K98 in .308

[Mattyb]

Looking through the Century website, I came across a Czech manufacture K98 rebarreled in .308 for a decent price. Do any of you know this rifle and how good can it withstand the pressures of a .308 round (commercial)?.

 

[SKS Ray]

surplusrifle.com has an article or two about K98s rechambered for .308. Check their site.

 

[m44]

My brother has one of these, only his is a russian capture K98 that the russians sold to the Israeli government then the Israelis rebarrelled it in 762x51 NATO (308).I believe (not positive) that it is unsafe to fire .308 in a 762x51 NATO gun, from what I was told you can fire 762x51 NATO out of a .308 but not .308 out of a 762x51 NATO.

 

[vellnueve]

I wouldn't shoot any modern .308 in a 7.62x51mm Mauser. Just a thought. Stick to surplus, assuming the rifle checks out OK, and you should be fine.

 

[Carguy]

The way I understand it, it is just like .223 and 5.56...you can shoot .223 out of a 5.56 but not the other way around. You can shoot 7.62x51 out of a 308 but not the other way around. Be careful!

 

[bpm990d]

A large ring M98 action would be fine for a .308. I've got one myself. The full 8 mm Mauser generates about the same pressure as a 7.62 depending on the loading.

B

 

[jpattersonnh]

A large ring M98 action would be fine for a .308. I've got one myself. The full 8 mm Mauser generates about the same pressure as a 7.62 depending on the loading.

B

I would agree with this statement completely. Many custom rifles (standard and Magnum) w/ pressures far exceeding the .308 have been made on these old '98 actions. The '98 action is by far the strongest in the world. Now a Model '95 (FR7),'96, or Enfield 2A, would not be a suitable choice for .308 ammo. All of the Major manufacturers have used Mauser, or modified '98 copies for years. .308 and 30.06 do have a similar psi high point of 60,000 psi. The '03 rifle was a modified Mauser that the U.S. Gov't paid a license fee to Germany for till we entered WWI. The '03 is not as strong as the '98 action. Now many hunting rifles in the 1950's and '60's were made from surplus '98 receivers, never heard of one failing. FYI, 8x57 loaded to its full potential does come close at 59,500 psi and 2900 fps (147gr.) which is faster than a .30.06 (150gr.). 147gr sounds very familiar to 7.62x51 & 7.62x54r shooters. I load 175gr. 8x57 to 2700fps. Great round. Sorry for the rant. jp

 

[rscalzo]

Two friends have them. Perfectly safe to shoot standard 7.62x51 through them.