Mauser M48 no-drill scout scope mount

[Pistolero]

The Mauser M48 is a bit of an oddball. Apparently non-standard action length, neither a short
action or a long action of the more common Mauser 98 models. That has nothing to do with this
project, and I haven't even verified that it is correct, just heard that it wasn't "normal".
Well, something else isn't the same as other Mausers, too. A friend has been paying attention to
the scout scope mounts designed and produced by a member on the other site - which he produces
in small batches, usually selling out immediately. After trying to buy one for several years, but not
finding his M48 listed, my friend pulled together a few photos and asked if I could make one. Always looking
for fun projects - and needing some of this for my own use now that I can barely see the rear sight
on a std Mauser (front sight is fine!) iron sight set, I decided to try.

It turns out that the great ideas that the other guy has come up with don't really apply here because the
M48 rear sight base is very different. Usually, the issue is holding down the rear end of the base. The
"approved" method was to remove the leaf spring and make a "top hat" threaded bushing with a flange
that will slide into the slot for the leaf spring. The front of the mount is a tight fit between the leaf pivot
ears and pinned in place.

The M48 has a removeable curved sight "ramp" which the leaf slider follows to get the adjustments for
different ranges. Unscrewing a rear vertical screw lets the ramp and spring pop off of the sight. This
leaves a VERY convenient undercut slot to use to attach the rear of the scope base, clamped down by the
same screw which clamped the original ramp.

I started with a bar of aluminum, and since it was sawed off of a larger piece (in scrap bin at local metal
supplier), I first squared it up by milling the sawn side parallel to the opposite factory side. Then I made
the little step at the rear, and finally started narrowing the front to fit between the ears, doing final fitting
(it is a slight interference fit to avoid motion in the mount) with a file and 320 sandpaper. After shortening
it a bit to drop down between the ears and contact the base, I measured the existing pin hole, .155
gage pin jus slid through - how convenient! I made a transfer pin and punched both sides of the base
thru the ear holes, then drilled small from either side in the drill press, avoiding any misalignment
issues. Drilled up to .154 with a number drill and then reamed to .156. I used a piece of .155 drill rod
as the pin, which is a nice "tap it in" fit. I'll put some blue Loctite on it at final assembly. I also had to mill
a shallow slot the full length of the bottom since the barrel actually comes up a bit above the sides of the rear
mount, and the ramp is hollow in the middle, sits on the side rails. The base is soft soldered on like other
Mauser sights, just a different design of the top portion which we are attaching to for a scout scope mount.

At this point I need to remove about 3/8" of material on the top to make a place to secrew down a
segment of pre-made Picatinny rail.

Thought some might enjoy hearing about the little project.



Not too complex, and about right for my small mill and limited skill set.

Bill

 

[Ben]

My only concern is that you may end up with the scope too high. ( Easy to do ). I don't want to hi-jack your thread. Not a thing wrong with the direction you're going in, just don't get it too high.

I made the same decision as you with my 8 X 57 Mauser rifle , I just went at it slightly differently to insure that the scope was mounted low.

You can see below that my base is mounted DIRECTLY to the barrel. This helps keep the scope low. In my opinion, that is very impt.

Obviously with your system, you can return to metallic sights. My system is permanent. I won't be returning to the conventional Mauser rear sight system on my Scout Rifle ( Just as well, my eyes are not what they were 40 years ago ).

Notice that the rear eyepiece of the scope is missing the receiver by maybe 1/8" or so , that is about as close as you'll get a scout scope in mounting height.

If you are in the slightest curious as to how I mounted my scope base, here is a quick slide show showing exactly how I did it :

http://s1155.photobucket.com/user/Ben35049/slideshow/Scope base

Once the above was finished, I drilled through the 4 holes in the Weaver 92 base into the barrel. Threaded the holes. Cleaned the screws with Brake Cleaner, coated them with J-B Weld and torqued them up tight.

I have my doubts that my scope base could be beat off my barrel with a shop hammer.

 

[Ben]

Since the above photos were taken, I've changed stocks and scopes on my Scout Rifle.

I'm glad that I did ! !

http://www.artfulbullet.com/index.php?threads/new-scout-scope.1402/

 

[Pistolero]

Thanks, Ben. I don't have that choice. My friend insists on the scope mount being
entirely reversible. Yours looks really good, and no doubt is solid. This one will be
about half an inch higher than yours.

I was discussing it with him tonight and he informs me that this is a K98k, reworked
after the war with the Yugo markings, so it is not an M48, which I had identified
based on the markings. Same markings as M48, but it was a K98k before they started
remarking it.

In any case, this one has to be based on using the unmodified stock rear sight base,
so it will be as low as I can do it within that limitation.

Bill

 

[Ben]

so it will be as low as I can do it within that limitation.

Bill that is as much as you can do !
I wish the two of you well on your project.
I hope he will like his 1/2 as much as I like mine.
I may even hunt some this year with mine.

By the way, looks to me like you're a pretty good machinist !

Best,
Ben

 

[Pistolero]

He is planning to take it on a hog hunt early next year, that is why the scope mount
fab is going on now.

I hope his shoots half as well as yours does, I am amazed at some of your groups!

As far as good machinist..... Hmm. I am a lot better than I was a couple years ago, and milling
aluminum with good, coated cutters and once you have a bit of experience isn't so bad. I'd admit
to being fair, and hoping to get to good eventually. I have a friend who is REALLY a good
machinist, so I can tell that I am not. Actually, he is a great tool and die maker, making a living
at it. He is just fun to watch work, really. He is a great resource to learn from when stuff
isn't going well.

Bill

 

[Ben]

Bill,

I had an old gunsmith in Birmingham ( who is dead now ).
He wouldn't allow anyone to sit in his shop and watch him work ( except me ).

