Mauser for CMP matches?

[Yellowfin]

My club is in the process of getting CMP matches in the near future. I'm considering getting a Mauser (likely a VZ 24) for use in this as I can more quickly afford it than a Garand, though obviously I want to get one of those in the future. Is this a good idea? If so, what 8mm ammo would you recommend for this purpose? If I get it, I'm definitely going to get a can of the steel cased Romanian stuff for practice as that's going to be most of the work getting good with shooting with iron sights again. How accurate is that, and if not accurate enough for matches, what is?

Or would I be better off getting a K31 Swiss?

[GRIZ]

I think you'd be better off getting the K31. Accuracy isn't only the rifle but the ammo too. Swiss military ammo is about 50 cents a round and is extremely accurate. You can get 7.5 Swiss brass and roll your own ammo too.

[Shawn.L]

what you really want is a 20" A2 style AR HBAR with a hooded rear aperture and sling

[Hawk]

Since I'm assuming these matches are just for fun, not sanctioned matches, any surplus rifle will do. If you want to really do well with a bolt action surplus rifle, I'd go with a Springfield 1903A3, if you can't find one then a Springfield 1903. Bolt guns are going to be a challenge for a beginner if they maintain the "clock" in the CMP shoots. My second choice, if cash was a limiting factor for a rifle and ammo, would be the Swiss K31 rifle. However, if you want to go even cheaper then a decent Mosin Nagant will suffice. As Shawn said if you want to get very serious and have more of a chance to score high, get a 20" AR. The rifle is only a small part of the formula in CMP shooting, good technique is at least 80 percent of it. The Mauser is a great rifle, but ammo is too expensive.

[Shawn.L]

Since I'm assuming these matches are just for fun, not sanctioned matches, any surplus rifle will do. If you want to really do well with a bolt action surplus rifle, I'd go with a Springfield 1903A3, if you can't find one then a Springfield 1903. Bolt guns are going to be a challenge for a beginner if they maintain the "clock" in the CMP shoots. My second choice, if cash was a limiting factor for a rifle and ammo, would be the Swiss K31 rifle. However, if you want to go even cheaper then a decent Mosin Nagant will suffice. As Shawn said if you want to get very serious and have more of a chance to score high, get a 20" AR. The rifle is only a small part of the formula in CMP shooting, good technique is at least 80 percent of it. The Mauser is a great rifle, but ammo is too expensive.

thats the damn truth right there

when I see Tim's (from our PMSC shoots) scores I am always beside myself.

[GRIZ]

what you really want is a 20" A2 style AR HBAR with a hooded rear aperture and sling


Not if you want to shoot Vintage Rifle which is the least expensive way to get involved in CMP competition.

[Tim Ault]

Many rifles can shoot accurately enough to score well on a CMP or Vintage match target. I have been shooting one form of rifle match or other for a good many years now and have shot many different types of rifles, Just remember in matches you need to be able to reload a magazine or from chargers(stripper clips) from position quickly and smoothly, so heres my take on it

K31 , rifles are well made and VERY accurate(expect 1-1.5 moa) and priced right, decent sights but not windage adjustable quickly .

Mausers, great rifles ,most are accurate enough 2 moa with ammo that it likes , The WORST sighting system for accurate shooting IMHO again not windage adjustable.

Mosin Nagant 91/30, Another good dependable battle rifle Priced the lowest but with accuracy on par with the mausers again with ammo it likes decent sights better than a mauser. The action is not as smooth in operation as the others but functional with practice.IMO Take a step up in quality and price and get a Finnish M39 Accuracy is better and better sights

British Lee Enfield#4 ,Great sights! VG to exc. accuracy with quality ammo easily the quickest of the bolt action battle rifles. balances well in OH and the easest to use a sling with properly.

A step up in price though, The Springfield 03A3 a Classic! Best sights on a bolt action battle rifle, excellent sights adjustable for windage and elev. good triggers most all will shoot well with various surplus ammo.

Two other Americans The 03 and 1917 Springfields . again both classics and will shoot very well with good barrels but lacking the better sights of their offspring the 03A3.

Semi autos,M1 Garand If it has a good barrel its all you need , most will shoot well (2 moa) Sights are adj. for windage and elev. loading can be tricky if your not experienced with how its done especially loading the two rds. in the rapid stages.

M1A ,Im gonna take heat for this one but IMO they are waaaay overpriced for what they are capable of "out of the box" being the key phrase. I have seen many shot off the bench with a scope with good ammo that cant do what a Swiss K31 can do. Sorry to offend you M1A guys but Ive seen it numerous times.Yes they are fine rifles and if you have one your set to do very well.

Finally the AR15 A2 simply put If you take winning seriously this is the one to get, fires a very accurate rd. and is very controllable in the rapid fire stages. Most will shoot 1-1.5 moa with quality 55 gr ball ammo. easy to reload .easy to upgrade if you really get serious into match shooting.


As others have stated the rifle is only one aspect in competition shooting. IMO a solid comfortable slinged position is far more important.So buy what you can afford same with ammo and practice ,practice ,practice High priced rifles and top name gear will not make you a better rifleman.Good luck


Tim

[Al-Mumit]

Tim went into enough detail to make mine a short post; I'd go for the K-31 and if I couldn't get one, I'd go for the Finn M-39. Priced about the same and you'll get a high quality rifle for hundreds less than you'd spend on some new winremychesterton.

[Tim Ault]

thats the damn truth right there

when I see Tim's (from our PMSC shoots) scores I am always beside myself.

Thanks for the kind words Shawn.

[Enfielder]

Ask about what type of CMP matches your club is going to hold. The 2 types my club holds are
1. High Power match
2. Garand match

The High Power match doesn't have many restrictions on rifle type, so it brings out the guys with expensive slicked up M14s and ARs, and who have $300 shooting jackets they were custom fitted for during the Camp Perry competitions. You MIGHT be at a disadvantage with a bolt action Milsurp at a high power match.

The Garand match is limited to US service rifles from WWI-WWII era, 1903 & 1903-A3 Springfields, 1917 Enfield, M1 Garand, and M1 Carbine (and I think 1941 Johnson is allowed also...never seen one there) And the rifle must be in "as-issued" condition, no synthetic stocks, no ACOGs (hehe). So a K-31, Mauser is not allowed in those Garand matches.

I only shoot in the Garand matches. I think its more of a level playing field. You can't even bring your own ammo to our Garand matches; the shoot boss issues M2 Ball to everyone (and appropriate ammo to carbine shooters) so no one has an ammo advantage. Training for and participating in Garand matches is a great way to develop good old fashioned iron sight marksmanship.

Check out the ODCMP (Civilian Marksmanship Program) They have a good web site. I picked up my M1 Garand at the store in Camp Perry this summer, it was a Field Grade $450 with a ME 1.5, TE 2, mirror bright bore 1955 barrel. The wood (stock) was awful, but you can find new production Garand stocks for $100-140. With that Field Grade I have shot 94, 96, 94 slow fire prone scores in my last 3 matches (my standing/offhand score still sucks but that's me, not the rifle)