The Mauser 98 Interview with Larry Potterfield | The Mauser 98 Project
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- čas přidán 30. 04. 2013
- Why build a sporter from a military gun? What was done to bring this gun to modern standards? Watch along as Larry Potterfield, Founder and CEO of MidwayUSA, answers these questions and more on The Mauser 98 Project.
For more interviews with Larry and other MidwayUSA videos visit the MidwayUSA Video Library: www.midwayusa.com/video-library - Jak na to + styl
Thanks Mr. Potterfield for showing us this.
We are blessed to live during this man's lifetime 😎👍🏽
Millions of post war FN 98's out there. Beautiful action.
different strokes for different folks but the k98 is probably one of the finest bolt action rifles ever made
Its that Mauser action, perfect size/length, big round and excellent German craftsmanship! People 'sporterizing' (ie bubba-ing) these pieces of history pisses me off! There are mountains of new rifles out there that are cheaper and plentiful that people can cut up all they want, but no, they pick the 80 year old rifles that are pieces of history...ugh
sergeantbigmac Buddy if you like them so much then people killing them only makes them more valuable. Less = More value and collect ability. Also it's his money, he can do what he wants to with it
Shadow That makes no sense 'buddy'... I dont care about money at all, money means nothing to me when talking about these rifles. What I care about is the historical significance of these rifles, which is invaluable! At the end of the day, yes it is his rifle to do what he wishes with, but it doesn't mean I cant express my opinion. At least Larry did an excellent job on this, but I cringe to think of the thousands of classic vintage rifles that are hacked up every year by 'bubba'.
sergeantbigmac you are SO right!!!!!! it ticks me off to see people like Larry Potterfield who love ruing history for some reason
@@GreetingsandSalutations4007 the history isn't ruined, you can go to a museum and see mausers that were used in battles, you can buy authentic used k98s at auction.
That being said there were many thousands of these rifles built, and not all are of stellar quality. It sucks that it's being altered, but the history is still there, it happened, it's over. And technically that rifle still exists and is in a useable form, keeping it relevant. If anything I get a little bit of dark satisfaction wondering if there's an SS member rolling in his unmarked grave because some American just "butchered" the rifle he used.
7:01 "it was made to fit me !" like a boss
I could listen to Larry talk about guns for days
Beautiful rifle. He did a very nice job describing why you'd sporterize a war relic. He would be the last person to do this to a pristine war rifle that's of some value.
No no he didn't becuse he failed to say it probably would hace been cheaper and easier to use a modern mauser action like a remington
@@JohnDoe-iw7zc you mean pre-64 Winchester 70? Remington is push feed.
Beautiful is an major understatement. Gorgeous is more like it! That bluing with wood stock and ebony forend is the pinnacle of perfection!
No its honestly it us ugly , he made this rifle into a carbon copy of every other sporting rifle out there, they all look the same, its now just another boring gun with a pointless ebony bit on the end.
John Doe so what? It is his rifle. He wanted a sporterized rifle so he made one. If you want to keep yours stock that is fine... if you even have one! There are millions of rifles left original just sitting in safes and gun collections. He wanted to make his something he could use for his needs so he did. I personally like it a lot, wish I owned it. If you don’t like it that is your business
@@beardoggin8963 yeah he can bubbafy as many guns as he wants its just sad to see him do that and not just put a new berral on it headspace it and make that old rifle really shine but instead he made that gun a $300 bubbafied
John Doe some people don’t own guns just to re-sell them. It is worth more to him as a spotter and that’s all that matters. And I wouldn’t call what he made “bubba-fied”. He didn’t just use a hacksaw to cut off what he didn’t need. Larry and I like this rifle and you don’t. That’s why there are millions of guns out there so you can own what you like.
People forget why these are sporterized. THEY HAVE THE BEST ACTIONS EVER MADE.
Amazing energy! Thank you for all that you do.
I think Larry did this video just right. He took and modified his own personal Mauser and talked about it, fitting the gun to the owner "in this case me".It's obvious to me the pride he has in his own gun, and if your selling something, seems to me to be the best approach.
