Mauser M18 Pure

The M18 is a well-known and reliable rifle, available in multiple stock variants, including the new Laminated Beech option. The metalwork is black burnished steel, and the 22” barrel shows a sporter profile with a 17mm diameter. It is manufactured using Mauser’s cold hammer forging technique and shows a crisp 11º crown and a 15x1 screwcut muzzle that’s protected by a thread cap.

Pure tool
The barrel is fully free-floated all the way back to the receiver, helping to avoid any intermittent point-of-impact shifts and enabling the best consistency from any shooting position. The review rifle was chambered in .308, but this Mauser is available in a wide range of chamberings to suit your sporting needs, from .223 all the way past the .30s to 8mm and 9.3mm offerings for tough game.
Common to the Mauser family, the action top features four threaded holes for separate bases or a Picatinny rail. My rifle was supplied with the latter in 20 MOA inclined format, making it ideal for longer-range daylight shooting. The rail gives massive optical mounting versatility for both correct eye relief set-up and the increasingly common use of length-critical night vision equipment for deer control as well as vermin use.

Why three?
The ease with which manufacturers can now make three-lug actions means that the market for twins is now niche. Yes, a three-lug needs a little more force, but with optics getting larger and the space above the action being limited, the handling benefits of a 60º lift are appreciated. There is a 65mm long handle and a 22mm spherical ball end on this M18, and the handle projects straight out laterally from the receiver to offer immediate tactile interaction and an incredibly fast and smooth reload. The black bolt shaft is also 22mm in diameter, and with recessed lugs, it runs smoothly within the action and is virtually impossible to jam. The push-feed bolt face shows a single right-side extractor claw and twin ejector plungers. These ensure your spent brass is flung far and wide, regardless of reload speed, and there is also an inherent emergency backup by having two, not that I have had failures myself on any rifle of this style.

Magazine perfection
When Mauser and Sauer designed the twin-column polymer magazine this rifle uses, they created a masterpiece. In every rifle I have used with a similar unit fitted, it’s so fast and easy to load, in or out of the rifle. It slips easily into the gun and lifts the ammunition smoothly for presentation to the bolt before being slid up the feed ramp and into the chamber. There is a single button release catch in front of the flush-fitting magazine well, and when pressed, the mag pops out just enough to fall into your waiting palm without fuss or delay. Spares are not expensive, and the polymer won’t damage your brass cases, which if you reload, may be very important to you. Regardless, it’s nice to inspect unfired rounds that are cycled a few times to find there are no problematic gouges or scrapes to either the brass or more importantly, the bullet meplat.

All the chambers
This rifle uses a long action with a 113mm bolt stroke for the largest possible chamberings, but the smooth travel and exceptionally well-presented bolt handle mean you never really notice. The bolt’s underside remains close above the stock’s comb for optimum scope alignment compromise, and there is no obstruction to rapid bolt removal if required. The release catch is on the left side of the action and engages internally with a channel on the bolt shaft that will cope easily with fast, aggressive handling, when necessary. It’s beefy without being bulky and these are the sort of designs that behave well when a rifle is used for hunting, away from optimum range conditions. Dust, rain, mud, snow, and ice all affect a hunting rifle and I’m no fan of seemingly clever, close-tolerance designs that lock up at the first sign of debris.

Underneath
The bottom ‘metal’ is manufactured from polymer and is a high-quality item. The trigger guard shows ample space for a gloved trigger finger and the curved blade within offers a crisp single-stage pull from 1000-2000 grams. This review rifle’s trigger weight came in at 1100 grams (38oz) and I found it consistent and predictable for hunting needs. There is, however, an adjustment screw in the blade if needed. A three-position safety catch is fitted on the right side and moves forward for FIRE, middle for SAFE with bolt operation, and rear for SAFE with bolt lock. It’s quiet in operation and accessible with gloved or bare hands.

Disassembly
If you want to inspect or maintain the action, two 5mm Allen-headed nuts pin the barrelled action studs into the stock. With these loosened off, the action lifts clear. It is a cylindrical action and there is a machined steel recoil lug within the stock’s inlet to ensure the rebate in the receiver engages fully and transfers all recoil through the stock without stress. The inlet is neatly machined and fully sealed to prevent water ingress over the gun’s lifetime. The forend is heavily relieved within yet remains stiff, and it shows well-anchored sling studs fore and aft for bipod or sling mounting.

Beech or birch
Most laminate stocks are constructed from birch, yet this Mauser is beech laminate. Birch is a paler timber and perhaps easier to dye in more vivid colours, but combined with all that pressure and glue, it makes a very dense and somewhat dead-feeling stock. In total contrast, the beech laminate can’t be offered in fancy colours, but it visually remains very much on theme with a purist’s hunting rifle. Its most interesting quality was the way it felt in use. The stock is rigid, well proportioned (perhaps a little shorter than I like for the length of pull) but feels like a regular beech stock to shoot. This, like walnut, has a natural recoil transfer and dampening signature, with no hollow reverberation or vibration transfer. So, to me, it seems to be the best of both worlds. There is no expensive figured walnut to damage, yet you get all the benefits of timber with only a few downsides. The laminating procedure uses significant quantities of void-filling adhesives to maintain long-term structural integrity but in the end, it still looks Pure!

On target
The limited test period, poor weather conditions, and minimal barrel run-in meant that down-range performance was affected slightly, however, the rifle had no problem meeting the common 3-shot MOA standard proclaimed by manufacturers at this price point. All the groups were shot at 100 metres, not yards, which is 9% further.
The ammunition fed smoothly, the copper bullets were adequately stable, and the stock was easy to manipulate and control. The medium-density rubber recoil pad is 15mm thick and grips your shoulder well, so it’s familiar from all shooting positions and not spongey. You can feel the recoil, and when precision really matters, you can feel the pre-shot pressure applied, when prone, for example. In fairness, the stock must be good because it never felt short, and I found recoil transferred smoothly with minimal disturbance to the point of aim when a follow-up shot was taken on chaotically swinging steel gongs.
The forend is approximately 47mm wide at the centre point. The chequering offers good grip, it’s hand-filling, and you don’t feel your fingers encroaching on the barrel.

Verdict
The Pure is a well-named rifle, as it fulfils Mauser’s commitment to deliver a straightforward specification for a long hunting career. The rifle offers exceptionally good handling dynamics, a delightfully practical magazine system, a wide range of chamberings, and scope mounting versatility. So, with a reliable trigger, what more could you want? After all, it’s a modestly priced, decisive rifle that’s a true tool, not a toy, but still maintains distinguished looks and character for the 21st-century rifleman!