Is this a good price for a sporterized mauser

[nlpro]

My local gun shop has a sporterized muaser for sale for $315 it has a douglas 7x57 barrel the metal on the gun is in very good+ condition. The stock is good shape just needs refinishing scope bases already installed . Im not sure what model mauser it is only symbol i saw was a very small bird with spread wings but no swastika on the left side .

So what would be a fare price for this rifle i think i can talk the guy down some from $315. I want to start casting for a rifle and i have read that 7x57 is a good caliber for cast boolit shooting .

Thanks

[Junior1942]

At this time of year you can buy a used Savage or Remington for that or less. Visit some gun/pawn shops--which is what I think I will do tomorrow!

[looseprojectile]

what part of the country you are in.
The local to me pawn shop has a model 700 Remington clip mag. 7mm magnum with a Leoupold 3 X 9 scope for less than four hundred.
7 X 57 sounds like it may be a small ring. If you really like the gun you can't loose much if you want to sell it later.
Stuff like scope bases aftermarket trigger, turned down bolt handle and an aftermarket stock does tend to raise the price of custom guns.

Life is good

[725]

I don't know which Mauser you have there, but I wouldn't be afraid of a 7 x 57 for $300. Your description gives me the impression it's in good shape and you like it. Only a real close look in the bore and inspection of the action would tell me what I really needed to know. Matching numbers? Slop in the bolt? Weak trigger? If you aren't fully up to speed in evaluating these things, maybe a friend with experience could help you. The sales guy may or may not know anything and may or may not tell you the truth. Some of the real old Mausers are tired and might not be good for any hot ammo. Hope you can get a friend to help you out.

[Uncle Grinch]

You really need to know if it's a small ring or large ring. The 93-96 actions aren't quite as desirable for sporters as the 98's. Now I know there are a lot of people (myself included) who have spoterized small ring Mausers and when chambered in the proper caliber, they can be very good guns.

But from the big picture, i.e., taking in all the advantages vs. disadvantages of the small vs. the large ring Mausers, $300 is a decent price for a large ring sporter.

[nlpro]

I am in Northern California not many gun shops to shop around in for anything else and i kind of like having something to fiddle with and make into something better .I will go tomorrow and look to see if it is large or small ring i just had to look up what that meant i'm a noob to military rifles lol :oops:. The after market barrel it has on it has great looking rifling just needs a good cleaning . Looked like someones custom hunting rifle shot little but packed a lot.

[Buckshot]

................Hard to beat the 7x57 for most hunting of large game. They also make excellent cast boolit shooters :-)

.............Buckshot

[Plinkster]

I will advise that the Timney triggers for the Mauser are worth every penny and are easy to install and adjust. And 7x57 is a superb all around game cartridge and cast slinger. $300 sounds like a fair price if its solid. Heck, for that price I wouldn't mind adding a second 7 to the collection.

[Mk42gunner]

Even doing the work yourself, you couldn't build that rifle for $315.00 today. It doesn't sound like a bad price to me.

Robert

[gnoahhh]

On the face of it, $300 sounds like a deal if its a large ring 98 Mauser, or 96 Swede. A fair price if a 93-95 small ring.

[leadman]

The easiest clue as to what the action is the bolt. If it has the third locking lug on the rear of the bolt close to the handle it is a '98. Still could be a small ring '98. I am guoting these next figures off the top of my head but a small ring is like .990" in diameter, the large ring like 1.10". This is at the front of the action where the barrel screws in.
If the front bottom of the bolt is flat it is a '93 small ring. There are '95 and '96 small ring actions also with the '96 being a Swedish. These are usually in good shape but like everything else not always.
Do open the bolt all the way and check for slop. There will be some but you don't want one that the bolt or action is worn out. Don't have a specific amount of slop to tell you other than my '93 that yesterday I put a new 7X57 barrel on has from 1/4" to 3/8" and if it had more I would not have done this.
If the shop will take the action out of the stock look for excessive pitting below the wood line. Especially by the front ring where the barrel scres in. Some pitting to the rear of the front ring is normally ok as long as it is not extensive. Mine has a couple of 1/4" section maybe 1/16' deep at most.
If someone invested in a Douglas barrel one would hope that they used a good action.
If you can get pictures that would help.
To me the old guns and especially the Mausers has some "soul". Most have been places I will never see and met people I never will.

