What if you want a classic wood-and-steel hunting rifle with generations of history behind it … but you also want to take advantage of the improvements in firearms technology over the past few decades? The new Mauser M98 Das Original allows you to have your cake and eat it too, and it even offers the classic bolt-action rifle in a never-before-available magnum chambering.
Mausers old and new @ TFB:
The rifle that changed hunting
Despite its reputation built in the World Wars and other conflicts around the globe through its use as a military long arm, the Mauser Model 98 might also be the most significant sporting rifle of all time.
Before the Model 98, there were bolt-action hunting rifles on the market. Mannlichers, Lee-Speeds, Krag–Jørgensens and even earlier-production Mausers like the Model 93 were all used by sportsmen; in many cases, by European colonialists who adapted their service rifles to chasing wild game, fed by a regular supply of military-issued ammunition. But the super-strong Model 98 action was readily adaptable to cartridges beyond the army-issue 8x57mm that it was originally chambered in.
The most important rechambering for the Model 98 was the pet project of German gunsmith Otto Bock. In 1905, Bock brought out the 9.3x62mm cartridge; this allowed Model 98 rifles to be rechambered to a big-bore cartridge, but at minimal expense, since the cartridge would run in a Model 98 receiver. The rifle would require a rebarreling, but that’s a lot less expensive than a ground-up rebuild, certainly much cheaper than a double rifle. Because of its blend of affordability, rugged construction and hitting power, the Mauser Model 98 rifle became popular all over colonial Africa in particular. The new cartridge allowed hunters to cleanly take big game that might have been dicey with a smaller military-issue cartridge.
After both World Wars, thousands of Model 98s were converted into sporters in Europe and North America. Custom gunmakers used them as the basis of high-end hunting rifles; companies like Parker Hale had factories full of skilled tradesmen remanufacturing surplus actions into mass market guns at a range of prices. And many, many individuals did their own at-home conversions, turning a captured 8x57mm Mauser into a deer gun that would last them the rest of their lives, and their kids’ lives too.
The modern Mauser M98 Das Original
Mauser rebooted Model 98 production in 1999, and since then, has sold different variations of its classic design. The Model 98 still has controlled round feed, two front-locking lugs and a third locking lug in the rear for safety. A solid recoil ring and integral recoil lug make the action as strong as the originals, with a rugged fixed-blade ejector. The latest version of the design, the M98 Das Original, combines the high points of the original action with better materials and construction methods and some other modern improvements, starting with Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) coating on the bolt. The super-hard, low-friction DLC finish will resist wear and corrosion and help the bolt run quickly for follow-up shots.
The M98 Das Original comes with a gold-colored trigger now, too, with matching lettering on the magazine’s floor plate. The furniture is constructed of hand-selected Grade 5 wood; the photos show beautiful figuring on the riflestock. On the magnum version of the rifle, that stock ends with a red safari-style recoil pad for added comfort when you’re touching off those heavy loads in 375 H&H or 416 Rigby. Those are the only chamberings available in the rifle’s magnum version, at an MSRP of $14,500 in the U.S.
Speaking of magnums: This is the first version of the Model 98 that comes from the factory in .300 Winchester Magnum, which is oddly not considered a magnum version of the rifle. Other non-magnum chamberings available include .30-06 and .308 Winchester. The non-magnum version of the rifle has a $12,000 MSRP.
That’s a big chunk of change for a hunting rifle, but Mauser says the M98 Das Original features old-world craftsmanship—that means hand-fitted production at the German factory. That, in turn, means a much higher price tag to go with the fussy manufacturing process. The man-hours of doing things the old-fashioned way get expensive.
But the latest version of the Model 98 is made for people who want just that—they want a beautiful, well-made rifle, and they are willing to pay. Jason Evans, CEO of the Blaser Group, says this was built for U.S.-market hunters who want the best: “The Mauser 98 Das Original edition was built in Germany for American hunters and collectors who appreciate perfection and top-tier engineering.”
Head to Mauser’s website for more details—link here.
All photos: Mauser
