The best rifles are super-accurate, fast and smooth. Mauser’s new 25 straight-pull is all of them in spades. Its cycling is unbelievably slick and if that alone doesn’t get your attention there’s plenty more that will.
We reported some basic technical info and other details in this post, when the rifle was first announced. Now we’ve got some first impressions of it in the field.
The rifle consists of a central chassis block, which has excellent bedding for the receiver and free-floating barrel. The butt, fore-end, trigger group, magazine and bolt carrier all mount individually to the chassis.
The bolt carrier flies along the chassis rails like a pistol slide.
The bolt lockup system is very clever. It simply uses a wedge to drive two huge locking lugs outwards into the receiver’s cutouts. Once the lugs are locked in place, all rearwards force caused by the bullet being fired jams them even more firmly into battery.
The lockup boasts more contact area than a Mauser 98 bolt. This is a very strong, safe action.
The trigger is an absolute gem, releasing a tiny hammer with very short travel on a heavy spring. Lock time feels very quick for this kind of mechanism.
All up it’s a brilliant design, and the only criticism I can see so far is that it’s a bit bulky, which is perhaps one reason why it has a single-stack magazine.
I’ve done the accuracy testing: across five factory loads, the average was just .97 MOA for three-shot groups. The best load was literally ½ MOA.
This is the Max model, the thumbhole version, but there are walnut and synthetic sporters available as well.
I’ll have a full test for you soon but I’ll you now, I can see one of these in my safe.
Distributor OSA Australia says the 25 is due in Australia in September, when pricing will be confirmed.
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