Mauser 48 Rifle Owner’s Manual

Owner’s Manual

for the

Care and Use of

The Crown Jewel of
Bolt Action Rifles!

The Legendary . . .

Mauser 98k - Model 48 Rifle

in

8mm Mauser Caliber

This Owner’s Manual should always accompany the rifle and be
transferred with it upon change of ownership. Become thoroughly
knowledgeable with the instructions contained here and review the
entire booklet each time you intend to use your rifle.

This rifle must be thoroughly cleaned before use.

Copyright© 1999 by Mitchell Manufacturing Corp. All rights reserved.

2

Fig 1 - Exterior Components

Mauser 98k - Model 48 Parts Identification

This illustration is intended to identify all exterior component parts
for easy reference as you go through this owners manual in detail.

Controlled

Visible Firing Pin

Cocking Indicator

Curved

Bolt Handle

Safety

Lever

Gas

Shield

Round

Feeding

Range-adjustable

Rear Sight

Full-length Teak

Upper Handguard

Drift-adjustable

Front Sight

Front Sight

Hood

Cupped Steel

Butt Plate

Sling

Slot

Military Trigger

Two Stage

Magazine

Floor Plate

Claw

Extractor

Recoil

Lug

Full-length

Teak Stock

Rear

Barrel

Band

Take Down

Lock Pin

Front

Barrel

Band

Bayonet

Lug

Cleaning

Rod

Mauser 98k - Model M48

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on your purchase of a very special rifle. The ri fl e you have is more
than 50 years old and, at the same tim e, i s a l ike-new . . .
Collector Grade Rifle!

Your rifle has matching serial num bers on all num bered parts of t he
rifle. This is rare in the history of gun collecting and especially so in
former mil it ary rifles. It is very i mportant in establishing the value of
your rifle (for insurance or perhaps trading purposes).

Your rifle has its front sight hood in place and its standard issue
cleaning rod in place. Please see also the accessory listing located
near the end of this manual to see just how unique you ’new’ rifle re­ally is!

Your rifle is unique among all Mausers. It has a teak stock and teak
upper handguard.

Some models come with all accessories that were issued to the soldier
at the time. Your rifle never saw actual mil it ary service, but it was
ready.

You own a great piece of history.

CONTENTS

A Little Mauser History............................................ ... ........... 4

Characteristics and General Description..............................5

Safety....................................................................................6

Safety Lever Functions......................................................... 6

Loading.................................................................................8

Sights.................................................................................... 8

The Correct Sight Picture...................................................... 9

Trigger...................................................................................9

Firing................................................................................... 10

Government Safety Warnings........................................ ... ..10

Cleaning Your Rifle

Disassembly.................................................................11

Reassembly.................................................................. 16

Original Accessories Included....... .... ..................................17

Modern Optional Accessories............................................. 19

Specifications........................................... .... ... ......Back Cover

Copyright© 1999 by Mitchell Manufacturing Corp. All rights r eserved.

3

A Little Mauser History:

Much has been w ritten about the genius o f Pa ul M a user and his
brother Wilhelm and their invention of the famous Mauser rifle. It is the
forerunner of virtually every m odern bolt action rif le made in the 20th
Century. Many books have been written about Mauser rifles. Even today,
most bolt action rifles are based on the principles of the Mauser brothers,
regardless of the brand.

Your rifle is a Mauser 98k Model 48 rifle that was built near the end
of W.W.II and, as a result, i t never saw act ual m i li tary service. It was
manufactured and held in reserve for reserve forces in the event of re­newed host ilities. The production of sem i - a u t omatic and full - a ut o matic
rifles in Europe then rendered bolt action rifles functionally obsolete for
the main body of an army. During the last 50 y ears your rifle was re­moved from storage, cleaned, tested and restored to storage, every five
years; to insure its combat readiness. Fortunately, active service was not

necessary for your rifle.

