A passion of M98's

[Rick HOlbert]

@marksman
I know this will create a shitstorm but Enfield took the M98 and made it better and stronger as well as uglier with those sight ears but when they are ground off they also make great Mauser style rifles.
Bob.

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Yes indeed! I shoot 98 action rifles but I've got an Enfield in 300 H&H that is a fine rifle.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Yes indeed! I shoot 98 action rifles but I've got an Enfield in 300 H&H that is a fine rifle.

@Rick HOlbert
The Enfield is a lot smoother action than the 98 and if left in the original cock on closing it is surprisingly fast to operate.
Bob

 

[Rick HOlbert]

@Rick HOlbert
The Enfield is a lot smoother action than the 98 and if left in the original cock on closing it is surprisingly fast to operate.
Bob

Bob you're 100% correct. Although I did install the conversion parts to cock on opening like a Remington model 30. Machined the receiver bridge to remove the rear sight ears and refinished the stock. Installed a Luepold 3.5-10X42 VX3HD. Figured if I get the chance to go for Mule Deer I'll use it for that. Fact is I just like H&H cartridges and this Enfield just struck my fancy.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Bob you're 100% correct. Although I did install the conversion parts to cock on opening like a Remington model 30. Machined the receiver bridge to remove the rear sight ears and refinished the stock. Installed a Luepold 3.5-10X42 VX3HD. Figured if I get the chance to go for Mule Deer I'll use it for that. Fact is I just like H&H cartridges and this Enfield just struck my fancy.

@Rick HOlbert
I like them too both of mine are still cock on closing with timney triggers set at 2#

Bob

 

[MS 9x56]

@Rick HOlbert
The Enfield is a lot smoother action than the 98 and if left in the original cock on closing it is surprisingly fast to operate.
Bob

The Mauser 98 were never known to be particularly smooth as they were designed as a battle rifle first then modified ( mostly stocks, sights, sling mounts ext) for hunting rifles. Bolt movement is fairly sloppy until it enters the chamber lock up area. My Dad had a 1917 enfield that was pretty smooth for a military style bolt action.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

The Mauser 98 were never known to be particularly smooth as they were designed as a battle rifle first then modified ( mostly stocks, sights, sling mounts ext) for hunting rifles. Bolt movement is fairly sloppy until it enters the chamber lock up area. My Dad had a 1917 enfield that was pretty smooth for a military style bolt action.

@MS 9x56
And the Enfield was designed as a high class sporting rifle. I think not it was first and foremost a battle rifle.
Overbuild for sure, stronger than the 98 as well as slicker and faster to operate..
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Bob you're 100% correct. Although I did install the conversion parts to cock on opening like a Remington model 30. Machined the receiver bridge to remove the rear sight ears and refinished the stock. Installed a Luepold 3.5-10X42 VX3HD. Figured if I get the chance to go for Mule Deer I'll use it for that. Fact is I just like H&H cartridges and this Enfield just struck my fancy.

@Rick HOlbert
Get a 375H&H barrel and have a poor man's R8 switch barrel. It would only take 5 minutes to change barrels and scopes and have a bucket load more class and nostalgia than the R8
Bob

 

[Rare Breed]

@marksman
The are in the only 2 calibers you need for Oz. The laminated one is a 35 Whelen AI that would be good to run a 358 Norma mag reamer thru . Still basically brand new it has had less than 100 rounds thru it.
The walnut one in in a cartridge I designed. It's a 25/303 Epps Newton improved that launches a 100gn ttsx at 3,670fps and a 115gn nosler or 117grain SST at 3,360fps and groups less than an inch at 200 yards. Not to shabby out of a 108 year old action.
Bob

You know what…I think if anyone asked for a good gun to shoot sand grous with Bob would say a 35 Whelen every time. Lol!!!

 

[Rare Breed]

Had checkered and uncheckered rifles and never found any difference in the grip as I dont suffer from sweaty hands even in the hottest climates so that was/is reaon one. reason two is that I had a try at checkering and found it was one of those things that I had trouble getting done accurately and there is nothing worse than bad checkering to make a rifle look shabby and reason three is that of time/cost as thetime/cost I was quoted to get checkering done was high enough to cause me to decide that it offered nothing to the rifle except for the visual so I was content to forgoe the need for it and reason four was the few rifles I had seen with damage to the checkering that detracted from the desire to get it done. The greatly reduced hardiness of the checkered wood takes damage that is hardly noticable on the uncheckered wood, with the uncheckered wood being a great deal easier to "fix" than the checkered variety.
A good example of that was the skeletonised butt plate I did for my 7x57. I lent the rifle to a friend for a hunt and he muct have used it as a walking stick as there were gouges in the wood inside the butt plate so I had to set the butt plate a fraction deeper to refinish the wood sufficient to remove the gouges. Imagne if it was checkered, and that had to be redone as well.
I made a swuede leather cover for it and that relieved my concern for it in the hunting situation and gave more grip on the shoulder than any checkering may have done.
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I completely understand your rational Von. Just today I dropped off my gorgeous grade 8 of a possible 9 new stock blank off for my Rigby 275 rebuild and thought not to tarnish the gorgeous wood with checkering given I too never have sweaty hands. However after seeing how transparent my master stock maker was with his checkering I opted to go with it matching the Highland Stalker checkering.

 

[MS 9x56]

You know what…I think if anyone asked for a good gun to shoot sand grous with Bob would say a 35 Whelen every time. Lol!!!

And he would be right! Again

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

You know what…I think if anyone asked for a good gun to shoot sand grous with Bob would say a 35 Whelen every time. Lol!!!

@Rare Breed
I ain't that silly, they don't make shotshells for the Whelen.
Anyhoo why waste a perfectly good 35 round when a good 12 gauge would be better.
Yes I do own a 12 gauge.
Bob

 

[rdog]

1908 DWM Brazilian 7x57
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Beautiful rifles

 

[Brian Rothhammer]

@MS 9x56
And the Enfield was designed as a high class sporting rifle. I think not it was first and foremost a battle rifle.
Overbuild for sure, stronger than the 98 as well as slicker and faster to operate..
Bob

The Mannlicher Schoenauer was originally prototyped as Model M1900 and shown to various armorers and procurement agents in effort to gain lucrative military contracts.

Elaborate machining required for the Schoenauer magazine and overall high quality rendered the MS rather expensive, however, and the only significant contracts awarded were with Greece which resulted in Models Y1903, Y1903/14, Y1903/14/27 ('Breda'), System 1930 and variants.

Military Mannlicher Schoenauer battle rifles and carbines.