Mauser 18 Named American Rifleman’s 2020 Rifle of the Year
This caught us by surprise — NRA’s American Rifleman Rifle of the Year is not a Ruger, not a Weatherby, not a Savage. It is a made-in-Germany Mauser. That’s noteworthy. The Mauser 18 bolt-action rifle has been named 2020 Rifle of the Year by the editors of American Rifleman magazine, as part of the NRA’s annual Golden Bullseye Awards. READ Mauser 18 FULL REVIEW.
Mauser 18 Bolt-Action Rifle is Rifle of the Year
How did the Mauser 18 win top honors? The American Rifleman says it’s because this rifle offers excellent “accuracy and ruggedness at an exceptional price point”. The Mauser 18 is available in both short action and long action types, with a wide variety of chamberings, making it suitable for nearly all types of hunting — from varmints to Big Game. The Mauser 18 is available in .243 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, .270 Win, 7mm Rem Mag, .308 Win, .30-06, and .300 Win Mag. The Mauser 18 is relatively light — rifle weight without optics is 6.4 lbs (standard) and 6.6 lbs (Magnum).
In announcing the M18’s selection, the American Rifleman stated: “…At an MSRP of $699, the Mauser M18 is priced a bit higher than most competing models, but well below any new-production Mauser since the height of the Cold War. While rifles in this class are typically spartan, the M18 offers a few extras along with better-than-expected test results. Purists who can’t separate the brand from its full-length-extractor/controlled-round-feed legacy won’t be fans, but hunters seeking an affordable rifle with reasonable expectations of Mauser performance and durability, likely will be.”
The Mauser 18 features a synthetic stock with a classic American hunter profile (like a Remington 700 stock). There are rubberized grip inlays. The steel receiver has a 3-lug bolt for shorter bolt throw. The rifle boasts a 3-position safety allows hunters to safely carry a round in the chamber without fear of the bolt being nudged out of battery. A five-round magazine offers ample capacity for follow-up shots. The Mauser 18 also features an adjustable trigger allows you to set your own preferred pull weight.
“The Mauser 18 was introduced as ‘The People’s Rifle’, and it has been embraced by hunters throughout the world who want a rugged, reliable, and accurate rifle at a great price. To be recognized as the 2020 American Rifleman Rifle of the Year further validates how exceptional this rifle is in its category.” said Jason Evans, CEO, Blaser Group.
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Tags: 6.5 PRC, American Rifleman, Golden Bullseye, Mauser 18
American Rifleman selecting it as much of anything means little at this point.
Nothing against the rifle; it might be everything and then some. But a gunrag article doesn’t do a rifle any good beyond showing staged pictures on glossy paper to move units. Add a little citation of some ‘performance’ in one of the three value sectors, sprinkle a little history, and voila: sales.
I value my fellow Shooter’s honest opinions a hundredfold that of a single word coming from any of the popular magazines, very much including A.R.
The forum of this website, or a few others, is as far as a person need go to find out what a new rifle is really about.
Support your local grassroots web developer with your dollars…you can see where it goes.
Cool rifle.
Right up until you notice that the rifle fires without the bolt being fully in battery. I picked one up and was tinkering around with it and found this out.
Then I picked up two others right beside it and they did the same thing.
It spooked me. I was looking to buy one before that.
Your mileage may vary.
The People’s Rifle? Kind of a Volksgewehr? @js, why would you fire your rifle without the bolt being in the proper position anyway?
Why fire it if the bolt is not closed anyway ?
Fired? Or went click? I believe there is a physical firing pin interlock and even if decocked buy mechanical failure (sear) or out of battery firing that the pin does not protrude
Possibly I’m thinking of the Sauer 100
It went click for sure. I can’t attest to whether the firing pin protruded ahead of the bolt face.
My original thought was that this might be a dandy donor receiver to be rebarrelled. It still might. But I can’t be sure without knowing more. I had not seen a bolt gun whose trigger would break without the bolt being so far from fully locked down.
I really like the receiver otherwise and think it has a lot to offer. The three-lug bolt head is awfully nice. The bolt throw is short and pretty smooth.
As to why one would be concerned about this – humans do human things. They get excited and sometimes do things – like depressing triggers – without being fully aware of all the things going on around them. Call it tunnel vision. I mostly worry about someone not having the bolt all the way down and breaking the trigger. If the interlock SMB describes isn’t working properly, then a shooter can get injured. If it can be avoided, then I want it to be avoided.