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Musgrave K98

The History of Musgrave

The Musgrave company was founded in 1950 by Benjamin Musgrave who was a respected large-caliber target shooter in the 1930s. In 1933, he started testing and improving the accuracy of his Lee Enfield rifle, drawing the attention of other target shooters in South Africa. This attracted so much demand from South African target shooters from 1933 to 1950 that he eventually needed help managing the workload, so he had to bring in his son Trevor to help.

In 1952, Musgrave's reputation as a target shooter landed him a spot on the South African international team. During a competition in the UK, he met barrel manufacturer W.D. Lain. Lain agreed to train Trevor on his rifling machine, which was moved to South Africa in 1953, marking a new phase of the Musgraves' business. Later, they expanded their operation to include another son, Benny Musgrave Jr.

In 1969, Armscor approached the Musgrave family with an idea to start producing commercial hunting rifles. Musgrave became an Armscor subsidiary in 1971, and the first rifles were introduced a year later. In the following years, the company manufactured over 6000 hunting rifles annually using various designs and components. This included rifles with Santa Barbara Mauser actions as well as their action designs. For some time, Musgrave also produced .22LR rifles called Ambidex.

In the 1990s, after the arms embargo ended and South Africa democratized, the company began to struggle, and production eventually ceased. Their assets were sold off or moved to Vektor, a state-owned company. In 2009, businessman Frikkie du Plooy purchased the Musgrave brand, and master gunsmith Gary Barnes joined in 2011, helping to re-establish the company.

Even today, many Musgrave rifles are built on the VZ-24 variant of the Mauser Model 98 action. The company offers several hunting rifles including the Musgrave Field, Varmint, Hunter etc. In addition to these, they produce semi-automatic models such as the Musgrave AR 10-12, Musgrave AR 14, and Musgrave AR 16, and also offer a range of custom-built rifles using premium materials.

Musgrave K98 Rifle Review

The Musgrave Model K98 is part of a series of sporting rifles built on the surplus Mauser K98 controlled-feed bolt actions. Compared to other models, they were known to be more cost-effective, having more basic materials and paying somewhat less attention to fit and finish. However, due to the vast number of rifles produced, they can still be found throughout South Africa. Additionally, Musgrave still offers some updated 98 models that share the action with Mauser M98 Standard.

The models using 98 actions are offered in various configurations, from standard to magnum and big bore calibers. Typically, they feature an internal magazine covered by a steel floorplate, with a cartridge capacity of four. Some older versions also come equipped with sights, but the majority of newer variants using the 98 actions do not have pre-installed iron sights.

Notably, Musgrave K98 actions lack the bulb common to most K98 Mausers used for stripper clip feeding. Moreover, newer models use an adjustable Timney trigger, which allows users to modify the weight of the pull to their preference. Overall, the actions maintain a design typical of the Mauser K98 series. This includes the use of two locking lugs on the front and the third 'safety' lug, located at the rear of the bolt, a flag-type safety, and a bolt release lever positioned on the rear left end of the receiver.

The receivers are drilled and tapped on the newer models which feature the holes spacings the same as used on the Mauser M98 Standard. Older versions, however, might have non-standard mounting holes, which could result in differing spreads between them.

Musgrave K98, chambered for .308 Win.

Figure 1: Musgrave K98, chambered for .308 Win. (Source: https://www.gunmarket.co.za/listing/sold-musgrave-k98-308-win/)

Musgrave K98 Calibers

The rifle is available in the following calibers:

Standard Calibers:

.243 Win.
.25-06 Rem.
.270 Win.
.30-06 Spr.
.308 Win.
6mm XC
6.5 Creedmoor
6.5x55
7x64
7x57
9.3x62

Magnum Calibers:

7mm rem. Mag.
.300 H&H
.300 Win. Mag.
.300 WSM
.375 H&H
Big Bore Calibers:
.404 Jeffery
.416 Rigby
.458 Lott
.500 Jeffery Musgrave

Caliber choice depends on the variant.

Musgrave K98 Variants

Here are some of the newer variants of the Musgrave rifles available with the K98 action:

Musgrave PH Lo-coil
Musgrave Modular Tactical
Musgrave Field
Musgrave Varmint
Musgrave Hunter
Musgrave Deluxe
Musgrave Exhibition

Please note that while Musgrave K98 models use Mauser-designed actions, the centerspread of the mounting holes on the receiver may vary. The newer models feature the spacings of the holes the same as used on the Mauser M98 Standard. Older versions, however, might have non-standard mounting holes, which could result in differing spreads between them.

We kindly advise you to measure the distances between the holes on your Musgrave model K98 before purchasing scope mounts.

The receiver of Musgrave Field, using the 98-style action

Figure 2: The receiver of Musgrave Field, using the 98-style action (Source: https://www.musgraverifles.co.za/musgrave-field)

Musgrave K98

Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Musgrave K98

These are the conventional dimensions of the Mauser M98 Standard mounting surface. The interchangeability list below is only valid if your Musgrave K98 matches these dimensions:

A: 22 mm

B: 101.7 mm

C: 12.7 mm

BHU: 4 mm

Ø: M3.5

R1: R14/30°

R2: R18

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Musgrave K98

For one-piece mounts to fit on a rifle, mounting surfaces on these rifles must match in every dimension.

If the distances between the holes on the receiver are the same as stated above, then this means that your Musgrave uses the same hole spacings as the Mauser 98 Standard, thus it will have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable with the following rifles:

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Musgrave K98

To meet interchangeability conditions, two-piece mounts must match in all dimensions except the B distance. B distance can vary because two-piece mounts can be installed and adjusted closer or further apart. If the distances between the holes on the receiver are the same as stated above, then this means that your Musgrave uses the same hole spacings as the Mauser 98 Standard, thus it will have the two-piece scope mounts interchangeable with the following rifles:

Best Scope Mounts for Musgrave K98

Detachable Scope Mounts for Musgrave K98

There are not that many manufacturers who make scope mounts designed for the Musgrave K98 rifles. If you are looking for a detachable mounting solution for your K98, you might consider this two-piece roll-off mount manufactured by the German company EAW. It is made of high-quality steel and comes with a thirty-year warranty.

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the scope mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu

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Musgrave K98

The History of Musgrave