I have a very similar rifle. It was built on a Mauser auction and also chambered for .257 Roberts and it is a joy to hunt with and to look at. It has been an extremely effective and accurate tool for deer hunting. It was lovingly made by a somewhat well known Western gunsmith for his personal use and after he passed away I was fortunate enough to purchase it. It came to me with a 6X fixed Leupold scope and I have kept it exactly as he made it with the exception of the addition of a simple adjustable leather sling. The rifle is without a doubt the finest I own. Had I commissioned a gun smith to make it for me it would probably have cost 10 times as much so I appreciate the incredible value it represents as well.
I really appreciate the quality of these videos, they've only grown more professional over the years! Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge with us on the internet.
Very nice.! Especially in .257 Roberts
I have my fathers original German Mauser brought back from a Armory in Berlin in 1944. Three examples were brought back because my father had two other brothers. He told me the other two mausers were turned into hunting rifles in the late 40's, while his Mauser, (now mine and on youtube) was the only one of three left completely intact and basically non-fired to this day.
Mausers make great sporting rifles. I have my Grandpa's old Parker-Hale Mauser in 30-06 - it it beautiful, and shoots very well.
Seems odd to comment a 3 year old comment lol but I recently received my great grandfathers hunting rifle as a graduation present. Like yours, it’s a Mauser action but in 30-06. I’m glad I found this video since it was able to shed some light on the rifle and it’s past.
Larry you are a true artist
Excellent video. Thank you. I was impressed with the receiver and barrel work.
Awesome rifle. Thanks for sharing!!!
Thank you, Larry, I really enjoy these videos and appreciate your dedication to shooting sports and the industry. When you were describing the work on the barrel portion of the video, you referenced four or five machining steps (lapping, milling, truing, etc.). Is there another video that details/explains the value or purpose of those steps?
*Holding M24/47 in mint condition*
"...converting something like this, especially if it's all beat up and has a lot of war dings in it..."
Dan Shaffer probably refurbished already
I know man
He was talking about what people did back in the 50's when import Mausers were a dime a dozen.
I have one sporterized like that with the Timney trigger, bolt plug, and turned bolt handle. I put on an E.R. Shaw, 25/06 barrel and this is a real sweet hunting rifle.
I have taken whitetail deer, mule deer, and elk in Colorado with this sweetheart rifle.
Just curious,will the Mauser action work with a .243 case ?
@@ArkansasBadBoy 243 has the same case head diameter as 8MM, 270, 30/06, 22/250, ect, but it will require a barrel change .. The bolt head will not have to be changed,,,and the magazine will be Ok,, even stripper clips will work if the action has the slot.
@@RH-xr8ms thanks so much for responding so quickly. My wife gave me her father's 1909 Argentine Mauser action and barrel after he passed away to bring back to life as I see fit and I was hoping that .243 could be done but finding out that a 22-.250 is an option as well is tempting. A .243 loaded with a 58 gr bullet feels just like shooting a 22-.250 with a 75 gr bullet to me, plus I can load much heavier bullets for the .243 if need be so I think that's the direction I'll take. Thanks again.
@@ArkansasBadBoy Believe me,,,,the 25/06 is really great shooter, and real mild recoil. My lil ol wife does real good with it, and I have taken Mule Deer and Elk with it. The last kill for me was a 386 lb wild boar at 408 yards . One 117 gr soft point bullet ! Also note,,,,,,mine was original 1909 7.65 Argentine, that had the worst headspace problem I've ever seen. I had to either rebarrel the thing or throw it away. It was dangerous to shoot like it was.
Larry always does sensible work on guns. That being said, if you have any mil spec gun that is in fairly poor shape you can bring it new life as something else. For those guns that are in good shape with all parts and if your lucky all matching numbers keep it as it is. Don't let opinions sway judgment. If you have the skills and tools to do your own work it is way more satisfying to shoot and utilize any gun that has been brought back from something to something spectacular.
Most of the k98s here in Norway was reworked into .30-06 by the arsenal and also restamped such so it was not much collector value on many of them then, also they polished bit off on the left side to have room for the stamp from which service it was going to. Many good actions to be found in there it was . It was starioned up to 450000 troops here of all kind snd services so a lot of equipment.
20 years ago one could get a k98 for 100 dollar, put on a Ramline stock, drill and tap for a Aimpoint done.
2 . Put on a Match barrel, Timney Trigger, Weaver or Leupold mount , Bredvold Laminate stock and bedd it from his shop. Then its a rifle that serve many uses.
