MAUSER M12 EXTREME

11 March 2015


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The new Mauser M12 Extreme

Review part 1

First impressions of the Mauser M12 Extreme.

As a hardened traditionalist (turn bolt rifle with a nice wood stock) I was pleasantly surprised with the feel of this synthetic stock, some other synthetic rifles have a hollow cheap feeling about them leaving you almost thinking that the plastic stock is made out of used yogurt pots, whereas the M12 Extremes stock feels really tactile in the hand, I guess this is why they called it a soft touch coating. The rubberised chequering on the pistol grip and forend makes for a fantastic grip whether wet or dry or with or without gloves.

The next surprise was the length of the stock, whereas most rifles have a trigger to butt measurement of between 13-14 inches, the M12 measures 14½ inches, this may not sound much but believe me it does. The comb is also set higher than its rivals so when mounting the rifle you are not looking straight at the back of the action, this along with the extra length make a noticeable  difference when mounting the rifle and trying to acquire a sight picture through the scope.

Under the spotlight is the trigger pull, which is clean and crisp and is factory set to match that of the blaser, the trigger pull is set at 1lb 12oz, most rifles in the M12 price range are set around 3lbs 8oz.

The bolt runs smooth and is everything you would expect from Mauser. The bolt handle ball is larger than that of the wooden version. The ball is made of a synthetic non-slip material, this enhances the practicality for both rapid reloading for a second or follow up shot, but also looks and feels good to use. The 3 point safety system that works  by holding the firing pin not the trigger is one that has been tried and tested over many years, although I prefer the de-cocking safety system of the Mauser M03 the M12 safety is easy and most importantly a safe system to use.

The M12 magazine is made of a hardened plastic with the Mauser logo on the floor plate, and in my opinion it is well made. The magazine locks into place with a positive click and is easily realised by pressing the magazine realise catch which is located in front of the magazine inlet. The high capacity magazine is a 5 + 1 in medium calibres and uses a zigzag feeding system, this system is simple and feeds well.

Now the niggling bits.

The rifle does not come with a bipod stud, easy to fit as we do them all the time, but it would be nice if they came as standard, not a special order. The wooden version come with the same magazine as the Extreme, but has a polish metal floor plate rather that a black plastic one. The polish metal magazine looks fantastic in both models, so much better that a piece of black plastic. This could just be a personal thing, but a few of our clients have agreed with us on this matter. To this end we will be selling the Extreme with the option of either the synthetic or silver plated magazine.

Summary

To sum up this rifle is easy, it is a well-made well thought out piece of German engineering. This is an entry level Mauser with all the hall marks of rivalling most rifles in the market place today. In my humble opinion it knocks the spots of even the top end Nordic rifles. So if you are looking for a top quality rifle either in wood or synthetic, then look no further than the Mauser M12.

In the Next test (part 2) we will be putting the M12 Extreme through its paces on the range to see just how good it shoots! 

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