After taking part in some Internet debates on the safety of shooting old Mauser rifles, some might have the impression that I am "down" on these rifles and don't see them fit for use. That is not the case. I just wish to dispel some myths and let people make decisions from a position of being informed, instead of being in ignorance.

The reader of this web page might be coming from any one of several perspectives. They might have a fondness for Remington 700's (the de facto commercial standard of bolt action rifles) and sniff at anything that comes with cosmolene smeared on it. They might have some experience with other guns and be tempted by gun show specials of old Mausers, maybe they just bought one and are thinking of how to us it. Or, they might be in the thraw of "Mauser mania" and buying and shooting every one in sight.

Besides views on guns, personal prejudices enter into it. Previous experiences with '57 Chevy's, 35mm cameras, computers, etc. might cause one to put high value on modernity or antiquity as the case may be. The desire to own a piece of history, get a great deal, etc. is also a factor. We never did find that $55 surplus Jeep advertised in the back of Popular Science twenty years ago, but by golly, this $75 Mauser is not going to slip away.

Unless you are a very experienced shooter and/or gunsmith, hopefully everyone can learn more about rifle operation and failure.

In an ideal situation, the brass WILL expand and the chamber WILL seal. We hope. However, people are shooting 1939 vintage military surplus, steel case mil surplus, much-reloaded cases, etc (non-ideal ammo) in old rifles (non-ideal chambers).

Case in point, I was shooting some steel-case ComBlock era 8mm from a K98k last year. The cases were copper-washed and my friend indicated that it was 50's era production. I took a couple shots and the second felt a bit "funny" and then my friend (and provider of the said ammo) says "Whoah!", the rifle had blew gas everywhere. The case extracted easily and was split lengthwise, from middle to shoulder. Smoking on the case indicated where it sealed around the middle, and where the seal eventually failed.

Now, in this happy instance the head of the cartridge still mostly sealed because the case cracked high up. But, what would have happened if the case cracked sideways along the head? I would have had a busted rifle and a few splinters to remove.

So, out of two shots fired from that batch, one steel case was flawed along one axis... who's to say what other case flaws are waiting out there?

1. I fired a bunch of high pressure loads in my Mauser; it didn't blow up, so it must be OK.
2. Most Mausers I've seen have excessive headspace; they must have been made that way, so it's OK.
3. My Mauser has "settled" at a large headspace setting and is OK now.

1. Every rifle has a service life, and my used Mauser is well into that life.
2. The headspace will grow:
   1. not at all with very mild loads,
   2. slowly with moderate loads, and
   3. more quickly with high pressure loads.
3. I realize that every kind of rifle can experience a failure due to weak brass, including my Mauser- even if shooting only new factory or military loads. The more I shoot, and the larger the headspace on my rifle, the more likely it is that I will experience a failure.
4. I will observe reasonable precautions when shooting my Mauser: a.) I will know and monitor the headspace growth. b.) I will always wear safety glasses when shooting. c.) I will inspect the quality of the brass of all loads before shooting. d.) I will retire my rifle once a certain wear point is reached, after which I am no longer comfortable shooting it.
5. I will observe reasonable precautions when reloading for my Mauser: a.) I will inspect each case for incipient case head seperation. b.) I will resize each case no more than necessary for it to fit in the chamber. c.) I will select loads in keeping with the age and construction of my Mauser. d.) I will back-off of loads that cause sticky bolts, will not rechamber with ease, or show pressure signs in the case or primer.
6. I understand that cartridges fired will shuttle forward, the neck will expand first to grip the chamber, and the case must stretch backwards to fill the chamber, and the case body must form a gas seal to function properly. I understand that if the chamber is large and the cartridge case fails below the point of the seal, high pressure gas will be vented into the action and bad things will happen.

That's my personal code. Each may develop their own.