Mauser 71/84

[leadman]

Hi, was just looking at the Old West Scrounger website and they have a few of the Mauser 71/84 that were used in the movie The Last Samuri.
These rifles had been restocked and reblued along with other things done. The text said they were fired single shot only so the magazine and feed may have issue.
At $350 plus no ffl needed these would make a fun gun.
I have a 71 which was made as a single shot and really like it. Cases, bullets, etc are available for these.

I don't work for OWS but thought someone here might be interested in one of these.

[Good Cheer]

Saw one with a very nice bore and revamped wood (very nice job) at The Sharp Shooter in Corpus Christi, TX yesterday (Friday). Barrel band had certainly seen better days but it was lovely otherwise. If I had the time to tinker with it...

[Pieter C. Voss]

Leadman--saw your post yesterday and in a rare attack of impulse buying ordered one of the "Last Samurai" guns. Maybe you might have a reply to my post requesting load information.

[leadman]

Way to go. Think I did reply this morning to your post.

[Pieter C. Voss]

Received my "Last Samurai" gun today. I had been having misgivings about the condition of the gun, especially the bore, but I was relieved to see a very decent looking bore that cleaned up very nicely, with sharp rifling. The reproduction stock had some kind of finish on it that I suppose looked pretty good in the movie but close up resembles a cheap furniture finish. I got busy and disassembled the gun and used paint stripper on the stock. It appears to be be beech or some such light straight grained wood. While I was doing this my order from Midway arrived, with brass,dies, and a Lyman mold. Got to get this stock refinished with the right period look so I can take it to the range. Anybody with any ideas on how to get the right look feel free to chime in. Pete

[mroliver77]

I use this stuff. It is a blend of oils and pigments meant to reproduce the finish on late 19th, early 20th century guns. It has a ting of red to it and one can buy extra pigment to get more red if desired. I like the ease with which it applies and you can build up a handrubbed finish if desired. With beech most use a light walnut stain first followed by th MOx finish. Give a look.

http://www.fairtrimmers.com/

Jay

[Pieter C. Voss]

Thanks--I went ahead and used a mixture of dark mahogany and English walnut stains that I had in the garage. Wiping with a rag (on a trial area) left it still too light so I just applied stain and wiped with the heel of my hand to leave a fairly heavy coat and let it dry that way. It looks pretty good but I think I'm improving it ever so slightly with very light coats of some dark furniture scratch hider my wife must have bought at some point. I'm having a ball shooting it. I only have 20 cases--Bertram from Midway--but using the Lyman 340g bullet (which drops from the mold at 350g cast 20-1 lead-tin) and 24g of 5744 it's accurate and mild recoiling.

[leadman]

Is the magazine system operational in your rifle?

How is the accuracy?

[Pieter C. Voss]

The magazine system is not operational--the magazine tube has been cut off to a length of about 3" behind the "stacking rod" or whatever it is they call the short rod that extends from the magazine tube under the muzzle. Also any parts in the action related to the carrier are removed (I think). I'm not sure why this was done, but the movie was filmed in New Zealand and I suspect it may be because the government there objected to the importation of some 300 repeating rifles. The accuracy is good, and getting better each time I shoot it. Since the collector value of my modified and reblued gun is low I have no qualms about modifying the sights as well. I have done so by fashioning a new front sight--a Patridge--type blade that I epoxied to the original (the gun shot high even using the lowest rear sight) and then by drilling a rear peep below the notch on the sliding piece on the rear long range sight. My load--recommended by a friend--is 24g AA5744 behind the Lyman 340g bullet. Don't know what the velocity is but it's comfortable to shoot. Pete

[leadman]

My 21gr load of 2400 with the same boolit is just over 1,100 fps. I built up my front sight with JB Weld.

[StrawHat]

Some reloading info is available in this article.

http://www.riflemagazine.com/magazine/article.cfm?tocid=750&magid=56

[leadman]

Ross Seyfried wrote that article I believe.

[mannheim bob]

Its at my Dad's house in Texas.

I was wondering if parts are available to rehab the magazine system.

My Dad says the magazine tube has a "wooden plug with a section fo cleaning rod wedged in it" to simulate the singleshot rifle with cleaning rod they were trying to emulate (Murata?) for the movie.

A couple years ago I saw a 1871/84 for sale here in Germany. It looked complete and it had the refinished metal and new wood, but was not safe to shoot because the barrel was heavily pitted. I passed on it at 350 Euros, but would have made a good parts gun I guess...

[leadman]

From what I have been told and read, the magazine parts are hard to come by and expensive.

Don't know what rifle they were trying to create, but my 71 is in original factory conditions as a single shot bolt gun. Many were converted to magazine feed, hence the 71/84.

[oscarflytyer]

FYI - The latest copy of (I think, Guns and Ammo) Surplus Firearms has an article on the 71.84 in it.