These are a rare and very high quality hunting rifle made until the mid-80's, as far as I remember. I came across one via a friend, and decided to go to the bother of finding one, as opposed to a CZ, of which the latest productions did not impress me.
Mauser built them to replicate fullbore, classic stalking rifles apparently. They did a very good job, whatever the motivation was.
They are aimed at the hunter, but mine is also extremely accurate, shooting 3/8" inch groups at 100m in perfect conditions. 1/2" inch groups are quite easily shot.
Build quality is brilliant and fit and finish excellent. The bluing is highly polished, so it needs plenty of care. Stock is oiled walnut with (rosewood?) cap; this one has fantastic grain.
They had various available magazine sizes, mine are 5 and 10rnd. Magazines are very rare now and quite expensive. The magazine system seems to have a few issues with seating the mag high enough to feed reliably; I have to support the magazine each round to cycle it properly.
The bolt cycles smoothly and is very simple to remove, although stripping them is a bit awkward. It has a double extractor.
11mm dovetails give provision for mounting optics, and they do include open-sights, but mine were badly hacked off, so I could not give an opinion on them.
It is pretty awkward to clean. The breach is difficult to access properly, and the extractor slots especially so; these built up quite a bit of dirt.
The trigger is good. I think two types of unit were available, one being highly adjustable. I have not bothered to pay much attention to mine, being used to shooting with far worse , I rarely bother setting them up well.
If you would like something high quality in the .22 department, these are a very good choice, but try before you buy. Magazines are not impossible to source, but single-loading them pretty much is...
I have to agree with you, i had one for about 9 years a 201 deluxe with the double set triggers.
I traded it in and bought a sako finfire varmint, something i have always wondered was it the right decision.
As stated these are the best built .22lr i have personally seen also available in .22 wmr( kimber and cooper i have no experience of but look exceptional).
Like you say a scaled down model of one of their centerfires, the bolt was unlike any .22 in weight and size.
I had around 5 5shot mags and one 10 shot, but found the feed lips soft and was always correcting them.
I know Venom Arms removed and shortened and re blued a few of these for people.
If you see one have a good look as they are something special.
My mate bought one from the Shooting Lodge in Skipton about 25 years ago and he still has it, they are fantastic quality rifles and a pleasure to use.
The Mauser 201 was originally made by Vore which was taken over by Mauser in the 1980's when they went bust i had one for many years .
The if the 10 shot mag has to be pushed up to allow rounds to feed it is because you have the vore semi auto 22 mag and not a bolt action mag though the do work in both rifles .
Bob.
Thanks. Could not remember if it was Krico or VE they were similar to.Originally Posted by aspen
The 5rnd is the same. I bought the 10rnd from a friend, who also owned a 201, and I don't think he had any issues. It could be both are different mags; the 5rnd had something filed off the front, if that suggest anything particular?
Last edited by Korium; 25-09-2010 at 06:51 PM.
got one a deluxe version in .22wmr fantastic bit a kit adj trigger excellent build quality:very accurate very hard to find mates after one in .22wmr
Had mine for 10 years now and wouldn't dream of selling.
My only issue is the lack of mags for it though mine works fine. it is a pig to single load rounds.
Andrew
once you have the bolt out how do you get it back in?
I have a near-mint 1937-made Mauser ES350B and matching scope and mounts. It, too, is built like a full-size sporting rifle, in fact, it is heavier and more impressive-looking than my 1912 7x57 Model B.
It shoots like an Eley advertisment, too.
Jon Speed, noted author of 'Mauser sporting rifles' and '22 Mausers', found me an in-the-white rear sight unit at a gunshow in KS a few years back, so now it is like having a new [old] rifle.
tac
I had turned the rear section of the bolt and had not turned it back!
My extractor is extracting but then its not throwing them clear consistently, Im having to pop them out the extractor with a key, any ideas on a fix?
I just thought id give you an update Korium, Due to northern constab taking a little longer than normal!!! I only picked the rifle up yesterday! unfortunatly they had scratched it lightly but I am confident it will polish out and they didnt give me the second mag, so I will have to go back for it.
I got it setup with a Meopta 4x32 and harris and got it shooting single hole groups at 50 and then today it accounted for 2 crows and 2 jackdaws so all in all very happy.
just need a few more magazines now, if any one has some do get in touch.
Yes, the bolt is an interesting design. I used to strip it down occasionally, but that was mainly just to top-up the oil on it. It can be fiddly to put back together.
The action has to be worked quite positively. When you're ready to pull the bolt back, pull it back sharply and it should eject the case properly. Other 201s I've shot have been similar in this regard.
What can happen is the case ejects upwards and bounces off the tube of the scope, but it will eject to the right when the bolt is cycled quickly.
It might work with Voere magazines, thankfully the more common types which fit the closed-bolt, self-loading Voere. These are easier to find than the 201 magazines.
There are a couple of variations of Voere magazine. What you'd want to try should look very similar to the magazines included with the rifle.
I think some of these magazines are still being manufactured. They don't tend to be especially cheap, so it would definitely be worth trying one (if possible) before purchasing any.
This website is quite good for looking at the various magazine types.
I hope they haven't lost the spare magazine. It's a real shame that they managed to scratch the rifle.
I dont know if all RFD's are the same but the ones up hear all keep the rifles on a rack and never leave/replace any packaging or slip that may have been provided. I would always keep someone elses property as safe and secure against damage as possible btu that seems to come second after theft security and convieniance. the latter being their main priority.
do you have a photo too,
would have been nice to see with the review ,still never mind
Last edited by gtpkeeper; 20-09-2012 at 02:17 PM.
browning s.a .22lr
cz455 varmint th .22lr
Pedersoli Le Page .36
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