[pietro]

The easiest way to tell the difference is:

All Mauser 98's cock on opening the bolt.

ALL other older Mausers (93, 94, 95, 96, etc) cock on closing the bolt. (unless someone's installed a cock-on-opening kit -rare)

.

[1Shirt]

Gotta go with Junior's advice! It is common sense!
1Shirt!

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

My local gun shop has a sporterized muaser for sale for $315 it has a douglas 7x57 barrel the metal on the gun is in very good+ condition. The stock is good shape just needs refinishing scope bases already installed . Im not sure what model mauser it is only symbol i saw was a very small bird with spread wings but no swastika on the left side .

So what would be a fare price for this rifle i think i can talk the guy down some from $315. I want to start casting for a rifle and i have read that 7x57 is a good caliber for cast boolit shooting .

Thanks

any chance you could post a pic ?

does it look like custom gunsmithing or a Bubba special ?

I've seen bubba sporters go for $50.

Is this a "gunsmith" gunshop...does he have some go/no go guages
in that caliber to be sure the smithin' work was done correctly?

[paul h]

While I've had 95, 96 and 98 mausers that were either sporterized before I got them, or I sporrterized them to somewhere between truck gun and hunting rifle I have subsequently sold off all of them. Compared to a "modern" i.e. post WWII sporting bolt gun, the mausers are heavy, sloppy, the triggers need to be replaced and the steel isn't as strong.

The questions are, what type of auction i.e. 95, 95, 96 or 98, what safety was used to replace the factory wing safety and does it function properly and has the trigger been replaced? Who did the "sporterization" and how compentent was he? Many sporters have been built by people who don't know what they are doing with the results of less than steller accuracy and sometimes downright dangerous guns.

If this work still needs to be done to complete the sporterization then you are looking at $100 on top of the price of the rifle, and IMHO it still won't be as good as a modern sporting rifle. Unfortunately most sporterized WWI and WWII bolt guns are overpriced for what they are. They have lost their historical significance and they don't quite measure up unless built as a no holds barred classic hunting rifle.

For the right price they can be superb rough duty truck guns, but I'd be hard pressed to pay North of $200-250 for such a rifle. You'll also likely find that should you tire of the rifle or it doesn't live up to what you want it for, you'll have a tougher time selling it compared to a modern sporting rifle.

[nlpro]

I stopped on my way to work and it looks like a large ring mauser it has the extra lug on the bolt and soem of the other things i read to look for . It is marked g.24 on the left side of the reciever still has the military saftey and trigger .

[paul h]

Just my thought, if somebody went to the trouble of installing a douglas barrel, they likely would have replaced the trigger and safety. While the shop or previous owner can claim a douglas barrel was installed, any barrel maker markings on the barrel would have been removed when the barrel was machined and fit to the rifle. Hence the gun could just as well have an Adams and Bennet or other low cost barrel. The less expensive barrels shoot relatively well but typically have rougher bores and foul more quickly than more expensive barrels. I'd offer the shop $200 take it or leave it. Unfortunately they are probably unlikely to go under $250. Just remember to stick by your guns. If you got the rifle for $250 and dropped $100 for new trigger and safety installed by a competent smith you're out $350.

I'd suggest taking your time visiting gunshops and pawn shops and keeping your eyes peeled for a Rem 700 or Ruger M77 in 280 or 30-06. It's pretty common to find older ones in decent shape for $400. A few years back I came across an older rem 700 varmint 223 topped with a tasco 24x target scope, sticker price $500. I offered $450 and took the rifle home with me. Put the tasco scope on ebay and got $150 for it. Total price to me for the rifle, $300.

[dpaultx]

Are you certain it's marked g.24 ?

