with cleaning instructions and equipment when very first issued.

Joe

[Rick4570]

Linstrom, I'm curious as to the date of manufacture of your Hirt. surplus. I've got 1200 rds of 7.62x51 for my M1A. I've shot some of this, and havn't noticed any corrosive tendencys.
Regares, Rick

[sundog]

Well, Joe, I can answer that real easy. CLP. Clean, Lube, Protect. That's what it is called. But you know what? It don't clean! Least wise it does not remove all the copper, and we all know copper fouling reduces accuracy. Say what you want, this stuff ain't worth the price people pay for it, including the DOD! Best I can remember this stuff didn't come along until about years after SEA. Then it was GI bore solvent and LSA. I certainly would NOT put out hard earned green backs on the stuff (BreakFree, that is)! And that crap ain't cheap! sundog

oh, btw, the green on the patch, more a blue-green, was more than likely copper fouling still trying to break free.

[StarMetal]

sundog,

I don't have a bottle handy to read the ingrediants, but I'd be surprised if it has a copper solvent in it like ammonia or such. Like I said, I think the clean means dirt, carbon, etc, not jacket fouling. I know the guys that used it in Nam said it did keep the M16 operating. I've used it and Tri-Flo which is about the same stuff because I like the slickness they give to moving parts, not for their cleaning ability, which you and I know they lack.

Joe

[Linstrum]

Linstrom, I'm curious as to the date of manufacture of your Hirt. surplus. I've got 1200 rds of 7.62x51 for my M1A. I've shot some of this, and havn't noticed any corrosive tendencys.
Regares, Rick

Hey, there, Rick. Yeah, the 197-grain 8x57 Hirtenburger ammo that I fired in my now damaged Yugo 24/47 Mauser was supposedly made in the 1960s. I can’t check out the head stamps right now because I just moved and the boxes of ammo are in another state, but I recall looking at the stuff and seeing 63, 66, and other "propinquitous" dates stamped on some of the heads.

[Rick4570]

Linstrom, my 7.62x51 Hirt is dated '88 and newer. I reckon they went to NC primers in the late 60's or so. Sorry that yours caused you problem, especially after such a thorough cleaning.
Regards, Rick

[Ricochet]

Since that 24/47 is an "intermediate length" action, about 1/4" shorter than the 98 Mausers, it's going to be problematic to convert it to an '06 length case. I'd give it a good cleaning and leave it alone. I know the feeling of being disappointed when something "perfect" gets "ruined," but I've had that happen and later come back and found that things aren't so bad after all.

The M24/47's not a 98k Mauser, but a postwar Yugo rebuild of an FN (or FN licensed Yugo built) M1924 Mauser. And the M24/52C is a Yugo rebuilt Czech built Vz24, which is very similar to a 98k.