3. Use action only, get Borgen , Gunsmith not far from Bredvold to take the action , fit a LW 9,3x64 barrel,,Recknagel sights, his own M70 safety, his own scopemount with peep sight in the rear base, hinged metal botttom, a fine German style stock done by Borgen , and a Zeiss in Clawmount .
This would rival Suhl or Ferlach guns, at a much lower price .
Here in Canada , not to many years ago you could buy a Shultz& Larsen rebuilt 98 with target stock and diopter sights chambered in 6.5x55 for what was about three days wages
This makes me want to buy from Midway. Thanks for spending the time and money on these videos.
great video larry, thank you
I love all Mauser military rifles. If preserved in original conditions are fascinating , are historical objects but there are many scraps in many armies in the world. custons Mauser rifles can be wonderful and valuable.
I like finding previously hacked up Mausers and trying to improve on them. sometimes they get a new barrel, sometimes a new stock. Sometimes both and more. I love me a good Mauser sporter.
great video thanks Larry
Just a stunning piece of gear in a remarkable caliber like the 257 Roberts.
That's a beautiful gun, you did an incredible job.
Nope
@@JohnDoe-iw7zc why nope?just a hater
@@Mavd-mk9iq I think he is a hater. I am love to watch his videos, I really gain knowledge by his videos. He is just nice.
RIP all you sporterized military small arms.
111 million, we had better get down to work.
Yeah ....it honestly dosnt make since in my mind
Exactly. Over a hundred million made. And how many are in original condition and in privet hands. Prob well over half or more. As well most of those are the prime and primo examples. I would say a good job has been done saving there heritage. Converting some of the left overs to hunt with is not a bad way for a rifle to spend the rest of its life.
A lot of fudds and bubba's in this comment section. ,They made millions" have you seen what the prices are now? Mosins are selling for $325-350. Don't sporterize any because there are many already messed up save the rest for people who care about history
Not necessarily. It depends on the condition. A piece of junk is still a piece of junk even if it's an all original piece of junk. I collect mil-surps. I hate to see a nice rifle cut up, but turning something that isn't of any use to anyone into a beautiful & functional heirloom isn't a bad thing.
Gracias por brindar tan correctos, precisos y profundos conocimientos sobre estos temas tan apasionantes!!!!Lo felicito!!!!!!!!!
I used the barrel and the stock and the lock for the '96 Swedish Mauser I had. Their is so much you can do with that fullstock.
Great video Larry !
Wish there was a full series on all this work. Alot of the stuff on CZcams is just smaller videos here and there with voice overs.
Lock, Stock and Barrel is the name of my hard rock mine out in Southern NM!
Today it isn't cool to do it to a World War rifle collectible, but it was done often in earlier days, when the guns were in bulk supply, and before these rifles became so sought after. One of the reasons the original rifles today have such high value is because so many were sporterized like this. As far as functionality, these guns are of higher quality than most of the new rifles on the market today.
I laugh at the notion that a "collector's piece" was destroyed to build this rifle. Millions of Mausers were produced between 1909 and the end of WWII. Millions. I doubt anyone in todays gunsmithing world would tear down a minty K98 with matching numbers and proper markings that might cost $1000 or more when there are so many cobbled Mausers with serviceable actions available for about $200. Not all Mauser actions are created equal. Some are rough, while others are finished as finely as any rifle ever made. Look for '09 Argentines, '09 Peruvians or '08 Brazilians or any German plant action made from the late 1930s to about 1942. After '42 the workmanship dropped off as the war was not going well. Oberndorf Mauser factory work is probably the best. Look up the codes to see what factory the action comes from. BRNO are also very good. These actions house up to .500 Jeffrey or 10mm Mauser magnum cartridges. If building a magnum cartridge, have the action heat treated to be sure. Its inexpensive and ensures the metal is right. If you ever have a primer rupture, you will witness the superiority of the Mauser design over the copycats. These are great actions for custom rifles. Thanks for the video.
You are so right my dad and I mostly my dad built many a custom rifle using those actions we forged the bolts beautifully making the hendle appear longer by pear shaping the bolt knob the are a work of art when done right
And most of those were destroyed in either battle, left in Europe in stores, sent to Ukraine or middle eastern allies. Only some come to the USA now. They're ALL harder to find now and you could probably either sell it to afford a proper sporting rifle.