Or is it possibly marked G.24(t) ? If it is indeed marked G.24(t) then it is definitely a large ring '98 Mauser action. The G24(t) rifles were made by Waffenwerke Brunn in Czechoslovakia, in limited numbers, between approx. 1939 and 1942. The action is basically a Czech M24 rifle but with German proof marks. The rifle would have been, originally, chambered for the standard German 8x57mm Mauser cartridge and was generally issued to Waffen SS and Luftwaffe troops.

http://picturearchive.gunauction.com/6985184328/6828356/4fe0be652c54457582c62d8566f37d3d.jpg

Original G.24(t) rifles are fairly rare and, in original unaltered condition, bring very good prices when they do come on the market.

A sporterized unit, while not as valuable as an unaltered original, is still very much worth the $300 asking price.

IMHO . . . Doug

Some pic's would help. A lot.

[MtGun44]

So much depends on the quality of fit and finish and barrel installation, and details like
stock trigger or aftermarket?

How nice is the wood? Well fitted to action and bbl free floated? All this stuff makes
a big difference.

+ 1 on 7x57 being a really user friendly cartridge, not a hard kicker but kills everything up
to elk or so with no drama. I used a 160 NP in my Ruger 7x57 for a number of African
animals, and it worked superbly, all one shot kills.

Bill

[nlpro]

Well i found out i am being replaced at work by two new minimum wage people who the company wont have to pay benefits to so (boy i am glad i wasted 6 yrs on that place)i will not be getting the rifle even tho i would like to.
If any members live in the northern California Yreka area it is at parsons gun shop in Yreka. The barrel install looks well done and its stamped Douglas 7xh7 on it looked down it with a bore lite and it looked smooth and bright with sharp rifling. Im sure it says G.24 not sure if it has the (t) . I was going to get pictures but my kids decided to be nice and do laundry but forgot to take my belt with cell phone holder off the pants first not a good day to say the least[smilie=b:

It also has an old Leupold scope on it i think its an m8 3x power

On a side note Tide gets the outside of cell phones squeaky clean

I feel like i wasted everyone's time with questions now and i apologize

[725]

Never a waste. Hope your days improve and you find a better job soon. My thoughts are with you and the family.
After your further description, I'd say that rifle was a steal.

[MtGun44]

No apology necessary, sorry about the job. Best of luck finding a new one. Try dripping
the cell phone in distilled water until it fills, then let drain and refill with more distilled water,
then in gas line dryer that is 100% isopropyl alcohol for 10 minutes then drain
out into the sink and resubmerge, then bake for 1 hour at not more than 150F. I have saved
two this way. One took a second drying to get the earphone to work.

Bill

[Buckshot]

..............Heck no apologies would be required for ANYTHING you asked. Boards like this are for, and live on questions. Not to worry about your job however. What'shisname has a change he's hoping on, showing up soon. Or at least least 3.5 years ago we were told that. Maybe all he needs is another 6 trillion to send down the rat hole to "git-er-done" ?

Bless your kids. Just trying to help I'm sure. You have my sincere hopes in finding another job very soon.

.................Buckshot

[pietro]

I feel like i wasted everyone's time with questions now and i apologize



As noted - Not needed, & never a problem.

There's more than one of us here, I suspect (myself included), that have never had the bother of having more money than was needed to survive on.

Good Luck, & Via con Dios

.[smilie=s:

[paul h]

You didn't waste anyone's time, look at this as a learning experience, learning is never wasted.

Sorry to hear about your job. A philosophy I've tried to follow is everytime one door shuts, another will open. There will be something better for you out there, just keep your head up as you find it.

[Junior1942]

........Sorry to hear about your job. A philosophy I've tried to follow is everytime one door shuts, another will open. There will be something better for you out there, just keep your head up as you find it.That applies to relationships with the opposite sex, too.

[leadman]

Sorry about the job.
Saw on TV to dry out a cellphone to bury it in uncooked rice for awhile. Might work since rice will soak up water.