Mauser M03 - Accuracy & Repeatability - Part 4

Yesterday I stalked through fields, forests and up and down hills for five hours with a Mauser M03 on my shoulder. It had a 270 Winchester barrel installed. Before heading off I removed the Kahles K624i scope and put a Zeiss Victory HT 2.5-10x50 on - better for a surprise meeting with some pigs. I covered 12 km according to Google Earth, probably more given the slopes and some meandering. The weight of the M03 was not a problem. And unlike the Mauser, I'm not newly minted!

I found fresh sign of a mob of pigs, but not the makers themselves. Once I was back at my starting point I decided to fire a shot from the cold barrel, to check its accuracy with the Norma 150gn Spire Point ammunition I had zeroed the Zeiss to the week before. I'd done that with two shots; one to get on the map and a second to get the point of impact close to being 5cm high at 100m. I made a final adjustment of a couple of clicks up and a couple right without firing another shot. So the test shot I was about to fire would be useful proof of the rifle, scope, mounting, ammo and zeroing.

Rabbit + 270 Win + 150gn = too much gun, every time. But there it was, with a buddy about 130m away, in front of a blackberry patch on a beautiful green lawn. I lay down and rested the Mauser across my backpack and removed the bolt to check the barrel was still clear after all that walking through the bush. I reinstalled it, cocked the action and gently pushed the set trigger forward. If everything was working correctly the shot should be about 5cm high so I aimed at the bottom edge of the middle of the  rabbit. I already had earplugs in and earmuffs on.

BANG! Despite the solid weight of the Mauser M03, there's still some kick when a 270 Winchester launches a 150 grainer at full throttle - especially shooting prone. Not unpleasant or painful, but still a split second of chaos. The rabbit was hit; the other hopped a few steps but stayed put until I'd walked three quarters of the way over there. Then it took off and I watched it race away over short green grass through a very pretty patch of forest. I was happy with the rifle's accuracy and didn't notice my feet hurting. The Norma Spire Point had gone exactly where it was meant to. Another tick in the box for these Mauser M03s and their accuracy and repeatability.