Hello

[Henrik]

Your Blog was an inspiration when I bought my rifle just over a year ago. It has been put to good use on the range and in the field with a Fallow deer, a Wild boar and a mufflon. It's in 30-06 and topped off with a Zeiss Diavari 2,5-10x. I'am really happy with it and the recoil is nil, the sound will get your attention though :)

[Rick - Mauser M03 Blog author]

Hi Henrik. This is great news; that you enjoy your Mauser M03 so much and are having success with it. I also love the 30-06 calibre and agree with you, the M03 design soaks up the recoil so well. Thank you for posting the picture of your handsome rifle - nice wood, with tiger stripes and dark colour. That's pretty well exactly what I specified for my Deluxe when my order went in to Mauser. It was a very difficult choice for me when they offered a stock just like yours, along with another that was lighter but with very complex and colourful grain. The colours won the day. Your stock reminds me of the one used by 'the open sight hunter' on the Mauser channel on YouTube - Henrik Lott. Beautiful, dark wood.

Please feel free to write about your hunting adventures. I for one would be very happy to read about them here. And post more pictures if you can. It would also be good to hear about the ammunition you have tried, what your favourite is and how it is working when you take your shot. Let us know about the other equipment you are using too, such as your scope, etc.

All the best. Regards, Rick.

[Henrik]

Hello again, yes your rifle looks very nice and the story of my rifle is the following: I ‘am 36 years old and live in Sweden. I have had a Life long Dream of hunting and have Always enjoyed shooting but nobody in my family hunted and we didn't own a farm so it wasn't natural. Two years ago I decided it was time and I signed for the local gun club to practice for the hunting exam that you need in Sweden. At the same time I studied the theoretical subjects of wildlife management which also is a part of the exam. In June  I passed the exams which includes Theoretical test and practical tests with safety and skill tests on rifle and shotgun. The day after I passed the tests I found my rifle on the internet listing service and called up the guy. The seller was a Young police officer who had bought the rifle from Another gentleman a few years back. The seller was competing in IPSC and needed the space and funds to buy yet Another rifle. He mentioned that he hade been shooting some boars from a hide at a friends farm and didn't use it much and the Bore was like a mirror so as often seems to be the case with hunting rifles. I got the rifle, suppressor, scope and a Russian made night scope mounted on a second original mount with rings included. This I paid ca 3000 € for which I felt was a good price and I rather have the gun at that price than not so I accepted his offer after a satisfactory test firing. then came the nightmarish process of applying for the gun permit which was no legal problem since I passed the hunters exam but I had to wait 10 weeks Before the permit was in the mailbox. Happy as a boy going to the toy store I Went and collected the rifle and bought a box of Norma FMJ on the way home, the next day I sighted it in at the club. I use the 165 gr Norma Oryx for hunting and Norma 150 gr Jaktmatch FMJ for practice. They differ in weight and powder load so I zeroed it in for the FMJ and jotted down the corrections for the Oryx.

 

A week later I went for my first hunt which was for a driven hunt on fallow deer. Once I sat in the spot in the forest I had my MSA hearing protectors with sound amplifiers and more importantly radio connection. The call over the radio went out that the dogs were out and the hunt was on! A while later the dogs picked up the scent and soon got eyesight of the deer. I heard the dogs coming in my direction and soon I heard quiet steps in the undergrowth and saw a deer disappear in the tall grass in the opening 20 meters from me. The dogs were on the scent again and came closer and suddenly not one but four deers appeared where I knew there was something, I turned and fired on instinct and all four vanished into the trees. Rather disappointed at my performance I radioed in the shot and the lead hunter told me to go look for it so I went looking at the place where I thought I had hit one of them but there was no blood so I went in the direction they had fled and found the deer under a tree 30 meters on. It had an exit wound in the stomach and the innards were blocking the hole which explains the nonexistent trail. There was a faint breathing so I finished it with my knife by severing the neck artery. When the lead hunter came by we turned it over to dress it and the entry wound was in the shoulder so what happened during the shot was probably that it was lying down in a random orientation and as the dog came closer it got up and turned to run away from the dog as my bullet hit. The 165 grain oryx passed through about +20” of deer and expanded but the retained weight was so high that the speed was kept up and it passed completely through with a 2” exit wound where the innards followed and sealed it. The distance was 20 meters and the velocity about 850-900m/s I harvested 7 kg of meat and a small trophy. The meat is absolutely wonderful and my 2 year old son loved it. My first hunt was a fantastic experience and I ‘am hooked for Life.

[Henrik]

That's me standing on the far right with a blaze hat in my leg pocket. The 30-06 is a lot of gun for a small deer but since wolves and Bears are plenty in the Woods I prefer it to a smaller cartridge.

[Rick - Mauser M03 Blog author]

Hi Henrik. That's great background to the purchase of your rifle. Thanks. Did your hunting companions notice that you had a Mauser? And thank you for the story about your driven hunting adventure with an M03. I wonder how many people can say they used a beautiful Mauser rifle on their first hunt? :-)

Can I please have your permission to add your hunting story and your photos to the Mauser M03 Blog pages? I think it will be a great addition.