My German grandfather had a gun shop from 65 to 95. He had surplus 98s in a barrel behind the shop door. He built a lot of sporters for people. 98 sporter conversions have been very common for decades. No one today would use a all matching historical example I don't think. You can still order action and barrel assemblies for customizing.
I have a Mauser factory sporter from the 20s in 9x57 Mauser. Yes the machining is far above any military examples I've ever seen and they can not be compared to military examples.
@@prussia1557the notion that this isn’t a “proper sporting rifle” is absurd. The Mauser 98 action may be the best bolt action ever designed. I have my father’s sporterized Belgian made Mauser 98 action in .270 Winchester and it is a wonderful rifle.
I fought with my gun smith many times he vuilt custom rifles I. Et he destroyed 2500
Good real mushers what a sad story
What a beautiful rifle Larry. I am sure you have sporterized many military rifles. A Compilation DVD of these projects would be very popular I'm sure.
Larry, you're work with firearms is beautiful. But I also think those old military rifles have a beauty of their own, every scratch or gouge in the stock has a story behind it. And I love that just as much as a classy looking sporting rifle.
Those dings and dents are from being thrown in a pile when we won the war
My father had a Gew.98 he brought back from WW2 Europe sporterized by a professional gunsmith in the 1950s. Although I treasure it because it belonged to him, I'd rather he'd left it in original condition.
War veterans had much more practical concerns. If it was a Luger, they might have more sentimental attachment to it. A Mauser is a tool in that respect.
Gorgeous rifle, Mr. Potterfield. Although you explanation on the build was fairly detailed, a step by step series on these builds would be nice. Cheers!
I like projects like this.
Mr Potterfield, your rifle is beautiful! And in 257 Roberts also...
It just doesn't get any better, congratulations on that fine heirloom!
Larry, like a boss. Nice result.
I have an immaculate US Model of 1917 or American Enfield. Matching Winchester all around, and meticulously as well as tastefully sporterized in the US and nothing was scrapped. Original barrel as well as stock. They dovetailed some extra wood to the stock to turn it into a Monte Carlo and added speed front sight, and shaved off the bunny ears but everything else is still there.
There are aftermarket triggers available for the Mosin that have an integral safety similar to that on many modern bolt-action rifles. Timney is a good one.
great video. i love gunsmithing too.
Amazing!!!
Nice caliber too! Beautiful
Hearing someone talk about “Sporterizing” is like hearing fingernails on a chalkboard to me.
That's the one.. great looking rifle!
Beautiful rifle
Brilliant !
His smile spoke volumes.
You are the best larry !!
8x57 is generally referred to as "8mm Mauser" but some rifles were also originally chambered in 7x57 or "7mm Mauser". As in this video, Mr, Potterfield utilized the 7mm Mauser action.
Much nicer than my 98 7x57 Mauser. Sporter stock, 28" barrel with ghost ring sights polished barrel. I might do some of the other little things later on.
thanks for the video. Pretty rifle !
The Zastava/Interarms Mark X is a good true Mauser action "sporterized" in just this manner. They are high quality and give 90+ percent of Larry's rifle at a very attractive price point. They do fall down regarding the stocks, unless you like a high gloss finish and white line spacers. But that can be corrected by most people at home.
I've been looking at one of their Continental models at a local shop, Mannlicher stock, butter knife bolt handle (pretty but not as practical as their regular one), .270 caliber. It has a high quality optic mounted, asking price is $700, I'll offer less and see how it goes.
The Gew 98 has a tighter better engineered action/reciever to make into a sniper grade rifle. The 7.92 mm round has great ballistics and has many reloading option for hunting, sniping and target shooting. Many times the factory ammo is under powered compared to what you can reload also you can make much more accurate rounds reloading.
Great build. I got mine that way back in 1938 was when it was done. Hand carved with quick detach scope. It really is a head turner. Pretty sure it is a factory built gun butt plate is a Mauser plate. Pretty rare gun.
well said thanks
I love the videos !!!!!
