An old $60 War Horse

[Ben]

An 8X57 mm Turkish Mauser, long rifle.
This one has a pristine barrel and is a good shooter.
I plan to leave it " full military " on the outside. I paid $60 for this one ( like I did for my Scout Rifle) about 30 years ago.
I have glass bedded the action and installed a Bold trigger that breaks at about 1 pound, crisp and clean. Of course, these two things cannot be seen when you pick up the rifle. When you shoot the rifle, these 2 features have a lot to do with the way it shoots.

The barrel runs .324, ( as you can see in a photo below where I've driven in a greased .326 cast bullet all the way down the barrel and checked it with my mic ). I size .325" and the rifle shoots real well.

Links to a pair of slide shows to see the rifle next :

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/haysb/slideshow/Turkish 98 8 mm Mauser

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/haysb/slideshow/Turkish Mauser

 

[Lagamor]

Where do u find something like that for only $60 anymore?

 

[Ben]

Right now , it won't happen.
I guess those were the good old days .

 

[RBHarter]

I saw a Carcano at $75 about 6 yr ago.......

 

[462]

Inflation and fickle collectors . . .

Exactly 10-years-ago, I bought a very nice Swiss K-31 for $80.

Soon, these, too, will be the good old days.

Nice find, nonetheless, Ben.

 

[Texas Hillbilly]

Ben would you like to double your money?

 

[Ben]

May have to pass this down to my grandson.
After I'm satisfied he knows how to shoot it and take care of it.

Ben

 

[Bret4207]

My Turk is one of the $39.00 jobs, and worth about that much. Mine was apparently cleaned, vigorously and repeatedly, from the muzzle by a Turkish soldier with poor hand eye coordination and a penchant for coating either the rod, the bore or perhaps both with as much grit and sand as he could find. To call it "worn" is doing a great disservice to the word as it is more bell shaped than Mr's Pass + Stows famous example in Philly. I'm fairly sure I scraped enough Turkish dirt out of the action and stock to be obligated to pay land taxes on it. My jealously at seeing Bens example is nearly boundless, and knowing mine once looked so fine is just adding salt to the wound.

Woe is me. And WHOA BEN! That is one nice looking and shooting rifle! Good on you!

 

[Ben]

I've enjoyed both of my Turk 8X57mm rifles.
One is a Scout Rifle, the other is full military.

Ben

Here is my 8X57mm, Scout, it wears a Burris ( made in America ) 2 X long eye relief scope :

 

[Texas Hillbilly]

Nice Job and luckly grandson for sure

 

[JWFilips]

Ben,
You are one lucky fellow!
Jim

 

[Bret4207]

I've always admired the Scout concept. Nicely done!

 

[Ben]

I've always admired the Scout concept. Nicely done!

Most that have shot mine get up from the bench and say......" UUUmmm, I've got to have me one of those ! "

Ben

 

[Uber7mm]

Looks like you've changed out the stock. Anything wrong with the cut down mil-surplus?

 

[Ben]

Anything wrong with the cut down mil-surplus?

Not really, I had a chance at this synthetic for a pretty reasonable investment .
It is a bit more user friendly for me.

Ben