Mauser 96 American

[CRAMBONE]

So was in my local gun store the other day and noticed they still have (8 months) a Mauser 96 American .308win (not the military vintage M1896). I picked it up and it fits like a glove, I was kind of impressed, but I figured maybe one day. I cannot get this rifle out of my head. :) I have always wanted a Sauer and this kinda seems like a cheaper route. Got home that night tried doing a little research about the model. I couldn't find much other than they didn't sell well so Mauser quit importing them, triggers were horrible, and they are accurate. Gunshop will do $490 cash or $549 layaway. The rifle seems damn near new to me.

Does anybody own one/ ever shot one? Have opinions on them? Value? Can the triggers on these be worked on?

[ralph]

I have one..in .243..It is very accurate..I haven't had any real problem with it. The trigger is useable, but that about it, and I've never heard of anyone doing any work on them. There some drawbacks to it..There is no provision for removing the bolt, to do so, one has to take the bolt handle off first, there's a small allen screw in the bolt handle (allen wrench comes with the rifle)..usually is the rifle is unmolested the little plastic peice in the bolt handle, covering up the allen screw will still be present. Another issue is parts...This was the LAST rifle Mauser made before going out of business, as far as I know, there is a company in Europe That bought ALL the known parts for these rifles, things like extractors, firing pins, barrels, are getting very difficult to find. and to my knowlege no one is making any replacements..These are fine rifles, and some like mine have georgous walnut stocks, But knowing what I know now about them, I'd pass..There just isn't any support for them at all, and that could make the difference between it being a useable rifle 10-20yrs from now, or a wall hanger..

[CRAMBONE]

Thanks man. I kind of figured that about the parts. Do you know the name of the company that had them? The shop doesn't even have a manual with the rifle!

[ralph]

Thanks man. I kind of figured that about the parts. Do you know the name of the company that had them? The shop doesn't even have a manual with the rifle!

Jehn Gustav JehnGmbH
Email: gustav@jehn.de
I got this address from Mauser's website..www.mauserwaffen.de Click on the "english" tag at the bottom of the page,Then click on "service" on the left side bar..That will bring up a FAQ and the full address and phone # is there..
Anyway, if you buy it, it should be a decent rifle, should be very accurate. I've no idea how difficult it would be to get parts from these people as they're in Germany.. Hopefully, you would'nt need any..