Very beautiful work! One of these days, I'm going into gunsmithing.
ashjeremy07GOOD LUCK A HE'LL OF A LOT WORK VERY LITTLE PAY
Did you make it yet
I kind of resonated with this. As a military rifle the first step is to dismantle it and tear it down. When I got out of the military I had to completely tear myself down and rebuild from the ground up. Again. But now I'm a polished sporterized old military weapon. I'll still F+++ your day up.
Very similar design to a Ruger M77 MKII !
hola soy armero de Mexico trabajo en la Policia Estatal deTamaulipas y me gusta mucho sus videos y aprendo y me actualizo al verlos no hablo Inglesmuchas gracias por su enseñansa
Thank Herman Waldron & Jim Carmichael in 1975 for publishing these alterations. Good gunsmithing practice.
Another quick point, sporterized and even beautifully sporterized Mausers & Springfields are relatively common. If you really want to impress someone, put together a beautifully sporterized Mosin Nagant or Arisaka. It can be done. I've seen a couple of them over the years, but it takes work to pull that off!
I agree that if your goal is to build a custom grade rifle a Mauser or Springfield (or M70 or M700) is a better place to start, but if you're just trying to learn how a M91 will work too.
I love Mausers most of all but that is a sweet rifle . There are plenty of sporterized military rifles to work with . I would love to have a mauser in 35 whelan .
Beautiful rifle.
Just beautiful! I envy the American gun culture.
Make sure you do a lot of research before you do this to your rifle. Some of these Mausers are extremely collectible any much more so if they have not been messed with. If its a Turk or Persian or yougo Mauser not so much. also why not just but a new hunting rifle. Thanks Larry.
Most are armory refurbs not numbers matching. Their value lies in being excellent shooters. Mr. Potterfield I am sure knows better than most what is of value or not. You are correct do due diligence and make sure you know what the rifle is. Mine was sporterized in the late 40s, Chambered to .270 with an FN barrel it is a tack driving machine.
Persian mausers are extremely collectable
Lovely rifle and a great hunting all round caliber shame we don’t see .257 Roberts more . Hat off
if the bolt stuck straight out it was a yugo 24/47 not a k98
nobody built a K98 in 7x57
or czechoslovakian VZ-24
@@radovanrimak581 that's 8mm though like the 98 gewehr.
Very nice. I will take two, one in 7mm Mauser and the other in 9.3x62. They must also have iron sights as backup to a fixed power scope. 6x and 2x respectively. I also need a Ruger #1 in 505 Gibbs. These will be my main rifles for hunting. I am going to be traveling back to the early pleistocene of North America. These should be sufficient for my Grand Safari.
That is one very nice rifle Larry..
Damn that is a nice looking rifle. Only thing I'll complain about is the lack of iron sights. But to each their own and that is a nice piece of work.
The rifle you had at the start was a Yugo M48 though.
gr8 job
Remington 798-799 are mauser actions also i believe. Just shortened and made for several calibers
The 798 is a Zastava commercial version of the FN 24 M98 they label as an LK M70, and the 799 is a scaled down "mini Mauser" they label as a LK M85, but no CRF and a Sako style extractor. I own one of each of the Zastava branded in left hand variant, 6.5 x 55, and a 7.62 x 39 rebarreled to 6.5 Grendel by E
R. Shaw.
While I also prefer a CRF action, the simple fact is that push feed actions have more than proven themselves over the years, and while the Mosin Nagant certainly isn't going to win any beauty contests in its factory form it is an extremely strong & reliable rifle. Many are also extremely accurate. In fact I recently customized one for use in Vintage Sniper Rifle matches myself. All I've done is some relatively minor work. The barreled action is original, but it shoots 1" 5-shot groups at 100yds!
Yes $2000.00 later. I use my uncles 300 savage In a savage model 99 that he payed for back in 1936. I have a family heirloom that puts meat on the table.
I was able to acquire a nice 1939 ish Husqvarna 640 with the early FN98 in 8x57...most of the work is already done that way. Also have a field gauge coming...
I have a FN Mauser 98 sporting rifle in 30.06....Need scope mounts for it....What info do I need to purchase correct mounts from Midway?
I have one from 1941 with new Timney adjustb trigger/safety(no klick) beded and shorter barrel with silencer. Scope on top and color green/brown on the stock. 3006 and with new moore accurat ammo... precise and good hunting rifle :) Norma så klart!