I was fortunate to be able to drop in on him at any time. If he was cutting a new chamber in a rifle barrel, using headspace gauges, etc. , I was able to not only watch him work, but he usually would take the time to explain exactly what he was doing and why he was doing it.

That was a great experience for me.

Why he chose me for all that I'll never know ? ?
I learned things from that old man that I couldn't have learned from a dozen books. He was a WW II veteran, 82 Airborne . He enjoyed talking about his experiences in the war with me. As a 19 yr. old, I would ask him a thousand questions.

Ben

 

[Pistolero]

Yes, being able to learn from someone who is skilled in some
craft is wonderful. You get to avoid some of the "learn by failing"
lessons!

You ought to pass on some of his stories so the next generation has
a better idea of what the previous ones did.

Bill

 

[Ben]

Yes, being able to learn from someone who is skilled in some
craft is wonderful. You get to avoid some of the "learn by failing"
lessons!

You ought to pass on some of his stories so the next generation has
a better idea of what the previous ones did.

Bill

Yes , particularly the WW II guys. They are headed to the grave now in large numbers.

Ben

 

[Pistolero]

tYes, sadly my FIL at age 96 has finally gotten old. At 95 he could have easily passed for
75-80, took care of everything pretty much by himself with a bit of help from his son
a few days a week. He flew P-51s out of England in WW2, has always had an excellent
memory. Recently... not exactly Alzheimers, still sharp most of the time, but occasionally
is confused and really weak.

He is improving after some heart surgery, but very slowly. Most of his squadron mates have
already passed, he is one of the last 2 or 3 left in his squadron. My father passed a few years
ago, he just missed combat, getting ready to load onto an escort carrier with his squadron and head to Japan when
the bombs ended it, very possibly saving his life and making me and siblings possible. Check
out The Saints, VC-27, the CO was Ralph Elliot, highest scoring Wildcat (F4F/FM-2) ace in WW2. FIL was
in the 339th flying out of Fowlmere, VERY near the big fighter base at Duxford, aboiut 3 miles.
Duxford is where the British have all their aircraft museums, and the US aircraft museum, too.

Not too many left.

Bill

 

[Ben]

The few are getting much fewer.

Ben

 

[Pistolero]

Not nearly as low as Ben's direct mount, but my eye is looking right thru the scope
with a normal cheek weld, so I think it will work.

Still need to test fire and verify that no more metal cutting needs to be done before final installation
with loc-tite everywhere.



Three 8-32 allen bolts hold the Weaver rail to the mount block. There are cross-blocks inside the Warn mounts, so I milled slots
which are not visible. I'll add some disassembled pix later, before final assembly, after initial test firing. The Weaver rail has a .020 deep groove on the bottom running lengthwise, so I
left a raised rib on the mount block to align it lengthwise accurately. Slight undercut on the
Weaver rail in the front to clear the front ears on the original rear sight mount.

By moving the front mount aft of the rear sight mount ears, I could get about 1/4-3/8" lower, and
I might even try that if this doesn't work out. That puts the mounts pretty close to each other,
which I don't like.

Bill

 

[Ben]

I do believe that will work nicely !

Ben

 

[Pistolero]

We'll see. It seems to be good in a quick check, throw it up and you are looking through the scope.
After a few range sessions it will be a lot clearer whether it will be satisfactory.

I think it will be.

Bill

 

[Ben]

Most of the removable ones that I've seen are pretty flimsy.
They will " spring " and become loose.

Yours seems to have that part conquered.

Ben

 

[Pistolero]

Mine isn't flimsy! The biggest question will be the height after shooting for
a while. If it is too high, I can move the rings rearward about 1/2" by moving the Weaver
rail on the base. This will permit me to mill it down a bit lower, about 1/4 or so before
the Weaver rail hits the rear steel part of the rear sight base. That is about as low as it can
go without removing that rear sight base, which isn't going to be done.

Once it is finalized, I need to make an accurate drawing so I can reproduce it if I want to.
Not ready to call it finally done, yet. It is done enough for testing, and that will be the
decider.

Bill

 

[Ben]

Football coaches , of all people , are well aware that your plans and preparation " once the game starts " can all go up in smoke quickly.

I don't think that is going to happen here.

But , you're right, shooting and putting the mount to the recoil test and trying to see if shooter fatigue develops because of the height of the scope are concerns that can only be answered out in the field.

50 - 60 rounds should answer all of your questions.

Ben

 

[Ben]

As I read this , I think of German snipers who used Zeiss sporting optics, ZF-41's, etc . on their sniper rifles and thought they had state of the art optics at the time.

What they would have given for some of the optics ( and excellent scope mounting systems ) we have access to today. We have come a long way with the quality of optics, field of view, clarity , etc. of scout scopes.

As a matter of fact, as I sit here and think, I'm glad that those German snipers DIDN'T have access to those kinds of optics.

 

[Pistolero]

Yes. It wouldn't have been good. Optics have come a long way, both in the control of light (better images, brighter, etc)
but also in durability, water sealing against fogging, and solid adjustments.

The USMC isn't even teaching with iron sights on rifles any more. All rifles come with optics as standard, so the
Marines are not teaching irons. Amazing. Not sure about the Army, but they have optics as standard, too.

I know the mount will be solid, it is just whether it is too high or not. I wonder if the Leupold scope is too close to the
shooter's eye, too. Seems a bit fuzzy to me and there is zero adjustment on this scope, other than the reticle turrets,
no focus ring at all. It may need to be farther forward. Only will be sure outside on the range. Can't really tell across
the basement.

Bill

 

[Brad]

Nice work Bill.
When it works and comes out as planned it is a good feeling.