Author Topic: M1916 Spanish .308 Mauser?  (Read 340 times)

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Offline Robert

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M1916 Spanish .308 Mauser?
« on: March 18, 2004, 09:19:09 AM »
They have these listed at www.gunsnstuff.net for 119.00.  I have been wanting an inexpensive .308.  Does anyone know if these are a good action, or would I be better off waiting for a better firearm?  Anybody know of any other good deals on a milsurp .308?
....make it count

Offline John Traveler

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Spanish M1916 Mauser in .308 Winchester
« Reply #1 on: March 18, 2004, 10:09:05 AM »
Robert,

These Spanish army surplus rifles are Model 1916 Mausers, which is a Spanish arsenal (Oviedo) built variant of the M1893 Mauser.

The general opinion among gunsmiths is that these early Mausers are NOT safe when chambered in .308 Winchester/7.62x51 NATO.  The rifles are chambered for a reduced power Spanish Army cartridge (7.62x51 CETME) dimensionally identical to the 7.62x51 NATO.  You are taking a big risk to fire .308 Winchester in them.

The many reasons include:  old design, marginal quality control, poor gas handling in case of ruptured primers/cases, lack of a safety lug, and general condition of mis-matched parts in surplus arms.

You would do well to save your money and buy a better rifle specifically designed for the .308 Winchester.

HTH
John
John Traveler

Offline Robert

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Thanks John
« Reply #2 on: March 18, 2004, 10:22:52 AM »
That is exactly what I needed to know.  I can just put it out of my head now.  The other possibility that I was considering is to buy another VZ-24 and a new barrel for it.  But, by the time I do all that, I might as well just buy a modern sporter.
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Offline RaySendero

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Re: Thanks John
« Reply #3 on: March 20, 2004, 04:41:11 PM »
Quote from: Robert
That is exactly what I needed to know.  I can just put it out of my head now.  The other possibility that I was considering is to buy another VZ-24 and a new barrel for it.  But, by the time I do all that, I might as well just buy a modern sporter.


Robert,
I got a VZ-24 with all intentions of rebarreling it, but kinda got to like it in 8mm.  Why is a ".308" so high on your list?
    Ray