Mitchell's Mauser: Oiling the Wood?

[Remander]

I ran across and bought from a local gun store a Mitchell's Mauser for $299 (came with all the bayonet, ammo-pouches, etc. that you see in the ads).

I tore it down and cleaned it tonight, and it looks pretty good. The instructions from Mitchell's say to oil the gun, including the wood.

I know almost nothing about caring for wood stocks of this sort. I am not interested in making this old piece a great beauty, but I don't want to ruin it either. It will be a plinker and a cocktail-party conversation item.

Is regular gun oil (MPro7, RemOil, or such) okay to rub on the wood? Or is there a better/different product that I should consider?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Sactown]

BLO (Boiled Linseed Oil) rubbed by hand is a pretty good way to go.

 

[Sam Cade]

Petrolem products such as the ones you named will break down,soften and eventually destroy wood.
BLO is they way to go.

Also, $300 for a M48 rifle is nearly 3 times what you should have paid.

 

[BamBam-31]

+1 on the BLO. You don't have to, but it'll prolly be better to disassemble the stock from the rifle and rub in a few coats (one per day, let it dry before reassembling). Then just rub in another coat every so often, maybe once every few months or so.

Mitchell's Mausers are notoriously expensive, but they're nice pieces. If you're happy with it, then it's worth what you paid.

Also, do a search on corrosive 8mm ammo. If you're shooting surplus 8mm ammo, there's a good chance it's corrosive. Immediately after a range session, run a patch of Windex through the barrel to dissolve the corrosive salts from the primer, then wipe that same patch on the face of the bolt. Do the same with a patch of CLP, then clean as per usual at home.

Enjoy.

 

[Sam Cade]

The M48 is a very fine rifle indeed.
IME, they will outshoot a K98 in roughly the same condition.

 

[Cosmoline]

I use BLO a lot. I find the best way is to apply by hand, no gloves, and to build up friction heat when doing it. This seems to help get it going. Then let it dry a day, then rub off the loose stuff with ultra find steel wool. Then apply another layer. The more you do, the deeper the finish but also the longer it takes to dry.

 

[Remander]

Also, $300 for a M48 rifle is nearly 3 times what you should have paid.

I hear that often when folks post and ask about the Mitchell's guns. But I never see any of those $100 or (any) other Mausers around my area in stores. I have seen a few Mausers at gun shows, but they looked very used and terrible compared to the "new" Mitchell's product.

And I did not have to mess around with shipping or transfer fees. I walked in on my lunch hour and strolled out 15 minutes later with a rifle.

I may have been screwed, but I enjoyed it. LOL!

Thanks for all the tips on the BLO. I'll give it a try if I can find some.

What kinds of stores carry it?

 

[nextjoe]

I have seen a few Mausers at gun shows, but they looked very used and terrible compared to the "new" Mitchell's product.

A lot of the very used- and terrible-looking old Mausers are basically just filthy. Cosmoline, dust, dirt, sand, (superficial) surface rust, etc. You'd be amazed how nicely they can clean up in the hands of someone knowledgeable and patient. One of my earliest mentors in shooting used to go to gun shows, buy the cruddiest, filthiest-looking milsurp rifles he could find, and spend the weekend detail-stripping and cleaning them. He'd keep the best pieces for himself and resell the rest, often doubling his money.

Another point on the old Mausers: don't assume that lack of bluing means the gun is "worn out." Many original Mausers, like the Modelo 1909 Argentine, had their actions left in-the-white. If you see a blued one, it's actually been refinished. Barrels were always blued, as far as I know.

That said, enjoy your new (but 50 year old!) Mauser. And as others have said, BLO or tung oil is the way to go. Regular gun oil is BAAAAD for stocks. Ever see an old rifle or shotgun that has much darker wood around and behind the action? That's due to excess oil that ran down from the metalwork when the gun was stored muzzle-up in a rack or safe. That wood is softened and damaged by all that excess oil. It can sometimes be removed, but it's not an easy job. That's also why you should go easy on the gun oil, and store the rifle muzzle-down for a few days after you oil it.

Best,
Joe

 

[cracked butt]

$300 for what is pretty much a new M48 probably isn't a bad price today. 3 or 4 years ago, other wholesalers and importers were selling unissued M48s for around $175, while Mitchell's was selling them for $400, everyone else has long been sold out of them and it seems mitchell's has come down in price a bit.

Its true that you can still buy M48s, mostly Century imports in very good condition for around $100, but Century 'very good condition' runs the gamut of beat up serviceable rifle to 'dragged across eastern europe behind an oxcart with a sewer pipe bore' with more leaning towards the latter than the former.

 

[Cueball]

For the care of the wood... either use the BLO as mentioned earlier or use Tung Oil. Either one will produce good results on wood.

 

[ShootAndHunt]

Is the regular furniture oil also OK on the gun stock?

 

[cracked butt]

Is the regular furniture oil also OK on the gun stock?

Likely yes.

Formby's lemon oil treatment works really well for cleaning stocks and moisturizing them.

My favorite stuff is called Howard's Feed and Wax which is a mix of orange oil and beeswax, I put this stuff on all of my rifle stocks, once 4 or 5 applications of BLO are done.

 

[pauli]

the $100 mausers are right next to the $90 sks's and the $125 model 13s.

 

[Sam Cade]

Pauli: You are right. They are right next to the $90 SKS.
http://www.southernohiogun.com/surplusrifles.html

My Stamped m48s from SOG look just as good as a Mitchell,have perfect bores, and after shipping I paid just over 1/3 what I would have paid for a Mitchel.

 

[Tropical Z]

Yah,but $300.00 for a mint Mitchell Mauser is still a hell of a deal if you ask me.

 

[Sactown]

Paid $150 for my Mitchell Mauser when CDNN had a bunch of them.