Thank you for a wonderful video. Often you come across as a salesman in your videos, which is understandable, but in this video, you are more like an honest sportsman, relaxed at home, just sincerely discussing his passion. It is wonderful. And your rifle choice is pure and classic, mauser 98 with classic stock and a wonderful classic cartridge. It just saddens me how so many today can't even appreciate such a wonderful classic hunting rifle/cartridge setup. Its not "tactical" enough, the wood isn't "stable" enough, like a modern, hand laid, fiber stock, it doesn't have the BC to shoot 1000 yds, etc. I think it is a shame, what we seem to have lost in function, aesthetics and class, with modern "sporting" trends. I know there are advantages and good things about the new rifles but in my opinion, they will never have the warmth, beauty, or class of a lot of the hunting rifles of days gone by. I hope you and your company are hanging in there through our current challenges. We need companies like yours to stick around. God bless you.
We're more angry at the fact a historic rifle was butchered.
I guess you'll just have to be angry. There's millions of these things out there still in military form.
Lovely rifle.!
I have an old sporterized 257 Roberts AI from a Springfield 1903 sniper
This is one of your best videos. Great job, Thanks.
To me one of the nicest custom Mauser 98's was African big game hunter Harry Selby's Mauser in .416 Rigby that he used for decades killing Cape Buffalo. I want a custom rifle to do the job it was intended for but not to be so dressed up I'm afraid to take it into the woods where it might get damaged. I owned a Mauser 98 custom that had been chambered in .338-06 Improved. It was a hell of a gun and I wish I still owned it.
I hunted with an untouched 98 K 8m/m in Maine. Good rifle, but no deer that year.
It was a 7mm - so not a K98. Gorgeous rifle - this from a "purist". I doubt he did this to a very collectible rifle. He just needed the action - Purdey does the same thing and I don't see folks complaining. You can save some labor by using an Argentine 1909 action by the way. They already have a hinged floorplate Actions run around $250.
Why dose no one make new sporter type rilfes into millitary style rifles? That would be cool to see.
That is correct.. I used the 1909 and added a brand new 30-06 barrel 30 in and custom stock. Heck of a gun I built.
John Doe not economical
Mine is 30-06
@@JohnDoe-iw7zc Some people do unsporterise old militarily Mausers that had been sporterized back in the day when they were a dime a dozen. The restore these old militarily rifles to their former glory
A beautiful job of making a modern sporter out of a military rifle. I have no problems with this concept as long as it's a proper job and not just some 'Bubba' cutting down of the wood only. While there are some rarer and highly sought after military rifles that are best left alone, there are literally tens of millions of various military bolt rifles like the various Mauser copies, Springfield 03's, various Enfield makes like the P14 and P17 not to mention Japanese and Russian variants.
What you've ended up with is a shining example of how to do the job properly. A fully modern action complete with nicely turned down bolt handle and a Mod. 70 type three position safety. The stock is gorgeous and (Hallelujah!!) no Monte Carlo comb. I like proper length barrels and 24 in. for a .257 Roberts (awesome cartridge) is great. You can get away with less barrel length at the cost of increased muzzle blast and reduced muzzle velocity, so why bother?
All in all, a terrific job and a resulting beautiful rifle, meant for the field and not some display case.
I like monte carlo combs...
Kudos! On a wonderfully and tasteful video. You have given that rifle a new lease on life. It is now a museum piece.
It was a museum piece before it was sporterized. There’s a lot of mixed feelings about sporterizing a war relic. In one sense you’re taking a beat up gun made by the tens of thousands and turning it into a work of art. In the other sense you’re taking a part of history and depriving it from existing. Like it never happened.
It depends on the condition of the actual gun. In some cases, conversions actually save older guns allowing them to have a new life and purpose. Ignorance is often generalising without specific boundaries for certain subjects.
Checkering before or after glass beding ??
If you go to the MidwayUSA website, and go down to the bottom you'll find the Video Library which should have everything he's done.
The end result is a Winchester Model 70 Super Grade in the pre-64 control-round-feed configuration, which you can still buy brand-new today with the venerable Winchester name on it (got mine from Budsgunshop.) Here is my 30-06 Super Grade in a detailed view: czcams.com/video/-uhFuac_lVo/video.html