comments... 1891 Mauser/7mm ?

[Kaylee]

guh.. like I really need to be looking at new toys lately. But I recently saw an absolutely deliciously sporterized 1891 mauser for like an "almost free" price (Thanks Tam...). They're holding it for me till I decide..

So um... how does the 7mm Mauser compare to modern cartridges? What's it most similar to these days... I take it that it'd do .30-30 duty just fine, yah? How's the recoil and ammo cost?

As to the rifle itself.. presuming it's not super-hot loaded, how's the '91 hold up? It looked in darn good shape for something that was "obselete" before my grampa was in diapers. Any funamental issues with the design that were fixed in the '98 I need to know about?

-K

 

[Preacherman]

The 7x57mm. Mauser is a wonderful round for whitetail-size game, and could probably cope with elk at short to medium range as well. It's very popular in Africa, where it was used by German colonial forces (as well as the better-known 8x57mm.). I'd rate it as being functionally equivalent to the modern 7mm./'08: slightly less powerful, but not so much as to let the target feel the difference!

I don't know much about the '91 Mausers, I'm afraid, so you'll have to rely on others for information about them.

 

[mete]

The 7x57 has along record as being an outstanding hunting round. The problem is that the gun is over 100 years old. That means that the gun ,if on careful inspection by a gunsmith shows it's ok, should only be used with light loads .

 

[Kaylee]

thanks for the advice y'all.. on further reflection, I decided to pass. Partly 'cause of the concerns mete mentioned, partly 'cause of the funky magazine, partly 'cause it really wasn't as much of a handling difference as I recalled. Ah well.. more pennies in the pot for later.

 

[Art Eatman]

Rifles of that era, with their single-lug bolts, used cartridges limited to some 40,000 psi. This includes the 7mm and the .30-40 Krag.

Art

 

[RON in PA]

Are you sure that the gun is an 1891 because the 7x57 was introduced with the 1893.

The cartridge itself is an excellent medium game cartridge well suited for deer. It does a good job on people too as the British in the Boer War found out and the Americans in the Spanish American War.

The Mauser has two lugs, not one as did the Krag.

 

[Jim Watson]

I wondered about a'91 in 7mm, too.
Perhaps it was rebarreled in the sporterizing process. 7.65 Argentine ammo is not real common. A '93 barrel could be made to fit by setting the shoulder back .070", according to deHaas' dimensions.
Or maybe the caliber was misidentified.

 

[Mannlicher]

nothing wrong with a 7mm Mauser, but the 1891 rifle is suspect. Spotty quality steel, and not anything I would want to be shooting. The 1891 is basically a version of the 1888 Commission rifle with a stacking hook. It is not a mauser, but uses design features from F. Mannlicher and Mauser.

To my knowledge, there were no factory produced Model 1891 rifles in 7mm. I was of the opinion that all were made in 7.92X57MM.

 

[Kaylee]

well, to those who asked, this particular rifle was definately rebarreled in the sporterizing process. I'll admit I don't know all the Mauser variations, but the tag said "1891" and it had a 2-position safety, single stack magazine, cock-on-closing action, and a 2-lug bolt. It was also sitting beside what looked to be an unsporterized version of the same thing in another funky chambering.. Argentenian carbine, I think it was.

anyhow.. thanks for the input.

-K