Mauser M12 Max Standard

The Mauser M12 was for me definitely one of those ‘wouldn’t it be good if’ moments.

As an M03 owner, it often occurred to me that a cheaper, fixed barrel version would keep all that’s best from the design – toughness, reliability and shootable and save money on a feature that’s not that popular in the UK – a switch calibre/ barrel system. Well, in 2012 they went one better and produced the M12, which was not an M03 but a whole new rifle in its own right. Styling was near classic Mauser in some places and they did away with the dubious pleasure of a de-cocker too, in favour of a standard, 3-position safety catch! Plus, you were no longer forced to buy an expensive and dedicated scope mount, as the M12 receiver bridges were drilled and tapped for commercially available bases.

Growing pains

It was also 3/4lb lighter than the M03, which is a bonus for some shooters. Initial impressions were that the M12 was not going to grow as a range, as they offered the grey/synthetic Extremetype stock of the M03 and a basic walnut variant for all those tree-huggers out there who feel that wood is good on a hunting rifle! With its detachable magazine, generous ejection port and quality build, there wasn’t much to dislike on the M12. Add in both standard and magnum calibre choices, which dictate both barrel length options of 22- and 24-inch and one less round in the magnum magazine (4+1) it was a winner.

Ballpark price speaking, back in 2013 the M12, when first launched, was about £1000 cheaper than the M03 at £1550 and offered a far more British-orientated design. But the basic wood or synthetic rifle was about to start growing. When Blaser Sporting Ltd, under the leadership of Robert Sajitz, took over the distribution of Mauser, Blaser and Sauer in the UK, he envisaged a Brit version. This appeared as the M12 Impact, with the Extreme stock and a 20-inch, semi-fluted, Ilaflon, silver-finished barrel. The price dropped to £1150 and it sold like hot cakes; great rifle and a real tack-driver in 308 Win, though a bit short for a 243 Win, to guarantee large deer legal energy levels with lighter bullets.

Taking stock

Well, now there’s another model to add to the collection, the M12 MAX. This goes back to the basic M12 design, with its steel receiver and choice of 22- and 24-inch barrels. The most standout feature of the MAX is its laminate, thumbhole stock. I love this style and find it shoots really well from most positions and it was one of the reasons I bought a Blaser R8 Professional Success. However, Mauser has tried to make it look like walnut and to me, the result visually, is rather unappealing. If you’re going to use laminate, then embrace the fact it gives some lovely colour contrasts; they really missed a trick there!

The butt is ambidextrous, with a slightly raised comb and slim cheek-pieces. The pistol grip is semi-vertical, hand-filling and well chequered, with a generous thumbhole cut-out and trigger guard that allows easy operation with gloves. Length of pull is a generous 14.3-inches, including a slim rubber recoil pad. The forend tapers slightly to the tip but offers plenty to get hold of, aided by more chequering. As standard, it comes with two fixed sling swivels and a generous barrel channel that offers a good freefloat. QD sling studs would have been a better bet!

Bar of steel

The all-steel action is sweet, with a big, solid bolt body, long lever with plastic ball end that runs smoothly and easily in the steel receiver. Locking is by three sets of twin lugs that give a low bolt lift angle; unusually, there are twin, spring/plunger ejectors in the bolt face and the action cocks easily on opening. The 3-position safety is mounted on top of the bolt shroud and drops down to the right. Fully forward it’s on FIRE, middle is SAFE with bolt operation and rear is SAFE, bolt locked; there are two white dots and a red F on the opposite side, so that you can see the gun’s state easily by the markings. Also, there’s a large, cocked action indicator pin that protrudes from the rear and shows a red ring to indicate gun state, so easy to both see and feel.

The trigger is sweet-breaking at a crisp 3lbs and ideal for hunting, as it’s just about right on the weight. The magazine is a staggered row, detachable box with a release button at the front of the well. Though not quite as generous as the M03’s, the ejection port is large and allows easy single loading and good access.

Criticism and praise

The barrel shows a light/ medium contour, which is good. Mine came without iron sights (optional) and threaded 15x 1mm. Calibre choice goes for – 22-250 Rem, 243/270/308 Win, 6.5x55, 7x64, 30-06, 8x57 JS and 9.3x62, in what Mauser calls ‘standard calibres’, all using a 22-inch barrel. You also get magnums in 7 mm Rem Mag, .300 and 338 Win Mag on a 24-inch tube. However, I feel that the standard length is doing a disservice to some calibres, such as 270 Win, 30-06, 8x57 and 9.3x62; as it tends to rob velocity from these higher-powered numbers. For example, and though I love 30-06, I’d sooner go for 308 Win, as the velocity/energy gap is not that different. But saying that, my tester was an 06!

The rifle came fitted with a Leica Magnus 2.4-16x56 scope with illuminated reticle and side parallax; good glass no doubt and was fitted in a set of QD Mauser mounts I had never seen before. Called the Hexalock system, it consists of two separate rings that are very much a reversed version of the original M03 locking system. The bases consist of two 3-lug studs that screw onto the receiver bridges, in the base of the rings are corresponding rotary sockets with locking levers. All you do is align the sockets with the lugs, drop the scope down and roll the levers forward to lock. The mounts are adjustable for tension and work really well and pass the all-important return to zero test. But the best bit is the price, as an M03 owner I’m used to paying the thick end of £400 for their QD bases, but when I asked Robert the cost of the Hexalocks, I could not believe they were just £132 inc Vat. Another thing the M12 gets right; result!

Set up

To complete the package, I added a Brugger & Thomet Max 8, muzzle moderator and Hornady’s new 178-grain Precision Hunter loading and the old reliable Winchester 150-grain Ballistic Silver Tip (BST). Both loads bear out my comments on the reduced efficiency in higher power calibres like the 30-06 in shorter barrels; the BST is quoted at 2900fps/2801ft/lbs, which is respectable for a 30-06 with this weight bullet. The Hornady states a muzzle velocity of 2750 giving 2988ft/lbs of energy, which is my near ideal spec for the calibre. However, through the MAX’s shorter tube the 06 was giving an average of 2603 fps/2689ft/ lbs and the Winchester 2768 fps/2570ft/lbs. This one is very much the figures I’d expect from a comparable 308 Win; so, sticking with the mid-weight 06 load, though slower, offers better energy. Which given the two choices, I prefer!

Accuracy showed the Precision Hunter printing .75-inches and the BST averaging at an inch; saying that, this load shot the same through a Browning A-Bolt 3. Recoil in the 06 is always pleasant; sort of a big push with none of the sharp snap the 308 Win offers. Feed and function was 100%, which is a definite trait of the generic Mauser rifle, be it a traditional M98, the M12 or the M03, these last two having nothing to do with the original, both being designed over 100-years later. However, I feel they embody the sprit and ethos of this still iconic brand!

Conclusion

The MAX just feels right; the safety is easy to operate, even though you do have to break your firing hand position a bit, due to the butt design’s thumb cut-out! The magazine loads easily and is positive in engagement and removal. The large ejection port allows easy access for single loading and unloading and the twin ejectors really power out the empties too. I especially like the thumbhole stock, as I found it gives a positive and near perfect head position and the pistol grips aids control and makes it very pointable. Overall, the M12 is an impressive rifle and the MAX just adds a bit more shootability and would be my choice!