I think you got a good deal with your rifle, particularly when the additional night scope and mount is factored in. And the moderator. Unfortunately we're not allowed to use moderators here in Australia. I think we need to have a conversation with our lawmakers about that, in the interests of helping to protect shooters' hearing and to keep the noise down for landowners.

Like yours, my first shot on a deer was angled. It was a sambar doe and bit bigger than a fallow. I was using 220gn Nosler Partitions with a 30-06. They're big, strong deer and it was rough mountain terrain; three shots were needed to knock it over quickly. Only one of the rear legs was in good condition and it was a long way to carry it out of the forest. I think we got 7kg, perhaps a bit more, from that doe. I'm sure you found that 7kg of good venison goes quite a long way for a family.

Thanks for your contributions to the forum. It so interesting for me to read about and see photos of fellow Mauser users going out hunting in countries that are very different to mine. It looks like a beautiful place to hunt deer. You're also hunting in a country where harvesting your own food with a rifle is much more an accepted part of community life than it is here in Australia, I would say. In Europe and Scandinavia it's seen as traditional and legitimate. In Australia some city people think that firearms have been completely banned and get quite a surprise when they see a hunter with a rifle over his shoulder, out along a country road somewhere. I've had some curious meetings with such people. :-|

Regards, Rick.

[Henrik]

Hello

Yes a Mauser Always commands a certain degree of respect and in Sweden the name is closely connected to the army issued rifle M/94 so the name means something to everyone. You can indeed post it on the blog, but the Picture should be accredited to the photgrapher: Patrik Bunge-Meyer.

The moderator makes a difference but my 60 cm barrel is not the right combination as it becomes unbalanced. I would prefer to use it with a 50 cm barrel with a calibre such as .308, 9,3x62 or 8x57.

Interesting to see that other hunters had a similar experience and nature is no shooting range with stationary targets. Sweden is 70% covered by forest so the ranges are normally short. The deer was shot at 20 meters, Boar 20 meters and the moufflon sheep 50 meters. We do have a challenging hunt for capercaillie in the Winter with shots at 100-200 meters with a 2" vital zone. This hunt is performed on skis in the White landscape and the birds sit in the treetops sunbathing. They have excellent eyesight and White snow camo is necessary together with a stalk because if you scare them off, they can fly away quite a distance. This hunt remains for me to do but it's a true experience to sneak around like finnish sniper looking for birds :)

Hunting in Sweden is not challenged as there are a few hundred thousand of us but for the sport shooters it's a nightmare as police even stall and refuse permits for AR-type rifles in violation with the law.

I'am considering adding a S&B 3-20 scope or eq to my mauser and make use of the fine ballistics of the 30-06 by handloading Lapua Scenar and handload some similar hunting bullets to match. And then I might add a CRF rifle in 375 H&H or a double but we will see. The great luxury of having a M03 is that I can add barrels and scopes to match any need.

[Rick - Mauser M03 Blog author]

Hi Henrik. 

My experience with hunting boar and deer is much the same as yours, i.e. the great majority are found within 5 to 50 metres, with the odd one out at 100 to 200 metres. Makes me wonder why I'm so keen to practice with my rifles zeroed in at 300 or 500 metres. Still, it's good to know what they're doing out there. 

I will be very jealous indeed if you get a Schmidt and Bender scope. They are on my list for close consideration, as are the Magnus scopes from Leica. I have no complaints about my Zeiss Victory HT scopes, which are designed with a particular orientation in mind, being maximum brightness from using as few lenses as possible, at the expense of field flatness. It's quite interesting how each manufacturer approaches the design challenge from a different angle, producing quite wonderful scopes but with variations in optical and mechanical characteristics.

I didn't know that AR rifles were permitted in Sweden, if the police are being friendly that is. We only see those on television here in Australia, if there has been an incident of some kind, and then in the hands of tactical dudes wearing balaclavas. They've not ever been on my shopping list but I have heard from a friend who has a ranch in Texas that they can be very handy when chasing down mobs of marauding hogs. An AR and a helicopter seems to be the right medicine for Texas hogs!

I've read about hunting capercaillie, involving long shots at the birds up in the tree tops. My instincts make me worry about where the bullets go. Eek! I also read about a woman in Sweden who was killed when she was out walking her dog, IIRC. A hunter shot a moose and the bullet passed through and reached the woman. You probably know the story and might be able to let me know what the calibre was. 6.5 x 55 rings a bell. What a rotten thing to happen. I guessing that when hunting capercaillie you'll always be aware of which direction you're shooting, knowing what's in the distance beyond.

And like you again, a 375 H&H is on my wish list. Quite possibly via a new Mauser M03 barrel, or, maybe, perhaps, if - in the form of a Mauser M98 Magnum. How good would that be?! :-)

All the best to you. Enjoy the rest of the Scandinavian winter. Brrrr!  It will be 39C for the next few days here, which is a bit too hot for anything other than drinking cold beer. Not to mention the deadly sunburn that's free for all who venture outdoors.