Your rifle is in near-new condition and shows only ‘garrison m arks’ .
These are handling and storage marks accumulated over the years together
with the preservatives of the day that, in some cases, tended to change the
hue and wear of the bluing. Over the years the preservative affected the
color of the wood in different ways so that no two rifles are exactly alike.

So, your rifle was recently ‘ honorably dischar ged’ f rom the military
and is now a civilian! The Model 48 rifle is a very strong rifle, originally
designed for the rigors of combat. As such it provides you with an excel­lent platform for sporterizi ng or you can use it for hunting just as it is (but
please leave the bayonet at home). It's 8mm Mauser caliber is ballis ti call y
similar to our .30-'06 Springfield.

It is a functionally new rifle. It has preservative in it and on it.

Before use, it must be thoroughly cleaned and examined by you.

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Mauser 98k - Model M48

You must assure that the rifle is clean, complet e and normally func­tional as described in this manual. Please pay particular attention to the
section on cleaning your rifle.

As an owner, that responsibility rests with you.

Characteristics and General Description of your Rifle:

The Mauser 98k Model M48 is a shoulder mounted, trigger actuated,
striker fired, magazine fed, bolt act i on rif l e. It i s desi gned to be fired from
the shoulder only; not in any other position, whether standing, si tt ing or
prone.

The rifle is equipped with features that were standard for the time and

are still considered ‘advanced’ today. It has, for example, ‘controlled
round feeding’, a long, heavy claw extractor, two heavy-duty f ront lock­ing lugs and an additional safety lug built into the rear of the bolt. It also
has a superb gas shield. The long claw extractor serves as a bolt guide
along with a built-in bolt guide that is built into the body of the bolt. The
bolt body has gas escape ports to handle cartridge failure. It is generally
accepted that it has the best safety mechanism ever designed. Your rifle is
quite possibly the strongest bolt action rifle ever built.

Your rifle is now a ‘civilian’ and, as such, is perfect for collecting, tar­get shooting, big game hunting, or sporterizing. It is a rarity because of
its like-new condition for its age.

Note: Some rifle models come with the original leather ac­cessories including a sling, ammunition p ouch and belt
hanger for the bayonet scabbard. The leather is 50 years old
and has varying degrees of color and age marks. You can
easily make it look like brand new with any good commercial
leather cleaner, shoe polish or leather prese rvat ive.

Some models of your rifl e com e equipped with an original bayonet
and scabbard and an original military field cleaning kit. Your rifle was
once a complete battle ready ‘soldier’; it is now a ‘civil ian’ and the bayo­net and scabbard are purely decorative items for display purposes and
attest to the authenticity of your rifle.

5

Safety:

Safety is your responsibil it y and your primary concern. Of course,
you know the basic handling rules governing the use of any firearm. Nev­ertheless, we repeat them here:

1. Never point this rifle at anything you are not willing to destroy, even

if it is not loaded. This rifle fires the powerful 8m m Mauser cartridge.

You mus t kn ow what you’re doing.

2. Don’t load or fire this rifle until you are thoroughly familiar with it

and all of its handling characteristics. If you don’t understand some-

thing or need to ask a question, please call us.

3. Don’t handle or clean this rifle without assuring yourself and those

around you that the rifle is empty and safe.

4. Don’t load it or shoot it until you have examined it completely and

know that it is clean, complete, safe and fully f unctional.

5. Don’t put or keep a live round in the chamber unless the safety is on.

6. If you have been drinking or have been using any drugs, prescription

or not, put the rifle away and come back another day. You won’t per-

form to the standard of the rifl e, you could get in trouble or, worse

yet, hurt yourself or someone near you.

This Rifle is NOT a Toy. Be Careful .

Safety Lever Functions:

Your rifle has one of the most advanced safety mechanism s in exis­tence, even today. It is generally recognized that no other rifle safety is as
good, no matter the brand or the cost.

The safety lever is located on the top rear of the bolt. It has three po­sitions; full left, mi ddle and full right.

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